The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction has unveiled its 2025 longlist, with 12 books in contention for the U.K. award that honors “writing of exceptional quality which is set in the past.”
Yael van der Wouden made the longlist for The Safekeep, which was previously a finalist for the Booker Prize. Kevin Barry was nominated for The Heart in Winter, alongside Xan Brooks for The Catchers, Glen James Brown for Mother Naked, Carys Davies for Clear, and Angharad Hampshire for The Mare.
Francesca Kay was longlisted for The Book of Days, as were Malcolm Knox for The First Friend, Ferdia Lennon for Glorious Exploits, Sarah Marsh for A Sign of Her Own, Andrew Miller for The Land in Winter, and David Peace for Munichs.
Katie Grant, the chair of judges for the prize, said in a statement, “We’ve discovered little-known aspects of our collective pasts, experienced excesses of human behaviour, and been placed so authentically in the middle of the action that we’ve felt part of the action. We’re delighted to celebrate debut and emerging writers published by small presses, as well as more established authors and publishers.”
The Walter Scott Prize was established in 2010. Previous winners include Hilary Mantel for Wolf Hall and The Mirror & the Light, Tan Twan Eng for The Garden of Evening Mists, and Robin Robertson for The Long Take.
The shortlist for this year’s prize will be revealed on April 15, with the winner announced in mid-June.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
