We’re delighted to announce the HWA Crown Awards longlists for 2022: 36 books celebrating the best in historical writing, fiction and non-fiction, published in 2021-2022. There are three awards categories: HWA Gold Crown, HWA Non-fiction Crown, and HWA Debut Crown.
The books longlisted for the HWA Crown Awards for 2022 are:
Gold Crown Award 2022 longlist
Booth by Karen Joy Fowler (Serpent’s Tail)
An accomplished fictional group biography of the famous 19th-century American thespian family, one of whose sons, John Wilkes Booth, assassinated Abraham Lincoln. Fowler is utterly in command of her complex cast of larger-than-life characters and elegantly employs wide ranging research to narrate her mesmerising tale of a family and a nation each tearing themselves apart.
The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper (Head of Zeus)
An utterly immersive and vivid recreation of life in a brothel in Roman Pompeii. An unforgettable heroine tries to survive in a brutal world.
All of You Every Single One by Beatrice Hitchman (Serpent’s Tail)
1911. Julia and Eve, escaping from a world that doesn’t understand or approve of their love, find a new life in Vienna, city of Mahler, Klimt and Sigmund Freud. When their happiness comes under threat from within, the circle of outcasts and misfits that has embraced them unites to help. This is a story of love, friendship and survival, of the endurance of human hearts, in a city and a society heading towards disaster.
Small Things Like These by Clare Keegan (Faber)
A family man in 1980s Ireland confronts the truth about the Magdalene laundries. A slight but incredibly powerful novel filled with wisdom about heroism, truth and hope.
A Winter War by Tim Leach (Head of Zeus)
In this extraordinary portrayal of a clash of cultures on the fringes of the Roman Empire, Tim Leach explores the society of the Sarmatians, a proud race of warrior men and women who only now are beginning to understand the might of the Roman army that is sworn to wipe them out. This is a cold, cold place at a time of crisis and the author understands his strange and charismatic subjects perfectly, once more taking his readers to an almost mythical place in ancient history.
Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnet (Saraband)
Set in 1960s London, this is the story of a woman who believes that her sister was driven to suicide by a psychiatrist. Complex, absorbing and fiendishly inventive.
The Thin Place by CD Major (Thomas & Mercer)
Adapted from a real tale, this enticing mix of gothic horror, ghost story and thriller is not for the faint of heart and will keep you twisting and guessing right to the end.
The Rebel Daughter by Miranda Malins (Orion)
The fascinating story of Oliver Cromwell’s rise, told from the perspective of his daughter Bridget. Authentic and detailed, this is superb historical writing about a complex and extraordinary period.
The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed (Viking)
That the wrongful execution of Mahmood Mattan is still being talked about today makes this novel all the more poignant. The writing is masterful and the reader isn’t spared from the injustice that this man faced for refusing to become a ‘good immigrant’.
The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley (Bloomsbury)
An intricate, immersive tale set in an alternative Britain, where Napoleon won the war and French is spoken on the streets of London. With a central mystery, adventure on the high seas, romance, and incredible world building, what’s not to love?
The Great Passion by James Runcie (Bloomsbury)
The story of JS Bach through the eyes of a young, bullied chorister. A moving exploration of grief and the transcendental power of music.
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead (Doubleday)
The story of a female aviator and the actress who plays her character in a film a century later. This ambitious epic takes the reader on an incredible ride, from Montana to Los Angeles and on to wartime England and beyond. Incredible storytelling.
Non-fiction Crown Award 2022 longlist
Operation Jubilee by Patrick Bishop (Viking)
A shrewd and fair-minded account of the courageous but disastrous 1942 Allied raid on Dieppe. Effortlessly readable, the book exposes the complex politics and personalities that led to such a doomed enterprise ever being launched.
The Invention of Miracles by Katie Booth (Scribe UK)
A riveting revisionist biography of Alexander Graham Bell and his hostility to sign language and deaf culture – the damaging legacy of a great inventor.
Midnight in Cairo by Raphael Cormack (Saqi)
Original research in English, French and Arabic on the nightlife stars of Cairo of the 1920s and 30s telling their stories, but also the story of Egyptian feminism and Egypt itself at a pivotal time. Entrancing.
The Turning Point by Robert Douglas-Fairhurst (Vintage)
In 1851, the year of Great Exhibition, Dickens was yet to write Bleak House. In this brilliantly-marshalled cornucopia of social, political, and cultural history, the author traces the novel’s gestation.
The Irish Assassins by Julie Kavanagh (Atlantic)
In this mesmerising account, Julie Kavanagh fully reintegrates the story of the Phoenix Park Murders into the wider history of the times. Crossing back and forth over the Irish Sea, this is a tale at once personal and political, told by a masterly storyteller.
Metaphysical Animals by Clare Mac Cumhaill and Rachael Wiseman (Vintage)
Acutely observed, often wry, Metaphysical Animals is a sparkling group biography of Iris Murdoch and three fellow philosophers who deserve to be remembered just as well: Mary Midgley, Philippa Foot, and Elizabeth Anscombe. The authors give us the bonus of a thoroughly readable philosophy lesson as they explore the trials, tribulations, and breakthroughs of these remarkable women.
