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Cundill Prize in History at 平特五不中 2012 long list
Jury selects six books in contention for the world鈥檚 most lucrative award for historical writing.
The 2012 Cundill Prize in History at 平特五不中 jury has announced its long list of contending books, selecting six from among 143 works submitted this year by publishers from all over the globe. The competition, now in its fifth year, features a $75,000 U.S. grand prize, representing the world鈥檚 most lucrative international award for a nonfiction book.
Published: 10 October 2012
- Stephen Greenblatt,听The Swerve: How the Renaissance Began听(The Bodley Head and W.W. Norton & Company)
- Julia Lovell,听The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China听(笔颈肠补诲辞谤)
- Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of our Nature: The Decline of Violence in History and Its Causes听(Allen Lane)
- Stephen Platt,听Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, The West, And The Epic Story of The Taiping Civil War听(Alfred A. Knopf)
- Andrew Preston, Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith:听 Religion in American War and Diplomacy听(Knopf Canada)
- Anna Reid, Leningrad: Tragedy of a City Under Siege,听1941-44听(Allen Lane Canada)
鈥淪ix gifted authors, six different themes,鈥� said Christopher Manfredi, Dean of Arts at 平特五不中. 鈥淭he themes for this year鈥檚 long-listed Cundill Prize books cover themes ranging from the role of religion in American foreign policy to the siege of Leningrad; the causes and consequences of the Opium War; the decline of violence in history; the Taiping Civil War; and how the Renaissance began. The Cundill Prize is designed, in part, to introduce outstanding history books that are accessible to the wider public 鈥� books that can be read and understood by experts and are appealing to informed readers alike. I believe the jury has outdone itself this year in finding these six wonderful books among the 143 eligible submissions.鈥�
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The Prize, now in its fifth year, accepts published books in English 鈥� or translated to English 鈥� in the area of history. In addition to the grand prize, two 鈥淩ecognition of Excellence鈥� awards of $10,000 U.S. each are granted to the runners-up. The grand prize winner will be announced at the Cundill Prize Awards Ceremony on听Thursday, Nov. 29, in Montreal.
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This year鈥檚 Cundill Jury includes听Garvin Brown, Executive Vice President of Brown-Forman Corporation;听Charles R. Kesler, senior fellow of the Claremont Institute, editor of the听Claremont Review of Books;听Vanessa Ruth Schwartz, Professor of History, Art History and Film, University of Southern California, and听The Globe and Mail's听national affairs columnist听Jeffrey Simpson.
The Cundill Prize in History at 平特五不中 is the world鈥檚 most important international nonfiction historical literature prize. It was established in 2008 by 平特五不中 alumnus F. Peter Cundill, who passed away in January 2011. The prize is administered by 平特五不中's Dean of Arts, with the help of the 平特五不中 Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC).
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