2025 The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction

Helen Garner’s How to End a Story is the latest volume of her candid diaries, offering readers an unfiltered glimpse into her life as writer, observer, and woman navigating art and aging. Garner’s voice is intimate, wry, and brutally honest, shifting seamlessly between everyday moments and existential reflections. The book grapples with questions of closure, endings, and the act of writing itself. Garner’s gift lies in her ability to make the personal universal, finding resonance in the smallest details. This installment feels both raw and quietly luminous, a testament to her enduring presence in contemporary letters.

In Lone Wolf, Adam Weymouth crafts a poignant exploration of wolves, wilderness, and the human imagination. Combining travel writing, natural history, and personal reflection, Weymouth tracks the mythologies surrounding one of nature’s most misunderstood creatures. His narrative captures both the ecological realities and the symbolic weight wolves carry in culture. The prose is lyrical yet grounded, filled with vivid encounters and contemplations. At heart, the book examines our relationship to wildness and the longing for connection with untamed worlds. It’s as much about human identity as it is about wolves.

Justin Marozzi’s Captives and Companions is a sweeping narrative of power, conquest, and survival. Drawing on extensive historical sources, Marozzi tells the stories of individuals caught in webs of empire — prisoners, hostages, and unexpected allies. His prose is richly textured, balancing academic rigor with gripping storytelling. The book reveals the intimate human dimensions of war and diplomacy, where personal fates shape political outcomes. Marozzi situates these lives in a global context, reminding us that history is as much about relationships as it is about battles. It’s an ambitious, illuminating work that reframes familiar narratives through overlooked perspectives.

Richard Holmes returns with The Boundless Deep, a work that blends biography, science, and adventure. Known for his Romantic-era studies, Holmes here plunges into the oceans — both literal and metaphorical. His narrative dives into maritime exploration, the science of the sea, and the literary imagination that has long been captivated by watery depths. Holmes’s prose is lyrical and expansive, carrying readers across centuries of discovery and danger. The book’s strength lies in its ability to connect scientific progress with human curiosity and courage. A master storyteller, Holmes makes the deep feel both wondrous and profoundly human.

Jason Burke’s The Revolutionists offers a penetrating look at the forces and individuals who ignite political upheaval. Drawing on his deep experience as a journalist, Burke blends reportage with history to tell stories of radical thinkers and activists across continents. The book highlights both the fervor and the fractures of revolutionary movements. Burke writes with clarity and balance, neither romanticizing nor demonizing his subjects. Instead, he situates them within the messy realities of power, violence, and change. It’s a gripping, urgent narrative that resonates strongly with the political crises of today.

Frances Wilson delivers a characteristically sharp and vibrant study in Electric Spark. Known for her literary biographies, Wilson turns her attention here to the currents of creativity and the figures who generate seismic cultural change. Her prose is electrifying, witty, and precise, weaving together archival research with narrative flair. She uncovers the contradictions that drive great minds and the social forces that amplify them. The book is as much about the mysterious spark of human ingenuity as it is about the individuals themselves. Readers are left with a renewed appreciation for how creativity shapes and shocks the world.

Veteran journalist Lyse Doucet brings her firsthand experience of Afghanistan to The Finest Hotel in Kabul. The book recounts decades of conflict, diplomacy, and resilience through the lens of a once-grand hotel that witnessed it all. Doucet’s narrative is deeply personal, enriched by her years of reporting and the relationships she built on the ground. She captures both the devastation and the humanity of Afghanistan’s story, offering nuance and empathy often missing from political accounts. It’s a work of reportage that doubles as cultural history, reminding readers of the endurance of place and people amidst turmoil.

In Things in Nature Merely Grow, Yiyun Li turns her luminous prose to nonfiction, blending personal meditation with philosophy and natural history. The book contemplates growth — biological, emotional, and spiritual — through essays that move fluidly between literature, memory, and observation. Li’s writing is tender, intellectual, and quietly transformative. She examines how growth is not always progress but a complex unfolding, often accompanied by pain and uncertainty. The essays invite readers into a contemplative space where time slows and detail matters. It’s a work of wisdom and beauty, deeply human in its scope.

Ian Leslie’s John & Paul revisits one of the most iconic creative partnerships in history: Lennon and McCartney. Combining cultural history, music criticism, and psychology, Leslie dissects what made their collaboration so explosive and enduring. He charts the synergy and tensions between two extraordinary talents, showing how their differences fueled their genius. The book is insightful, affectionate, and filled with sharp observations on creativity itself. Leslie makes a compelling case for collaboration as one of the most potent forces in art. Music lovers and cultural historians alike will find much to savor.

Barbara Demick’s Daughters of the Bamboo Grove shines a light on women’s lives in East Asia, weaving together reportage, oral history, and cultural analysis. Known for her fearless journalism, Demick amplifies voices often silenced or overlooked, creating a mosaic of resilience and resistance. The book is empathetic and revelatory, exposing both systemic challenges and personal triumphs. Demick’s writing balances compassion with clarity, ensuring that her subjects speak powerfully for themselves. It is a vital, moving contribution to global nonfiction, reminding us of the power of testimony.

Tom McTague’s Between The Waves examines the turbulent political landscape of Britain and Europe in the wake of Brexit. With sharp analysis and insider access, McTague traces the shifting alliances, cultural anxieties, and unresolved tensions shaping the continent’s future. His prose is brisk and pointed, capturing both the immediacy of events and their deeper historical roots. The book navigates personalities as much as policies, making the narrative engaging and accessible. For readers seeking to understand a region in flux, this is a timely and authoritative account.

Adam LeBor’s The Last Day of Budapest offers a gripping narrative of Hungary’s turbulent history, focusing on a single decisive day as a lens into broader upheavals. LeBor combines archival research with vivid storytelling to recreate the atmosphere of political collapse and social transformation. His narrative captures both the drama of events and the intimate lives caught in their wake. The book illuminates how a nation’s identity can pivot on moments of crisis. With precision and empathy, LeBor gives readers both history and human drama in equal measure.