Patrick Radden Keefe Shortlisted for 2026 Baillie Gifford Prize
- Author Patrick Radden Keefe has been shortlisted for the 2026 Baillie Gifford Prize for his book London Falling, an investigation into the 2019 death of a British teenager...
- Patrick Radden Keefe won the Baillie Gifford Prize previously in 2021 for Empire of Pain.
- Kirsty Lang, chair of the judges, stated that the selected books offer something for everyone and represent an eclectic list united by stories of people living in a...
Author Patrick Radden Keefe has been shortlisted for the 2026 Baillie Gifford Prize for his book London Falling, an investigation into the 2019 death of a British teenager who fell from a luxury London apartment after posing as an oligarch’s son. The six-book shortlist spans literary biography, true crime, and international reportage, competing for a £50,000 prize to be awarded on November 4, 2026.
Shortlisted Books and Subjects
Patrick Radden Keefe won the Baillie Gifford Prize previously in 2021 for Empire of Pain. His shortlisted work, London Falling, explores the death of Zac Brettler, a 19-year-old who fell from the Riverwalk luxury tower on November 29, 2019, after adopting the fictitious persona of Zac Ismailov, the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch, according to Ian Thomson described the book in a Guardian review as a scrupulously researched work of narrative nonfiction that remains grimly absorbing from start to finish. The six-strong shortlist also includes Andrea Wulf for The Traveller, tracing the life of 18th-century naturalist George Forster. Matthew Sweet is recognized for The Great Dictator, which explores romance novelist Barbara Cartland. Edmund Richardson earned a spot for Alexander, charting the life of Alexander the Great. Nicholas Boggs is shortlisted for Baldwin, a biography examining the writer James Baldwin. Anand Gopal rounds out the list with Days of Love and Rage, which examines the Syrian civil war through the experiences of residents in Manbij.
Judging Panel and Selection Process
Kirsty Lang, chair of the judges, stated that the selected books offer something for everyone and represent an eclectic list united by stories of people living in a world full of conflict and hope. Nonfiction can help readers make sense of a complex and frightening world, Lang added. The shortlist was chosen from an initial longlist of 13 books and more than 350 eligible titles published between November 1, 2025, and October 31, 2026. Alongside Lang, the 2026 judging panel comprises novelist Elif Shafak, Waterstones head of books Bea Carvalho, writer and cultural historian Tiffany Jenkins, Spectator literary editor Sam Leith, and editor and reporter Ravi Mattu.
Prize Background and Sponsorship
Founded in 1999 as the Samuel Johnson prize, the non-fiction award has been sponsored by investment management firm Baillie Gifford since 2016. The sponsor has faced recent criticism regarding its fossil fuel investments and links to Israel, prompting boycotts of sponsored literary festivals by campaign groups such as Fossil Free Books in 2024. Last year’s prize was awarded to Australian writer Helen Garner for her collected diaries, How to End a Story.