The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction unveiled its 2025 longlist, highlighting twelve diverse books spanning espionage, true crime, and modern geopolitical conflict. The selection sets the stage for the winner reveal on Tuesday, November 4, at BMA House.
The Bottom Line
- The Contenders: Twelve remarkable books made the 2025 longlist, chosen for their mind-quickening variety in style, character, and subject matter according to chair of judges Robbie Millen.
- Heavyweights and Veterans: Three previously recognized authors feature on the list: 2010 winner Barbara Demick, twice-shortlisted Richard Holmes, and twice-longlisted Frances Wilson.
- Key Themes: The selection leans heavily into twentieth-century historical narratives, cultural biographies, espionage, true crime, and geopolitical developments.
The Shape of the 2025 Longlist
Variety isn’t just a buzzword for this year’s panel; it’s the defining metric of a reading list that stretches across continents and centuries. Robbie Millen, literary editor of The Times and The Sunday Times who serves as chair of the judges, expressed both delight and relief at the breadth of the submissions.
“All the judges were impressed, delighted and relieved by the mind-quickening variety of the books that we read in terms of style, character and subject matter,” Millen remarked. “It’s been a terrific reading experience.”
The longlist refuses to stay neatly in a single lane of academic history or celebrity culture. Readers are treated to insights into the minds of great novelists, scientific shifts through the eyes of poets, and an exploration of a single hotel reflecting a changing nation. The sweep ranges from personal tragedy to pop culture, tracking everything from a wolf’s search for a mate to historical examinations of physical mutilation and governance.
Literary Heavyweights Meet Veteran Journalists
The twelve-book lineup bridges deep literary scholarship with frontline reporting. Among the recognized names are Pulitzer Prize finalist Yiyun Li and Helen Garner, recipient of the Australian Society of Authors Medal. They are joined by Orwell Prize shortlisted writer Adam LeBor, Royal Society of Literature’s Ondaatje Prize winner Justin Marozzi, and The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year recipient Adam Weymouth.
Foreign reporting pedigree anchors the nonfiction slate. Former foreign correspondents Jason Burke and Lyse Doucet bring firsthand geopolitical depth to the longlist, rubbing shoulders with acclaimed writer Ian Leslie and The New Statesman’s editor-in-chief Tom McTague.
Familiar faces to the prize also return. Barbara Demick, who took home the prize in 2010, reappears alongside Richard Holmes, who has been shortlisted twice, and Frances Wilson, a two-time longlist alum.
Cultural Titans and Geopolitical Fault Lines
Culture vultures and history buffs alike will find plenty to chew on in the selections. The longlist features fresh perspectives on titans of art and culture. This includes deep dives into the iconic Lennon-McCartney relationship alongside biographical explorations of literary figures like Muriel Spark and Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
But the cultural examinations are balanced by heavy twentieth-century historical narratives that continue to shape modern borders and identities. The longlist maps out the complicated, tortuous relationship between Britain and postwar federal Europe, examines daily life in Budapest across the tumultuous eras of the Second World War, analyzes the societal impact of China’s one-child policy, and traces the complex development of modern Afghanistan.
| Category / Theme | Notable Subjects & Focus | Recognized Authors & Journalists |
|---|---|---|
| Culture & Biography | Lennon-McCartney relationship, Muriel Spark, Alfred, Lord Tennyson | Richard Holmes, Frances Wilson, Ian Leslie |
| Geopolitics & History | Postwar Europe, Budapest, China’s one-child policy, modern Afghanistan | Barbara Demick, Jason Burke, Lyse Doucet, Tom McTague, Adam LeBor |
| Literary Fiction & Essay | Human experience, personal tragedy, scientific challenges | Yiyun Li, Helen Garner, Justin Marozzi, Adam Weymouth |
The Road to November 4
With the longlist now out in the open, the literary world turns its collective gaze toward the autumn shortlist cut and the ultimate winner announcement. The winning author will be crowned on Tuesday, November 4, during an award ceremony hosted at BMA House and generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
For those unable to secure a seat at the London venue, the entire event will be livestreamed across the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction’s social channels. As readers dive into these twelve books over the coming weeks, the conversation continues online under the hashtag #BGP2025.
Which of these twelve titles are you planning to pick up first, and how do you think the judges will narrow this eclectic mix down to a shortlist? Drop your predictions in the comments below.
