The Duff Cooper Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

or occasionally

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

, published in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

or French. The prize was established in honour of

Duff Cooper Alfred Duff Cooper, 1st Viscount Norwich, (22 February 1890 – 1 January 1954), known as Duff Cooper, was a British Conservative Party politician and diplomat who was also a military and political historian. First elected to Parliament in 19 ...

, a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

diplomat, Cabinet member and author. The prize was first awarded in 1956 to

Alan Moorehead Alan McCrae Moorehead, (22 July 1910 – 29 September 1983) was a war correspondent and author of popular histories, most notably two books on the nineteenth-century exploration of the Nile, ''The White Nile'' (1960) and ''The Blue Nile'' (196 ...

for his ''Gallipoli''. At present, the winner receives a first edition copy of Duff Cooper's autobiography '' Old Men Forget'' and a cheque for £5,000.

Overview

After Duff Cooper's death in 1954, a group of his friends decided to establish a trust to endow a literary prize in his memory. The trust appoints five judges. Two of them are ''ex officio'': the

Warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically identic ...

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...

, and a member of Duff Cooper's family (initially, Duff Cooper's son,

John Julius Norwich John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich, (15 September 1929 – 1 June 2018), known as John Julius Norwich, was an English popular historian, travel writer, and television personality. Background Norwich was born at the Alfred House Nursing ...

for the first thirty-six years, and then John Julius' daughter,

Artemis Cooper Artemis Cooper, Lady Beevor FRSL (born Alice Clare Antonia Opportune Cooper; 22 April 1953) is a British writer, primarily of biographies. She is married to historian Sir Antony Beevor. Family life She is the only daughter of The 2nd Viscou ...

). The other three judges appointed by the trust serve for five years and they appoint their own successors. The first three judges were

Maurice Bowra Sir Cecil Maurice Bowra, (; 8 April 1898 – 4 July 1971) was an English classical scholar, literary critic and academic, known for his wit. He was Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, from 1938 to 1970, and served as Vice-Chancellor of the Univer ...

Cyril Connolly Cyril Vernon Connolly CBE (10 September 1903 – 26 November 1974) was an English literary critic and writer. He was the editor of the influential literary magazine ''Horizon'' (1940–49) and wrote '' Enemies of Promise'' (1938), which combin ...

and

Raymond Mortimer Charles Raymond Bell Mortimer CBE (25 April 1895 – 9 January 1980), who wrote under the name Raymond Mortimer, was a British writer on art and literature, known mostly as a critic and literary editor, who also wrote a classic history of th ...

. At present, the three appointed judges are writer and biographer

Patrick Marnham Patrick Marnham is an English writer, journalist and biographer. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society Literature in 1988. He is primarily known for his travel writing and for his biographies, where he has covered subjects as diverse as D ...

, film critic John McBratney, and former '' TLS'' editor Lindsay Duguid. From 2013, the prize has been known as The Pol Roger Duff Cooper Prize, following a sponsorship by

Pol Roger Pol Roger is a producer of champagne. The brand is still owned and run by the descendants of Pol Roger. Located in the town of Épernay in the Champagne region, the house annually produces around 110,000 cases of Champagne.K. Gargett, P. Forr ...

Winners

Source
Duff Cooper Prize
*1956 –

, ''Gallipoli'' *1957 –

Lawrence Durrell Lawrence George Durrell (; 27 February 1912 – 7 November 1990) was an expatriate British novelist, poet, dramatist, and travel writer. He was the eldest brother of naturalist and writer Gerald Durrell. Born in India to British colonial pare ...

, ''

Bitter Lemons ''Bitter Lemons'' is an autobiographical work by writer Lawrence Durrell, describing the three years (1953–1956) he spent on the island of Cyprus. The book was awarded the Duff Cooper Prize for 1957, the second year the prize was awarded. Back ...

'' *1958 –

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture, ...

, ''Collected Poems'' *1959 –

Patrick Leigh Fermor Sir Patrick Michael Leigh Fermor (11 February 1915 – 10 June 2011) was an English writer, scholar, soldier and polyglot. He played a prominent role in the Cretan resistance during the Second World War, and was widely seen as Britain's greates ...

, '' Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese'' *1960 –

Andrew Young Andrew Jackson Young Jr. (born March 12, 1932) is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christian L ...

, ''Collected Poems'' *1961 –

Jocelyn Baines Jocelyn is a surname and first name. It is a unisex (male/female) name. Variants include Jocelin, Jocelyne, Jocelynn, Jocelynne, Joscelin, Josceline, Joscelyn, Joscelynn, Joscelynne, Joseline, Joselyn, Joselyne, Joslin, Joslyn, Josselin, Josselyn, ...

, ''Joseph Conrad'' *1962 –

Michael Howard Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne (born Michael Hecht; 7 July 1941) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005. He previously held cabinet posi ...

, ''The Franco-Prussian War'' *1963 –

Aileen Ward Aileen Ward (1 April 1919 – 31 May 2016), was an American professor of English literature who won both a National Book Award and a Duff Cooper Memorial Prize for her book " John Keats: The Making of a Poet". Early life and education Aileen Cou ...

, '' John Keats: The Making of a Poet'' *1964 –

Ivan Morris Ivan Ira Esme Morris (29 November 1925 – 19 July 1976) was an English writer, translator and editor in the field of Japanese studies. Biography Ivan Morris was born in London, of mixed American and Swedish parentage to Edita Morris () and I ...

, ''The World of the Shining Prince'' *1965 –

George Painter George Duncan Painter OBE (5 June 1914 – 8 December 2005), known as George D. Painter, was an English author most famous as a biographer of Marcel Proust. Career Painter was born in Birmingham, England. His father was a schoolmaster, and his mo ...

, ''Marcel Proust'' *1966 – Nirad C. Chaudhuri, ''

The Continent of Circe ''The Continent of Circe'' is a 1965 book of essays written by Indian author Nirad C. Chaudhuri that was winner of the Duff Cooper Prize for 1966.Duff Cooper Prize Winneronline/ref> In this book, Chaudhuri discusses Indian society from a soci ...

'' *1967 –

J. A. Baker John Alec Baker (6 August 1926 – 26 December 1987) was an English author, best known for ''The Peregrine,'' which won the Duff Cooper Prize in 1967. ''The Peregrine'' Robert Macfarlane deemed ''The Peregrine'' to be "a masterpiece of twentie ...

, ''The Peregrine'' *1968 –

Roy Fuller Roy Broadbent Fuller CBE (11 February 1912 – 27 September 1991) was an English writer, known mostly as a poet. He was born at Failsworth, Lancashire to lower-middle-class parents Leopold Charles Fuller and his wife Nellie (1888–1949; née ...

, ''New Poems'' *1969 –

John Gross John Gross FRSL (12 March 1935 – 10 January 2011) was an eminent English man of letters. A leading intellectual, writer, anthologist, and critic, ''The Guardian'' (in a tribute titled "My Hero") and ''The Spectator'' were among several pu ...

, ''The Man of Letters'' *1970 –

Enid McLeod Enid may refer to: Places * Enid, Mississippi, an unincorporated community *Enid, Oklahoma, a city * 13436 Enid, an asteroid * Enid Lake, Mississippi Given name * Enid (given name), a Welsh female given name and a list of people and fictional char ...

, ''Charles of Orleans: Prince & Poet'' *1971 –

Geoffrey Grigson Geoffrey Edward Harvey Grigson (2 March 1905 – 25 November 1985) was a British poet, writer, editor, critic, exhibition curator, anthologist and naturalist. In the 1930s he was editor of the influential magazine ''New Verse'', and went on to p ...

, ''Discoveries of Bones and Stones'' *1972 –

Quentin Bell Quentin Claudian Stephen Bell (19 August 1910 – 16 December 1996) was an English art historian and author. Early life Bell was born in London, the son of Clive Bell and Vanessa Bell (née Stephen), and the nephew of Virginia Woolf (née Ste ...

, ''Virginia Woolf'' *1973 –

Robin Lane Fox Robin James Lane Fox, (born 5 October 1946) is an English classicist, ancient historian, and gardening writer known for his works on Alexander the Great. Lane Fox is an Emeritus Fellow of New College, Oxford and Reader in Ancient History, Un ...

, ''Alexander the Great'' *1974 –

Jon Stallworthy Jon Howie Stallworthy, (18 January 1935 – 19 November 2014) was a British literary critic and poet. He was Professor of English at the University of Oxford from 1992 to 2000, and Professor Emeritus in retirement. He was also a Fellow of Wolfs ...

, ''Wilfred Owen'' *1975 –

Seamus Heaney Seamus Justin Heaney (; 13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.

, ''

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

'' *1976 –

Denis Mack Smith Denis Mack Smith CBE FBA FRSL (3 March 1920 – 11 July 2017) was an English historian who specialized in the history of Italy from the Risorgimento onwards. He is best known for his biographies of Garibaldi, Cavour and Mussolini, and for his ...

, ''Mussolini's Roman Empire'' *1977 –

E. R. Dodds Eric Robertson Dodds (26 July 1893 – 8 April 1979) was an Irish classics, classical scholar. He was Regius Professor of Greek (Oxford), Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Oxford from 1936 to 1960. Early life and education Dodds wa ...

, ''Missing Persons'' *1978 – Mark Girouard, ''Life in the English Country House'' *1979 –

Geoffrey Hill Sir Geoffrey William Hill, FRSL (18 June 1932 – 30 June 2016) was an English poet, professor emeritus of English literature and religion, and former co-director of the Editorial Institute, at Boston University. Hill has been considered to be ...

, ''Tenebrae'' *1980 –

Robert Bernard Martin Robert Bernard Martin (1918–1999) was an American scholar and biographer, specializing in Victorian literature. Pseudonym Robert Bernard Life Robert Bernard Martin was born September 11, 1918, in La Harpe, Illinois, to Carl and Maggie Martin. H ...

, ''Tennyson, The Unquiet Heart'' *1981 –

Victoria Glendinning Victoria Glendinning (''née'' Seebohm; born 23 April 1937) is a British biographer, critic, broadcaster and novelist. She is an Honorary Vice-President of English PEN and Vice-President of the Royal Society of Literature. She won the James Tait ...

, ''Edith Sitwell: A Unicorn Among the Lions'' *1982 –

Richard Ellmann Richard David Ellmann, FBA (March 15, 1918 – May 13, 1987) was an American literary critic and biographer of the Irish writers James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and William Butler Yeats. He won the U.S. National Book Award for Nonfiction for ''James ...

, ''James Joyce'' *1983 – Peter Porter, ''Collected Poems'' *1984 –

Hilary Spurling Susan Hilary Spurling CBE FRSL ( Forrest; born 25 December 1940) is a British writer, known for her work as a journalist and biographer. Early life and education Born at Stockport, Cheshire, to circuit judge Gilbert Alexander Forrest (1912–197 ...

, ''Ivy When Young: The Early Life of Ivy Compton-Burnett 1884 – 1919'' *1985 – Ann Thwaite, ''Edmund Gosse: A Literary Landscape, 1849–1928'' *1986 – Alan Crawford, ''C. R. Ashbee: Architect, Designer, and Romantic Socialist'' *1987 – Robert Hughes, ''

The Fatal Shore ''The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding'' by Robert Hughes is a history of the early years of British colonisation of Australia, and especially the history and social effects of Britain's convict transportation system. It also ad ...

'' *1988 –

Humphrey Carpenter Humphrey William Bouverie Carpenter (29 April 1946 – 4 January 2005) was an English biographer, writer, and radio broadcaster. He is known especially for his biographies of J. R. R. Tolkien and other members of the literary society the Inkli ...

, ''A Serious Character: The Life of Ezra Pound'' *1989 – Ian Gibson, ''Federico Garcia Lorca'' *1990 –

Hugh Cecil Hugh Cecil Saunders (14 December 1889 – March 1974 Brighton) was an English photographer of the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s, who practised under the professional name of Hugh Cecil. Born in Kingston upon Thames to Frederick Atkinson Saunders and ...

and Mirabel Cecil, ''Clever Hearts: Desmond and Molly Maccarthy: A Biography'' *1991 –

Ray Monk Ray Monk (born 15 February 1957) is a British biographer who is renowned for his biographies of Ludwig Wittgenstein, Bertrand Russell, and J. Robert Oppenheimer. He is emeritus professor of philosophy at the University of Southampton, where he ...

