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BBC Samuel Johnson Prize For Non-Fiction
The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, formerly the Samuel Johnson Prize, is an annual British book prize for the best non-fiction writing in the English language. It was founded in 1999 following the demise of the NCR Book Award. With its motto "All the best stories are true", the prize covers current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts. The competition is open to authors of any nationality whose work is published in the UK in English. The longlist, shortlist and winner is chosen by a panel of independent judges, which changes every year. Formerly named after English author and lexicographer Samuel Johnson, the award was renamed in 2015 after Baillie Gifford, an investment management firm and the primary sponsor. Since 2016, the annual dinner and awards ceremony has been sponsored by the Len Blavatnik, Blavatnik Family Foundation. The prize is governed by the Board of Directors of The Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-fiction ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A True Story From A Hotter World
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient Greek letter alpha, from which it derives. The uppercase version consists of the two slanting sides of a triangle, crossed in the middle by a horizontal bar. The lowercase version is often written in one of two forms: the double-storey and single-storey . The latter is commonly used in handwriting and fonts based on it, especially fonts intended to be read by children, and is also found in italic type. In English, '' a'' is the indefinite article, with the alternative form ''an''. Name In English, the name of the letter is the ''long A'' sound, pronounced . Its name in most other languages matches the letter's pronunciation in open syllables. History The earliest known ancestor of A is ''aleph''—the first letter of the Phoenician ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kate Summerscale
Kate Summerscale (born 2 September 1965) is an English writer and journalist. She is best known for the bestselling narrative nonfiction books The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, which was made into a television drama, '' The Wicked Boy'' and The Haunting of Alma Fielding. She has won a number of literary prizes, including the Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction in 2008. Biography Summerscale was brought up in Japan, England and Chile. After attending Bedales School (1978–1983), she took a double-first at Oxford University and an MA in journalism from Stanford University. She lives in London with her son. Writing She is the author of ''The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House'', based on a real-life crime committed by Constance Kent and investigated by Jack Whicher, a book described in '' Literary Review'' as an altogether "deft 21st-century piece of cultural detection" which won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction in 2008. Summerscale also wrote the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Autobiography Of A Species In 23 Chapters
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with nouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as (homophone of the archaic pronoun ''thee'') ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nigella Lawson
Nigella Lucy Lawson (born 6 January 1960) is an English food writer and television cook. After graduating from Oxford, Lawson worked as a book reviewer and restaurant critic, later becoming the deputy literary editor of ''The Sunday Times'' in 1986. She then wrote for a number of newspapers and magazines as a freelance journalist. In 1998, her first cookery book, ''How to Eat'', was published and sold 300,000 copies, becoming a best-seller. Her second book, ''How to Be a Domestic Goddess'', was published in 2000, winning the British Book Awards, British Book Award for Author of the Year. In 1999, Lawson hosted her own cooking show series, ''Nigella Bites'', on Channel 4, accompanied by another best-selling cookbook. ''Nigella Bites'' won Lawson a Guild of Food Writers Award. Her 2005 ITV (TV network), ITV daytime chat show ''Nigella'' met with a negative critical reaction and was cancelled after attracting low ratings. She hosted the Food Network's ''Nigella Feasts'' in the Uni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Helena Kennedy
Helena Ann Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws (born 12 May 1950), is a Scottish barrister, Television presenter, broadcaster, and Labour Party (UK), Labour member of the House of Lords. She was Principal (academia), Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford, from 2011 to 2018. A Bencher of Gray's Inn, an Honorary Writer to the Signet and the recipient of 42 Honorary Degrees from many universities including those of Glasgow and Edinburgh in recognition of work on women and the law and on widening participation in higher education. She is President of Justice, the law reform think tank, and is also director of the International Bar Association's Institute of Human Rights. In 2024, Kennedy succeeded David Neuberger, Baron Neuberger of Abbotsbury, Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury as Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom. Early life and education Kennedy was born on 12 May 1950 in Glasgow, Scotland, one of the four daughters of Mary Veronica (née Jones) and Josh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Susan Greenfield
Susan Adele Greenfield, Baroness Greenfield, (born 1 October 1950) is an English scientist, writer, broadcaster and member of the House of Lords (since 2001). Her research has focused on the treatment of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. She is also interested in the neuroscience of consciousness and the impact of technology on the brain. Greenfield is a senior research fellow at Lincoln College, Oxford; Baroness Susan Greenfield">University of Oxford> Department of Pharmacology> Baroness Susan Greenfield Accessed 12 June 2015. she was a professor of Synaptic Pharmacology. Greenfield was chancellor of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh between 2005 and 2013. From 1998 to 2010, she was director of the Royal Institution of Great Britain. In September 2013, she co-founded the biotech company Neuro-bio Ltd, where she is chief executive officer. Early life Greenfield's mother, Doris (née Thorp), was a dancer and a Christian, and her father, Reginald Myer Greenfield, wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Timothy Garton Ash
