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The 2018 HWA Crown Awards winners!

10 November 2018 By Editor

Shaun Whiteside, Elizabeth Fremantle

At last the waiting’s over and the winners have been announced.

At an awards party held at the Swedenborg Centre in London on 7 November, 2018, and hosted by historian Kate Williams, HWA members and colleagues celebrated the winners of the three HWA Crown awards and the HWA / Dorothy Dunnett short story competition.

Cover of To Die in SpringThe Sharpe Books HWA Gold Crown for historical fiction was won by To Die in Spring, written by Ralf Rothmann and published by Picador.

It was translated by Shaun Whiteside, who received the award on Rothmann’s behalf.

The award judges found To Die in Spring ‘beautifully written, affecting and intensely readable – a powerful novel that works on many levels.’ They described Shaun Whiteside’s translation as ‘one of the best [they] had read’.

Cover of The White KingThe Non-fiction Crown winner was White King: Charles I – Traitor, Martyr, Murderer by Leanda de Lisle, published by Chatto & Windus.

Her book is ‘a quietly revolutionary biography of a man obscured by layers of myth, prejudice and misunderstanding’, said the judges.

‘Drawing on new sources, and interrogating familiar material in a new way, de Lisle emphasises Charles’s humanity, his weaknesses and his strengths, while restoring the women in his life to centre stage.’

Cover of EstorilThe HWA Debut Crown went to Estoril by Dejan Tiago-Stankovic. Estoril is published by Apollo/Head of Zeus.

‘Assured, surprising and complex, this poignant story of divided loyalties among the extraordinary residents of a hotel in neutral Portugal during the Second World War reads like a rediscovered classic,’ the judges said.

Imogen Robertson, HWA Chair, said: ‘Each winner was part of a very strong short- and longlist which demonstrated the breadth and vigour of historical writing published in the UK in the last year. We are sure that all lovers of history will find something to delight them in these lists, from adventure, epic and literary fiction of the highest quality to important popular works of non-fiction which shed fresh light on familiar figures or carve out and claim important new territory all of their own.’

HWA/Dorothy Dunnett short story prizewinnersThe winner of the HWA / Dorothy Dunnett short story competition for unpublished short stories was also announced. The first prize went to Canadian writer Jennifer Falkner for Nineteen Above Discovery. In an unusual twist, she also won second prize with her short story Experiential Does It.

The announcement of a new HWA prize for unpublished novels, in collaboration with Sharpe Books, surprised and delighted guests.

The success of the evening was in great measure thanks to our sponsors, Sharpe Books and The History Press. Our judges dedicated a great deal of their time reading and debating the huge number of submissions with generosity and enthusiasm, and the HWA is hugely grateful to them for their work. And guests enjoyed the food provided by The Cheese Tasting Company.

2018 HWA Crown awards party picture gallery:

The suspense…

People sitting and looking attentive

Our host, Kate Williams, introduces the awards

Kate Williams

A delighted Shaun Whiteside, translator of To Die in Spring, on his way to collect the 2018 HWA Sharpe Books Gold Crown (also seen in the main image, with judge Elizabeth Fremantle)

Shaun Whiteside

Leanda de Lisle receives her award from 2018 HWA Non-fiction Crown judge Jason Goodman

Leanda de Lisle and Jason Goodman

Clare Gordon from Head of Zeus with the 2018 HWA Debut Crown awarded by judge and crime blogger Ayo Onatade

Clare Gordon & Ayo Onatade

HWA Chair Imogen Robertson presenting the first prize in the Dorothy Dunnett short story competition, won by Jennifer Falkner

Imogen Robertson & Jen Falkner

And relax… guests enjoy the rest of the evening

Crowd

Crowns crowd

Crowd

Judges Richard Foreman and Saul David with Ned Palmer (centre)

Richard Foreman, Ned Palmer, Saul David

Elizabeth Buchan with short story shortlisters AV Bruce and Bella D’Arcy Reed

Lizzie Buchan, AV Bruce, Bella D'Arcy Reed

Blessed are the cheesemongers: Ned Palmer conducts a quick cheese-tasting

Images:

All photographs of the event: Adam Robertson

Read the press release

Interview with Richard Foreman, founder of Sharpe Books

Dorothy Dunnett Society

The 2018 HWA Crown judges

 

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Filed Under: Awards, Features, Lead article Tagged With: Dejan Tiago-Stankovic, Estoril, historical fiction, Historical Writers Association, history, HWA, HWA Debut Crown, HWA Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Competition, HWA Non-Fiction Crown, HWA Sharpe Books Gold Crown, Jennifer Falkner, Kate Williams, Leanda de Lisle, Ralf Rothmann, Shaun Whiteside, To Die in Spring, White King

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