, ''Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius'' *1992 –

Peter Hennessy Peter John Hennessy, Baron Hennessy of Nympsfield, (born 28 March 1947) is an English historian and academic specialising in the history of government. Since 1992, he has been Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History at Queen Mary Unive ...

, ''Never Again: Britain, 1945–1951'' *1993 –

John Keegan Sir John Desmond Patrick Keegan (15 May 1934 – 2 August 2012) was an English military historian, lecturer, author and journalist. He wrote many published works on the nature of combat between prehistory and the 21st century, covering land, ...

, ''

A History of Warfare ''A History of Warfare'' is a book by military historian John Keegan, which was published in 1993 by Random House. Summary Keegan discusses early warfare, the proliferation of Bronze Age warfare and then Iron Age warfare (Greek hoplites and pha ...

'' *1994 –

David Gilmour David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1967, shortly before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett. P ...

, ''Curzon: Imperial Statesman'' *1995 –

Gitta Sereny Gitta Sereny, CBE (13 March 192114 June 2012) was an Austrian-British biographer, historian, and investigative journalist who came to be known for her interviews and profiles of infamous figures, including Mary Bell, who was convicted in 1968 of ...

, ''Albert Speer: His Battle with Truth'' *1996 – Diarmaid MacCulloch, ''Thomas Cranmer: A Life'' *1997 –

James Buchan James Buchan (born 11 June 1954) is a Scottish novelist and historian. Biography Buchan is a son of the late William Buchan, 3rd Baron Tweedsmuir, and grandson of John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, the Scottish novelist and diplomat. He has se ...

, ''Frozen Desire: An Inquiry into the Meaning of Money'' *1998 – Richard Holmes, ''Coleridge: Darker Reflections'' *1999 –

Adam Hochschild Adam Hochschild (; born October 5, 1942) is an American author, journalist, historian and lecturer. His best-known works include ''King Leopold's Ghost'' (1998), '' To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914–1918'' (2011), ''Bur ...

, ''

King Leopold's Ghost ''King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa'' (1998) is a best-selling popular history book by Adam Hochschild that explores the exploitation of the Congo Free State by King Leopold II of Belgium between 1885 ...

'' *2000 –

Robert Skidelsky Robert Jacob Alexander, Baron Skidelsky, (born 25 April 1939) is a British economic historian. He is the author of a three-volume award-winning biography of British economist John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946). Skidelsky read history at Jesus C ...

, ''John Maynard Keynes'' *2001 –

Margaret MacMillan Margaret Olwen MacMillan, (born 1943) is a Canadian historian and professor at the University of Oxford. She is former provost of Trinity College, Toronto, and professor of history at the University of Toronto and previously at Ryerson Univer ...

, '' Peacemakers: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and Its Attempt to End War'' *2002 –

Jane Ridley Jane Ridley (born 15 May 1953) is an English historian, biographer, author and broadcaster, and Professor of Modern History at the University of Buckingham. Ridley won the Duff Cooper Prize in 2002 for ''The Architect and his Wife'', a biography ...

, ''The Architect and his Wife'' *2003 –

Anne Applebaum Anne Elizabeth Applebaum (born July 25, 1964) is an American journalist and historian. She has written extensively about the history of Communism and the development of civil society in Central and Eastern Europe. She has worked at ''The Econo ...

, '' Gulag: A History'' *2004 –

Mark Mazower Mark Mazower (; born 20 February 1958) is a British historian. His expertise are Greece, the Balkans and, more generally, 20th-century Europe. He is Ira D. Wallach Professor of History at Columbia University in New York City Early life Mazowe ...

, ''Salonica, City of Ghosts: Christians, Muslims and Jews, 1430–1950'' *2005 –

Maya Jasanoff Maya R. Jasanoff is an American academic. She serves as Coolidge Professor of History at Harvard University, where she focuses on the history of Britain and the British Empire. Early life Jasanoff grew up in Ithaca, New York and comes from a f ...

