Historical novels are acclaimed via a number of recent literary awards

Over the past few weeks, many literary prize announcements have come to my attention via industry news sources or social media.  And historical novels have been among the winners!  Some of these awards are ones I haven't posted about before, and each has a different, frequently specialized focus.  If the scope for these awards interests you, you may find it worthwhile to visit their websites to research past winners, too. 

First, the highest-profile award among them: the Booker Prize, for the best overall English-language novel published in the UK and Ireland. Out of the six works of fiction on the shortlist, three are historical fiction, with settings ranging from a WWI-era battlefield (Anne Michaels' Held) to the southern US just before the Civil War (Percival Everett's James) to the Netherlands in the 1960s (The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden). The winner will be announced on Nov. 12.

The longlists for the Gold Crown and Debut Crown awards from the Historical Writers' Association were announced on September 18th. The awards recognize "the best historical writing, fiction and non-fiction, published in the UK and its ability to engage, illuminate, entertain and inform legions of readers."

The HWA looks back at least 35 years in the past for its definition of what constitutes historical fiction.  I wasn't able to find the longlists on their site, but the following images were shared on social media. To be honest, I'm often more interested in seeing longlists and shortlists than the ultimate winner, because it means more books!  And I know, from being on prize committees, how challenging it can be to reach consensus among judges and choose just one.



Since the cover images are on the small side, titles and authors (plus settings) are as follows:

The Glutton, A. K. Blakemore - 18th-century France
The Fox Wife, Yangsze Choo - 1908 Manchuria
Clear, Carys Davies - 1840s Scotland
You Dreamed of Empires, Alvaro Enrigue - 16th-century Mexico
Disobedient, Elizabeth Fremantle - 17th-century Rome
Loot, Tania James - 18th-century India and Europe
The Book of Days, Francesca Kay - Tudor England
Quint, Robert Lautner - WWII-era; prequel to Jaws
Cast a Cold Eye, Robbie Morrison - 1933 Glasgow
A Woman of Pleasure, Kiyoko Murata - early 20th-century Japan
Cahokia Jazz, Francis Spufford - alternate America in 1922
Absolutely and Forever, Rose Tremain - 1950s-60s Britain

The Gold Crown is for previously published authors, while the Debut Crown is, naturally, for first novels.

Again, the details:

The Other Side of Mrs. Wood, Lucy Barker - Victorian London

The Golden Gate, Amy Chua - WWII-era California
Leeward, Katie Daysh - early 19th-century naval warfare
Colours of Siena, Judith May Evans - 14th-century Tuscany

The Maiden, Kate Foster - 17th-century Edinburgh
The Painter's Daughters, Emily Howes - 18th-century England
All Us Sinners, Katy Massey - 1977 Leeds

Our Hideous Progeny, C. E. McGill - 1850s England
The Witching Tide, Margaret Meyer - 17th-century East Anglia
The Beholders, Hester Musson - Victorian London
The Revels, Stacey Thomas - 17th-century England
The Tumbling Girl, Bridget Walsh - Victorian London

Next are the American Book Awards from the Beyond Columbus Foundation, for "outstanding literary achievement across the entire spectrum of America's diverse literary community." Among the 18 honorees announced on September 5, both nonfiction and fiction, are two historical novels: Debra Magpie Earling's The Lost Journals of Sacajewea and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Independence.

The latest fiction winner of the New England Book Award (announced Sept. 12) is a novel I've reviewed here previously, North Woods by Daniel Mason. Submissions must be either about New England, set in New England, or written by an author residing in New England. 

Lastly, if you hadn't been aware there was a prize for adventure fiction... let me introduce you to the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize, named after the well-known adventure novelist who passed away in 2021.  And if you aren't sure what this genre encompasses (perhaps more than you'd think), their website will tell you.  This is an international prize for English-language fiction, and this year's winner is Francesca de Tores' Saltblood, set during the Golden Age of Piracy. Read more in an interview with the author.

The sponsor of the prize is the Wilbur and Niso Smith Foundation.

If you've come across any other relevant award notices, please leave a comment, or just reply if you're reading this through email.