Overview
The award is a sister to the 31-year-old Women's Prize for Fiction and is open to female English-language writers from any country in any nonfiction genre
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LONDON (AP) — Two books about hotels in wartime are among finalists for the Women’s Prize for Nonfiction. The six-book shortlist announced Wednesday includes “The Finest Hotel in Kabul” by Lyse Doucet and Jane Rogoyska’s “Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War.”
The list also includes Indian author Arundhati Roy’s memoir “Mother Mary Comes to Me” and books about migration and art. The award is a companion to the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Organizers launched the prize in 2024 after data showed men dominate major nonfiction publishing and reviews. The winners of both prizes will be announced June 11 in London.
“The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan” by Canadian journalist Lyse Doucet and U.K. author Jane Rogoyska’s “Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War” are on a six-book shortlist announced Wednesday for the 30,000 pound ($40,000) prize.
Also in the running are Indian author Arundhati Roy’s memoir “Mother Mary Comes to Me” and Turkish writer Ece Temelkuran’s exploration of migration, “Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century.”
The list is completed by two books about art by British writers – “Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health” by Daisy Fancourt and Judith Mackrell’s “Artists, Siblings, Visionaries: The Lives and Loves of Gwen and Augustus John.”
Labour Party politician Thangam Debbonaire, who is chairing the judging panel, said the finalists “are six books of authority, told with humanity.”
“These books are an urgent antidote to mis- and dis-information, written with high standards of scholarship,” she said. “They offer rich and original insights, in what often feels like a fragmented and uncertain world.”
The award is a sister to the 31-year-old Women’s Prize for Fiction and is open to female English-language writers from any country in any nonfiction genre. It was established in 2024 in response to statistics showing men in the U.K. buy more nonfiction than women, and write more high-profile nonfiction books.
In 2022, only 26.5% of nonfiction books reviewed in Britain’s newspapers were by women, and male writers dominated established nonfiction writing prizes.
Last year’s winner was British physician Rachel Clarke for “The Story of a Heart,” which explores the human drama behind organ donation.
Winners of both nonfiction and fiction prizes will be announced on June 11 at a ceremony in London.
This story cannot be republished.