Lyse Doucet and Arundhati Roy make shortlist for Women’s Prize for Nonfiction

Six Books Exploring War, Art, and Migration Shortlisted for Women’s Prize for Nonfiction

Two powerful works examining hotels as sanctuaries and danger zones during wartime have been named among the six finalists for the Women’s Prize for Nonfiction, organizers announced Wednesday in London.

The shortlisted titles for the £30,000 ($40,000) award highlight diverse perspectives on conflict, art, migration, and personal history, spanning multiple continents and disciplines. The prize was established this year to address significant gender disparities in the nonfiction publishing landscape.

Canadian journalist Lyse Doucet’s “The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan” and British author Jane Rogoyska’s “Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War” both explore how hotels function as critical spaces during times of conflict. Their parallel themes of sanctuary and danger create a compelling dialogue within the shortlist.

The finalists also include acclaimed Indian novelist and activist Arundhati Roy’s memoir “Mother Mary Comes to Me” and Turkish writer Ece Temelkuran’s examination of displacement, “Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century,” which investigates the complex experiences of migration in contemporary society.

Two British works focused on artistic expression complete the shortlist: Daisy Fancourt’s “Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health,” which examines the therapeutic power of creativity, and Judith Mackrell’s “Artists, Siblings, Visionaries: The Lives and Loves of Gwen and Augustus John,” a dual biography of the influential early 20th-century artistic siblings.

Thangam Debbonaire, the Labour Party politician chairing this year’s judging panel, praised the selected works for their scholarly excellence and contemporary relevance. “These books are an urgent antidote to mis- and dis-information, written with high standards of scholarship,” she noted. “They offer rich and original insights, in what often feels like a fragmented and uncertain world.”

The Women’s Prize for Nonfiction emerged as a sister award to the long-established Women’s Prize for Fiction, which has been recognizing excellence in women’s literature since 1992. The new prize addresses troubling statistics showing significant gender imbalances in nonfiction publishing, reviewing, and recognition.

Recent data illustrates the scope of the problem: in 2022, only 26.5% of nonfiction books reviewed in British newspapers were authored by women, despite women comprising a much larger percentage of published authors. Similarly, major nonfiction literary prizes have historically skewed heavily toward male winners. Market research has also revealed gender disparities in nonfiction purchasing patterns, with men buying more nonfiction titles than women.

Last year’s inaugural Women’s Prize for Nonfiction was awarded to British physician Rachel Clarke for “The Story of a Heart,” a moving exploration of the human narratives behind organ donation. Clarke’s win established a high standard for the award, celebrating both literary excellence and meaningful subject matter.

The shortlist announcement comes at a time when nonfiction works by women addressing complex global issues are gaining increased recognition within the publishing industry. By highlighting works that span geography, discipline, and approach, the prize aims to expand the visibility of women’s contributions to scholarly and creative nonfiction.

The six finalists represent a broad spectrum of perspectives and methodologies, from journalistic investigations to scholarly analyses and personal memoirs. What unites them is a commitment to rigorous research, compelling storytelling, and engagement with pressing contemporary concerns.

The winner of both the nonfiction and fiction prizes will be announced at a ceremony in London on June 11, with the recipient receiving the £30,000 prize and significant international recognition.