Baillie Gifford Prize

It's the final episode of the Read Smart podcast hearing from our 6 shortlisted authors! In this episode, Prize Executive Director Toby Mundy speaks with Adam Weymouth about Lone Wolf: Walking the Faultlines of Europe, one of the shortlisted works for the 2025 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. Weymouth follows the journey of a wolf across Europe, weaving together nature writing, identity and geopolitics, and raising profound questions about belonging and the wild. In this conversation he reflects on wilderness, migration and what it means to stray far from home. Listen now to engage with a story where animal tracks become pathways into human experience. This podcast is generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. To keep up with all of our Prize news year-round, follow @BGPrize on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube.

It's Episode 5 of the Read Smart podcast! In this episode, Prize Executive Director Toby Mundy speaks with biographer and historian Richard Holmes about The Boundless Deep: Young Tennyson, Science and the Crisis of Belief, a shortlisted title for the 2025 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. Holmes charts Alfred Lord Tennyson’s early years against the backdrop of science, faith and poetic ambition, revealing how the nineteenth-century sea of ideas shaped a generation. In this conversation, he explores biography, belief, and how a poet confronted the emerging challenges of his time. Listen now to discover this elegant and searching study of mind, myth and meaning. This podcast is generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. To keep up with all of our Prize news year-round, follow @BGPrize on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube.

It’s time for Episode 4 of the Read Smart podcast! In this episode, Prize Executive Director Toby Mundy speaks with journalist and author Jason Burke about The Revolutionists, shortlisted for the 2025 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. Burke examines the ideological ferment of the 1970s, exploring the militants, activists and ideas that shaped modern revolt. In this conversation, he explores how radical change begins, what freedom costs and the lasting legacy of insurgency in global politics. Listen now to dive into a gripping narrative of revolt and consequence. This podcast is generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. To keep up with all of our Prize news year-round, follow @BGPrize on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube.

We’re diving into Episode 3 of the Read Smart podcast! In this episode, Prize Executive Director Toby Mundy speaks with acclaimed writer Helen Garner about How to End a Story, shortlisted for the 2025 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. Garner reflects on memory, mortality and the craft of turning life into narrative, drawing out the tender, awkward and surprising moments that shape a life on the page. In this conversation, she explores the ethics of memoir, the discipline of revision, and how a writer contends with truth when memory is partial. Listen now to hear a frank and intimate discussion about the art of telling and ending a story. This podcast is generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. To keep up with all of our Prize news year-round, follow @BGPrize on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube.

We’re back with episode 2 of the Read Smart podcast! In this episode, Prize Executive Director Toby Mundy speaks with author and historian Justin Marozzi, shortlisted for the 2025 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction for his book Captives and Companions: A History of Slavery and the Slave Trade in the Islamic World. Marozzi traces 1,500 years of slavery across three continents, revealing how the institution shaped societies from the medieval caliphates to the modern day. In this conversation, he discusses the challenges of uncovering the voices of the enslaved, the differences between slavery in the Islamic world and the transatlantic slave trade and the enduring legacy of enslavement in the 21st century. Listen now to hear more about this powerful and eye-opening work. This podcast is generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. To keep up with all of our Prize news year-round, follow @BGPrize on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube.