Baillie Gifford Prize

In the final episode of our 2026 Read Smart shortlist series, Prize Director Toby Mundy speaks with Anand Gopal about his book Days of Love and Rage: A Story of Revolution, shortlisted for the 2026 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.

In the Syrian city of Manbij, ordinary men and women set out to build a democracy amid revolution. Through their experiences of friendship, hope, sacrifice and betrayal, Gopal tells the deeply human story of a community fighting to shape its own future. His reporting brings us close to the people behind the headlines, exploring their pursuit of freedom and the inequalities that threaten it.

Listen now to hear about the lives, choices and ideals at the heart of this story.

This podcast is generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. To keep up with all our Prize news year-round, follow @BGPrize on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube.

Our Read Smart shortlist series continues! In this episode, Prize Director Toby Mundy speaks with Nicholas Boggs about his book Baldwin: A Love Story, shortlisted for the 2026 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.

The first major biography of James Baldwin in three decades, this intimate portrait explores the relationships that shaped his life and writing. Drawing on newly uncovered archives, original research and interviews, Boggs reveals how Baldwin’s lovers, friendships and artistic collaborations helped make him one of the twentieth century’s most influential literary voices.

Listen now to discover the personal connections behind an extraordinary body of work.

This podcast is generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. To keep up with all our Prize news year-round, follow @BGPrize on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube.

Our Read Smart shortlist series continues! In this episode, Prize Director Toby Mundy speaks with Andrea Wulf about her book The Traveller: The Revolutionary Life of George Forster and his Search for Humanity, shortlisted for the 2026 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.

At just seventeen, George Forster joined Captain Cook’s second voyage around the world. What followed was a life of adventure, radical ideas and revolution. Wulf brings this largely forgotten explorer and thinker back into focus, tracing how his encounters with different peoples and cultures inspired his fight for equality, freedom and human rights.

Listen now to discover an extraordinary life and a search for our common humanity that still speaks to us today.

This podcast is generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. To keep up with all our Prize news year-round, follow @BGPrize on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube.

Our Read Smart shortlist series continues! In this episode, Prize Director Toby Mundy speaks with Matthew Sweet about his book The Great Dictator: A Life of Barbara Cartland, shortlisted for the 2026 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.

Famous for her pink dresses, extravagant eyelashes and hundreds of romantic novels, Barbara Cartland cultivated an unmistakable public image. Drawing on her private archives and accounts from those who knew her, Sweet reveals the ambitious, complicated woman behind it. From country house parties to the divorce court, this biography follows a life as dramatic as the stories she dictated from her sofa.

Listen now to discover the surprising story behind one of Britain’s most recognisable literary personalities.

This podcast is generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. To keep up with all our Prize news year-round, follow @BGPrize on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube.

Our Read Smart shortlist series continues! In this episode, Prize Director Toby Mundy speaks with Edmund Richardson about his book Alexander: God, King, Man, shortlisted for the 2026 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.

Drawing on new discoveries and sources in twelve ancient languages, Richardson brings us closer to the man behind the myth of Alexander the Great. From his uncertain beginnings as a young king to the conquests that transformed the ancient world, this vivid biography explores the ambition, relationships and contradictions that shaped one of history’s most famous figures.

Listen now to discover the story behind the legend. This podcast is generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. To keep up with all our Prize news year-round, follow @BGPrize on Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube.