Leighton Buzzard based author nominated for Wolfson History Prize
A Leighton Buzzard based author has been nominated for the Wolfson History Prize for her book about survivors of the Atlantic slave trade.
Dr Hannah Durkin, a historian who specialises in transatlantic slavery and African diasporic art and culture, has been nominated for her book Survivors: The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the Atlantic Slave Trade.
Dr Durkin is one of six authors nominated for the award, described as the most valuable history writing prize in the country, and has already been awarded £5,000, after making the final shortlist.
Published by William Collins, Dr Durkin’s book tells stories of the survivors of the Clotilda, the last ship of the Atlantic slave trade.
The judging panel described the book as: “A superb reconstruction of the lives of the survivors of the slave ship, Clotilda”, adding that “this searing book conveys the survivors’ sufferings and remarkable resilience, bringing to life their personal stories in a compelling way.”
In the book Dr Durkin tells the story of the Clotilda’s 110 captives, following their lives from their kidnappings in what is now Nigeria, through a 45-day journey across the Middle Passage, and to the subsequent sale of the ship’s 103 surviving children and young people into slavery across Alabama.
The other nominees for the Wolfson History Prize are Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age by Eleanor Barraclough, The Eagle and The Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV by Helen Castor, Multicultural Britain: A People’s History by Kieran Connell, The Gravity of Feathers: Fame, Fortune and The Story of St Kilda by Andrew Fleming and The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective by Sara Lodge.
The winner of the award, now in its 53rd year, will be announced on December 2, and will collect a £50,000 prize.
Last year the award was won by Joya Chatterji for her history of south Asia entitled Shadows at Noon: The South Asian Twentieth Century.