The British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding shortlist event 2023

Meet the authors shortlisted for the 2023 British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding at this special in-person and online event organised in partnership with the London Review Bookshop. Awarded annually since 2013, the British Academy’s £25,000 non-fiction book prize recognises work that searches for truth and reason in difficult places, and shines a light on the connections and divisions that shape cultural identity worldwide. Join the six shortlisted authors for an exploration of urgent and globally significant topics. This event will be chaired by the award-winning journalist Rosie Goldsmith.

Shortlisted authors and books: 

• Tania Branigan, Red Memory: Living, Remembering and Forgetting China's Cultural Revolution
• Nandini Das, Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire
• Daniel Foliard, The Violence of Colonial Photography
• Kris Manjapra, Black Ghost of Empire: The Long Death of Slavery and the Failure of Emancipation
• Irene Vallejo, Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World
• Dimitris Xygalatas, Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living

Chair: Rosie Goldsmith, Journalist and Broadcaster, Founder and Director of the European Literature Network.

You can find out more about the shortlisted books, and order a copy, via the London Review Bookshop.

Free, booking required

This event will take place both in-person at the British Academy's home at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, St James, London, SW1Y 5AH and will be live-streamed virtually. This event includes a reception for all in-person attendees.

Please book your ticket for in-person or virtual attendance through Eventbrite.

The winner of the 2023 British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding will be announced the following day at 6:30 pm via livestream. Please register for the separate Winner's Announcement event on October 31 here.

If you have any questions about this event, please refer to our Public Events FAQs. If your question is not answered, please email [email protected] or call the Events Team on +44(0)20 7969 5264.

Find out more about British Academy Events and sign up to our newsletter.