Richard Flanagan Wins Baillie Gifford Prize

Australian writer Richard Flanagan made history by winning the 50,000 pound ($63,000) Baillie Gifford Prize for his memoir 'Question 7', a decade after receiving the Booker Prize for his novel 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North'. This unprecedented achievement marks him as the first author to win both the leading U.K.-based fiction and nonfiction awards. Flanagan's memoir intricately combines autobiography, family history, and the narrative of the atomic bomb's development, leading judges to describe it as a 'meditative symphony of a book'. The Baillie Gifford Prize director noted its significance, while journalist Isabel Hilton highlighted Flanagan's novelist's eye as a strength in his writing. Flanagan was absent from the award ceremony, as he was trekking in the Tasmanian rainforest, and he pledged not to accept the prize money unless the sponsoring firm commits to ending fossil fuel investments. His book triumphed over five other finalists, including works by Annie Jacobsen and Viet Thanh Nguyen.