REVOLUSI shortlisted for 2024 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction

It is so powerful to see David Van Reybrouck on the Baillie Gifford Prize shortlist for the masterpiece that is Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World. David’s courage and intellect as a writer and researcher (on the ground, and in the library) is second to none, and no one else could have produced a book quite like this. It is an incredible feat of research and authorship.

But also it is a feat of publishing to bring it to the point where it can sit (as the only translated book) on the shortlist for this prize. I was first approached by David to handle his English-language rights as he was finishing writing the book in Dutch. It was published in Dutch by De Bezige Bij, but before publication we were able to secure deals with Will Hammond at The Bodley Head (Penguin Random House UK) and Matt Weiland at Norton US, not only because of their faith in David’s work but also because of advice from translator Liz Waters and sample material from translators David Colmer and David McKay (who went on to translate the whole book). It has been an amazing experience to work with such a passionate and expert team.

The full shortlist for the prize is:

- Rachel Clarke (British) for The Story of a Heart (Abacus, Little, Brown, Hachette UK)
- Richard Flanagan (Australian) for Question 7 (Chatto & Windus, Vintage, PRH)
- Annie Jacobsen (American) for Nuclear War: A Scenario (Torva, Transworld, PRH)
- Sue Prideaux (British) for Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin (Faber & Faber)
- Viet Thanh Nguyen (Vietnamese-American) for A Man of Two Faces: A Memoir, A History, A Memorial (Corsair, Little, Brown, Hachette UK)
- David Van Reybrouck (Belgian) for Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World (The Bodley Head, Vintage, PRH). Translated by David Colmer and David McKay

The shortlist of six books was chosen by this year’s judging panel: journalist, broadcaster and founder of China Dialogue, Isabel Hilton (chair); author and investigative journalist, Heather Brooke; comment and culture editor for New Scientist, Alison Flood; culture editor of Prospect, Peter Hoskin; writer and critic, Tomiwa Owolade; and author, restaurant critic and journalist, Chitra Ramaswamy.

Their selection was made from 349 books published between 1 November 2023 and 31 October 2024. The winner receives £50,000 and the other shortlisted authors each receiving £5,000, bringing the total prize value to £75,000.

“The six shortlisted books showcase a breathtaking range of subjects and styles, expand our understanding and challenge our perspectives. Each one demonstrates exceptional scholarship and compelling narrative and offers profound insight into some of the most pressing issues of our time. It is a shortlist that we celebrate as a testament to the power of non-fiction to enlighten, engage and inspire us. Choosing a winner will be a daunting task but one that we embrace with enthusiasm.”

Isabel Hilton, chair of judges

The winner will be announced at a prize ceremony on 19 November.

Watch the judges talk about the shortlist here.