The longlist for the 2020 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction has been announced.
Honouring the achievements of the founding father of the historical novel, the Walter Scott Prize is unique for rewarding writing of exceptional quality which is set in the past – at least 60 years ago.
The full longlist is:
- The Narrow Land by Christine Dwyer Hickey
- The Parisian by Isabella Hammad
- How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee
- To Calais, In Ordinary Time by James Meek
- The Offing by Benjamin Myers
- The Warlow Experiment by Alix Nathan
- Shadowplay by Joseph O’Connor
- The Redeemed by Tim Pears
- A Sin of Omission by Marguerite Poland
- Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield
- This Is Happiness by Niall Williams
- The Hiding Game by Naomi Wood
The judges commented: “In its eleventh year, with more submissions than ever before, the 2020 Walter Scott Prize longlist reflects the energy and dynamism of modern historical fiction, a genre presenting authors with very particular challenges and delights. As always with our longlist, readers will find themselves in all kinds of places in all kinds of centuries, both in the company of familiar authors and hearing newer voices.”
The 2020 shortlist will be revealed in April, with the winner to be announced on Friday 12 June. Find out more about the Prize here.
