Guest Newsletter: Five Books - Biographies And The Orwell Prize

• 1 min read

Five Books features in-depth author interviews recommending five books on a theme. You can read more interviews on the site, or sign up for the newsletter.

The Best Historical Biographies of 2026

The best biographies combine original research with accessible writing and a strong narrative drive, explains the historian Roy Foster, chair of the judges for the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography. Here, he introduces us to the five "extraordinarily accomplished" books on their 2026 shortlist, including a reassessment of Austrian empress Maria Theresa and a portrait of the molecular biologist Francis Crick in the swinging 1960s. Read more

The Best Political Novels: The 2026 Orwell Prize

"Politics, in its widest sense, courses through all these books. The eight finalists...have thought long and hard about abortion, contraception, gay rights, geopolitics, corruption, religious dogma, regulating technology and treating mental illness. Though these books are all quite different, they are united in showing how much a life of political engagement is a life of purpose and connection with humanity," says Fiammetta Rocca, chair of the judging panel of this year's Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. Read more

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