Culture Society, Identity and Belonging
The winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction has refused to take the £50,000 prize money until the fund manager publishes a plan to reduce its fossil fuel investments.
Richard Flanagan won for his memoir Question 7, making him the only person to have done the double of major British literary prizes after winning the Booker Prize for Fiction in 2014.
“No one tonight should regard my words as criticism of Baillie Gifford but its opposite,” Flanagan said in his acceptance speech. “It is belief in Baillie Gifford’s good faith and the seeking of a way forward.”
Boycotts organised by Fossil Free Books saw the fund manager cancel its literary festival sponsorships this year. But Tom Tivnan, managing editor of the Bookseller, believes a speech at the ceremony by Baillie Gifford partner Peter Singlehurst implied the fund might reconsider its sponsorship.
Singlehurst noted the current contract expires in 2025. “Flanagan’s stance on the money might be Baillie Gifford’s final straw,” Tivan said.