Timothy Garton Ash (born 12 July 1955) is a British historian, author and commentator. He is Professor of European Studies at the University of Oxford. Most of his work has been concerned with the contemporary history of Europe, with a special focus on Central and Eastern Europe. He has written about the former Communist regimes of that region, their experience with the secret police, the Revolutions of 1989, and the transformation of the former Eastern Bloc states into member states of the European Union. He has also examined the role of Europe in the world and the challenge of combining political freedom and diversity, especially in relation to free speech. Education Garton Ash was born to John Garton Ash (1919–2014) and Lorna Judith Freke. His father was educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge and was involved in finance, as well as being a Royal Artillery officer in the British Army during the Second World War. Garton Ash was educated at St Edmund's School, Hindhead, Surre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stephen Fry
Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of Fry & Laurie'' (1989–1995) and ''Jeeves and Wooster'' (1990–1993). He also starred in the sketch series ''Alfresco (TV series), Alfresco'' (1983–1984) with Laurie, Emma Thompson, and Robbie Coltrane, and in ''Blackadder'' (1986–1989) alongside Rowan Atkinson. Since 2011 he has served as president of the mental health charity Mind (charity), Mind. In 2025, he was Knight Bachelor, knighted for services to mental health awareness, the environment and charity. Fry's film acting roles include playing Oscar Wilde in the film ''Wilde (film), Wilde'' (1997), for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor; Inspector Thompson in Robert Altman's murder mystery ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2000 In Literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2000. Events *February – The bookstore El Ateneo Grand Splendid takes over the ''Teatro Gran Splendid'' in Buenos Aires, converting it for use as retail space. *February 13 – The final original ''Peanuts'' comic strip by Charles M. Schulz is published. Schulz died on February 12. *March 14 – Stephen King's novella '' Riding the Bullet'' is published in e-book format only, as the world's first mass-market electronic book. * September 26 – English politician and writer Jeffrey Archer is charged with perjury, and on the same day opens in the title role of his own courtroom drama, ''The Accused''. *December 15 – In a landmark censorship case, '' Little Sisters Book and Art Emporium v. Canada (Minister of Justice)'', the Supreme Court of Canada rules that Canada Customs has no authority to make judgments on the permissibility of material being shipped to retailers, only to confiscate material ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Wealth And Poverty Of Nations
''The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some are So Rich and Some So Poor'' is a 1998 book by historian and economist David Landes (1924–2013). He attempted to explain why some countries and regions experienced near miraculous periods of explosive growth while the rest of the world stagnated. The book compared the long-term economic histories of different regions, specifically Europe, United States, Japan, China, the Arab world, and Latin America. In addition to analyzing economic and cliometric figures, he credited intangible assets, such as culture and enterprise, to explain economic success or failure. Landes was Emeritus Professor of Economics and Coolidge Professor of History at Harvard University. Content In ''The Wealth and Poverty of Nations'', Landes revives, at least in part, several theories he believes have been incorrectly discarded by academics over the previous forty years: * The 'cultural thesis' or Protestant work ethic of Max Weber, whereby the values impo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge ( ; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets with his friend William Wordsworth. He also shared volumes and collaborated with Charles Lamb, Robert Southey, and Charles Lloyd (poet), Charles Lloyd. He wrote the poems ''The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' and "Kubla Khan", as well as the major prose work ''Biographia Literaria''. His critical works were highly influential, especially in relation to William Shakespeare, and he helped introduce German idealist philosophy to English-speaking cultures. Coleridge coined many familiar words and phrases, including "suspension of disbelief". He had a major influence on Ralph Waldo Emerson and American transcendentalism. Throughout his adult life, Coleridge had crippling bouts of anxiety and depression; it has been speculated that he had bipolar disorder, which had not been defin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate (; ) was the Roman administration of Judaea (AD 6–135), fifth governor of the Judaea (Roman province), Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over Pilate's court, the trial of Jesus and ultimately ordered crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion. Pilate's importance in Christianity is underscored by his prominent place in both the Apostles' Creed, Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. Because the gospels portray Pilate as reluctant to execute Jesus, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church believes that Pilate became a Christian and venerates him as both a martyr and a saint, a belief which is historically shared by the Coptic Orthodox Church, Coptic Church, with a Calendar of saints, feast day on 19 or 25 June, respectively. Pontius Pilate is the best-attested figure to hold the position of Roman governor, though few sources about his rule have survived. Virtually nothing is known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
