The longlist for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction has been revealed, with 12 books in contention for the British literary award.
Zadie Smith was nominated for The Fraud, her novel about a Scottish housekeeper in 1873 who is obsessed with the cause-célèbre Tichborne trial, as was Tom Crewe for his Orwell Prize–winning The New Life, which follows two men in late-19th-century England writing a book about homosexuality.
Tan Twan Eng, who won the Walter Scott Prize in 2013 for The Garden of Evening Mists, was nominated this year for The House of Doors. Rose Tremain, a previous two-time nominee for the prize, made the 2024 longlist for Absolutely and Forever, while Joseph O’Connor earned his third nomination for the award for My Father’s House.
Alan Spence was longlisted for Mister Timeless Blyth, alongside Stephen Daisley for A Better Place; Kevin Jared Hosein for Hungry Ghosts; Victoria MacKenzie for For Thy Great Pain, Have Mercy On My Little Pain; Sally Magnusson for Music in the Dark; Benjamin Myers for Cuddy; and Kai Thomas for In the Upper Country.
The Walter Scott Prize, named for the Scottish author considered the father of historical fiction, was first awarded in 2010. Previous winners have included Andrea Levy for The Long Song and Hilary Mantel for Wolf Hall and The Mirror & the Light.
The shortlist for this year’s award will be revealed in May, with the winner announced in June.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
