Knox longlisted for 2025 Walter Scott Prize

In the UK, the Abbotsford Trust has announced the longlist for the 16th Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction (WSP). 

Among those longlisted is local author Malcolm Knox for his novel The First Friend, a ‘chilling black comedy’ about ‘a gangster mob in charge of a global superpower’, according to the publisher.

The full longlist is:

• The Heart in Winter (Kevin Barry, Canongate)
• The Catchers (Xan Brooks, Salt)
• Mother Naked (Glen James Brown, Peninsula Press)
• Clear (Carys Davies, Granta)
• The Mare (Angharad Hampshire, Northodox Press)
• The Book of Days (Francesca Kay, Swift Press)
• The First Friend (Malcolm Knox, A&U)
• Glorious Exploits (Ferdia Lennon, Fig Tree)
• A Sign of Her Own (Sarah Marsh, Tinder Press)
• The Land in Winter (Andrew Miller, Sceptre)
• Munichs (David Peace, Faber)
• The Safekeep (Yael van der Wouden, Viking).

Chair of judges Katie Grant said, ‘It has been exciting to read the diverse crop of novels on the WSP 2025 longlist. We’ve discovered little-known aspects of our collective pasts, experienced excesses of human behaviour, and been placed so authentically in the middle of the action that we’ve felt part of the action. We’re delighted to celebrate debut and emerging writers published by small presses, as well as more established authors and publishers.’

The Walter Scott Prize is open to books written in English, with more than 50% of the novel set more than 60 years ago, and published in the UK, Ireland or the Commonwealth. The winner receives £25,000 (A$49,655), and each shortlisted author is awarded £1500 (A$2979). The shortlist will be released in May, and the winner announced in June.

More information about the prize and the longlisted titles can be found on the prize website. 

Category: Local news News