, ''Edge of Empire: Conquest and Collecting on the Eastern Frontiers of the British Empire'' *2006 –

William Dalrymple William Dalrymple may refer to: * William Dalrymple (1678–1744), Scottish Member of Parliament * William Dalrymple (moderator) (1723–1814), Scottish minister and religious writer * William Dalrymple (British Army officer) (1736–1807), Scott ...

, '' The Last Mughal, The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi 1857'' *2007 –

Graham Robb Graham Macdonald Robb FRSL (born 2 June 1958, Manchester) is a British author and critic specialising in French literature. Biography Born at Manchester, Robb attended the Royal Grammar School, Worcester, before going up to Exeter College, ...

, ''

The Discovery of France ''The Discovery of France: A Historical Geography, from the Revolution to the First World War'' is a book by Graham Robb. It was published in September 2007 in the United Kingdom by Picador and in October 2007 in the United States by W. W. Norton ...

'' *2008 –

Kai Bird Kai Bird (born September 2, 1951) is an American author and columnist, best known for his works on the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, United States-Middle East political relations and his biographies of political figures. He won a Pul ...

and

Martin J. Sherwin Martin Jay Sherwin (July 2, 1937October 6, 2021) was an American historian. His scholarship mostly concerned the history of nuclear weapons and nuclear proliferation. He served on the faculty at Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvan ...

, '' American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer'' *2009 – Robert Service, '' Trotsky: A Biography'' *2010 –

Sarah Bakewell Sarah Bakewell (born 1963) is a British author and professor. She currently lives in London. She received the Windham–Campbell Literature Prize in Non-Fiction. Early life Bakewell was born in the seaside town of Bournemouth, England, where h ...

, ''How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at An Answer'' *2011 – Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, ''Becoming Dickens: The Invention of a Novelist'' *2012 –

Sue Prideaux Sue Prideaux is an Anglo-Norwegian writer. Her grandmother was muse to the explorer Roald Amundsen and her godmother was painted by Edvard Munch, whose biography she later wrote under the title ''Edvard Munch: Behind the Scream''. Awards and dis ...

, ''Strindberg – A Life'' *2013 –

Lucy Hughes-Hallett Lucy Angela Hughes-Hallett (born 7 December 1951) is a British cultural historian, biographer and novelist. In November 2013, she won the Samuel Johnson Prize for nonfiction for her biography of the Italian writer Gabriele D'Annunzio, ''The Pike ...

, '' The Pike: Gabriele D’Annunzio'' *2014 –

Patrick McGuinness Patrick McGuinness (born 1968) is a British academic, critic, novelist, and poet. He is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at the University of Oxford, where he is Fellow and Tutor at St Anne's College. Life McGuinness was born i ...

, ''Other People's Countries: A Journey into Memory'' *2015 –

Ian Bostridge Ian Charles Bostridge CBE (born 25 December 1964) is an English tenor, well known for his performances as an opera and lieder singer. Early life and education Bostridge was born in London, the son of Leslie Bostridge and Lillian (née Clark). ...

, ''Schubert's Winter Journey: Anatomy of an Obsession'' *2016 –

Christopher de Hamel Christopher Francis Rivers de Hamel (born 20 November 1950) is a British academic librarian and expert on mediaeval manuscripts. He is a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and former Fellow Librarian of the Parker Library. His book ...

, '' Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts'' *2017 –

, '' Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine'' *2018 –

Julian T. Jackson Julian Timothy Jackson (born 10 April 1954) is a British historian who is a fellow of the British Academy and of the Royal Historical Society. He is a professor of History at Queen Mary, University of London, he is one of the leading authorities ...

, ''De Gaulle'' *2019 – John Barton, ''A History of the Bible'' *2020 –

Judith Herrin Judith Herrin (; born 1942) is a British archaeologist, byzantinist, and historian of Late Antiquity. She was a Professor of Late Antique and Byzantine Studies and Constantine Leventis Senior Research Fellow at King's College London (now emeri ...

, ''Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Empire'' *2021 –

, '' The Greek Revolution: 1821 and the Making of Modern Europe''

Notes

{{reflist

External links

The Duff Cooper Prize
British literary awards British poetry awards Awards established in 1956 1956 establishments in the United Kingdom History awards Political book awards Biography awards British non-fiction literary awards

Overview

Winners

See also

Notes

External links