Salman Rushdie Leads Baillie Gifford Non-Fiction Prize Longlist

Booker Prize-winner Salman Rushdie has been longlisted for the GBP 50,000 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction with his memoir ‘Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder’. The longlist features 12 acclaimed books, including those by Richard Flanagan and other international authors. The shortlist announcement is set for October 10.

Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie could become the first writer to win both a prestigious fiction and non-fiction prize, following his nomination for the GBP 50,000 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction in London.

His memoir, 'Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder', is one of 12 books on the longlist for the globally recognized award, which celebrates outstanding non-fiction works by authors of any nationality. Judges praised Rushdie's work as an 'intimate and personal account of a world-historical event,' detailing his recovery from a near-fatal stabbing incident in New York.

The 2024 judging panel, comprising UK-based author Chitra Ramaswamy, journalist Heather Brooke, 'New Scientist' editor Alison Flood, 'Prospect' editor Peter Hoskin, and writer Tomiwa Owolade, selected the longlist from 349 books. The shortlist of six books will be announced on October 10, with the award ceremony for the GBP 50,000 prize slated for November 19.

(With inputs from agencies.)