The Library by Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen (Profile)
A wonderfully absorbing and wide-ranging account of the rise and fall, creation, and dispersal of libraries from Greek and Roman times to the present day.
Loot by Barnaby Phillips (Oneworld Publications)
A balanced and expertly-written history of how the world-famous Benin bronzes were stolen and their fate, which dives deep into the moral and ethical dilemmas of museums and collectors today.
The Hidden Case of Ewan Forbes by Zoë Playdon (Bloomsbury)
Zoë Playdon’s impressive detective work reveals not only a private life being turned inside out, but also how the structures of power and authority buried the evidence to preserve the status quo. The Hidden Case of Ewan Forbes is as gripping as it is impassioned.
The Searchers by Robert Sackville-West (Bloomsbury)
A compelling tale of a century of searching for those who did not return from the Great War. From seances to DNA, Robert Sackville-West takes the reader on an odyssey that transcends grief and shows us some of the best of humanity.
National Treasures by Caroline Shenton (John Murray)
An unfamiliar slice of WWII history highlights the propaganda value of national art collections as well as their safeguarding and conservation. A sharp eye for detail and anecdote celebrates an unusual story of unseen daring and determination.
Fallen Idols by Alex von Tunzelmann (Headline)
A fascinating and detailed examination of why statues went up and why people pulled them down, from Washington to Colston. Illuminates present-day and enduring historical concerns.
Debut Crown Award 2022 longlist
The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews (Bloomsbury)
An intriguing tale of the supernatural and suspected witchcraft that is fascinating, spine chilling, and creepy. Infused with gothic dread and gorgeously written with a heavy mist of dread throughout. A dark, sinister and eerie tale of superstition, myth and murder.
The Queen’s Lender by Jean Findlay (Scotland Street Press)
With a wonderful insight into life in 17th-century Edinburgh and London, The Queen’s Lender is about power, suspicion, religious strife, persecution, and conspiracy. Fast-paced, informative, gripping and beautifully written, seen through the turbulent years of the reign of James VI of Scotland and I of England. Royal court intrigue at its finest.
The Silver Wolf by J C Harvey (Allen & Unwin)
An extraordinarily rich, dark, panoramic tale of an orphaned boy’s quest for truth and then for vengeance as war rages across 17th-century Europe. Multi-layered and intriguing, it is also a tale of secrets and treachery and the relentlessness of fate, along with a story of courage and compassion, of love and loyalty and ultimately of salvation.
The Flames by Sophie Haydock (Transworld)
A thought-provoking, fascinating and illuminating take on the bohemian milieu of turn of 20h-century Vienna’s incandescent life, shown through the lives of artist Egon Schiele’s four muses. Intoxicating and evocative.
Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim (Oneworld Publications)
A heartbreaking story of the chaos of a half-century of love, idealism, war and violence covering most of the 20th century across the Korean peninsula. Dreamy, intense and emotionally fraught.
The Mad Women’s Ball by Victoria Mas (Doubleday)
Powerful and eye-opening Gallic gothic novel about the horrors faced by institutionalised women in 19th-century Paris. This absorbing and well-crafted novel covers some big topics about mental health and asylums in history.
Black Drop by Leonora Nattrass (Viper/Profile Books)
A richly detailed, historical political thriller set in 1794 London. An opium-filled gem in which the tangled roots of British democracy are seen through a murderous romp. Full of political intrigue, spies, dubious characters and numerous twists and turns. Brilliantly written, beautifully realised, expertly researched.
Moonlight & The Pearler’s Daughter by Lizzie Pook (Mantle)
Breathtaking adventure story and a moving testimony to the lengths we go to for the people we love. Set in the halcyon days of Australia’s lucrative pearl industry in the late 1800s. Atmospheric, eerie, fascinating, and with a great sense of place, mystery and intrigue.
The Deception of Harriet Fleet by Helen Scarlett (Quercus)
A chilling gothic Victorian mystery that is dark and brimming with suspense. Haunting and richly imagined, with a wild landscape, family secrets, and not one but two unforgettable heroines. A fabulous, engrossing, delightful read.
Hear No Evil by Sarah Smith (Two Roads)
Based on a landmark case in Scottish legal history, it combines crime fiction with a woman’s struggle to speak the truth. Beautifully written, striking, stylish and evocative, it illuminates a fascinating period in history.
The Plague Letters by VL Valentine (Viper/Profile Books)
A terrific, intriguingly twisty tale full of atmosphere and colourful characters set in the dark medical world of Restoration London. Readers are transported to the London of Charles II in a gripping whodunnit with a sinister twist. A terrific read.
The Spirit Engineer by AJ West (Duckworth Books)
Haunting, deeply moving and witty, The Spirit Engineer looks at the subject of spiritualism during the Edwardian period through the experiences of an incredibly troubled man. An atmospheric and haunting tale that covers some disturbing subjects. An amazing story that is Gothic and spooky at its best. Fantastic.
Congratulations to all the longlisted authors, who have stood out in a year when submissions increased in number.
And thank you to our hard-working judges! Their work isn’t over yet; each list has to be narrowed down to six for the shortlist and then to just one winner.
HWA Crown Award shortlists announced: 25 October, 2022
HWA Crown Award winners announced and awards ceremony: 23 November, 2022
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