Branigan wins 2023 Cundill History Prize

Guardian writer Tania Branigan has won the 2023 Cundill History Prize, worth US$75,000 (A$117,100), for Red Memory: Living, remembering and forgetting China’s Cultural Revolution (Faber).

The book is an exploration of the Cultural Revolution and how it has shaped Chinese society. Written while Branigan was reporting in China, the book uncovers rarely heard stories from individuals who lived through the Mao Era.

Jury chair Philippa Levine said, ‘Haunting and memorable, Tania Branigan’s sensitive study of the impact of the Cultural Revolution on the lives and psyches of an entire generation in China affected every juror, as it will every reader. All of us found ourselves unable to stop thinking about this extraordinary book. All of us were deeply moved by the trauma she so vividly describes and by the skills on which she drew in doing so. This is a must-read.’

Chosen from shortlists announced in October, Branigan’s book was among two runners-up, who will each receive US$10,000 (A$15,600).

Administered by McGill University in Montreal, the Cundill Prize is awarded annually to an individual from any country for a book that embodies historical scholarship, originality, literary quality and broad appeal.

The winner of last year’s award was Tiya Miles’ All That She Carried: The journey of Ashley’s sack, a Black family keepsake (Random House). More information about the Cundill History Prize is available on the prize website.

Category: Awards International news