The Lionel Gelber Prize is a literary award for English non-fiction books on foreign policy. Founded in 1989 by Canadian diplomat Lionel Gelber, the prize awards "the world’s best non-fiction book in English on foreign affairs that seeks to deepen public debate on significant international issues."[1] A prize of CA$50,000 is awarded to the winner. The award is presented annually by the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.
Lionel Gelber Prize | |
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Awarded for | "the world’s best non-fiction book in English on foreign affairs that seeks to deepen public debate on significant international issues." |
Presented by | Lionel Gelber Prize Board |
Reward(s) | CA$50,000 |
First awarded | 1990 |
Recipients are judged by an international jury panel of experts. In 1999, The Economist called the award "the world's most important award for non-fiction".[2] Past winners have included Lawrence Wright, Jonathan Spence, David McCullough, Kanan Makiya, Michael Ignatieff, Eric Hobsbawm, Robert Kinloch Massie, Adam Hochschild (two time winner), Robert Skidelsky, Baron Skidelsky, Walter Russell Mead, Chrystia Freeland, and Steve Coll.
Lionel Gelber was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University when he wrote the book The Rise of Anglo-American Friendship: a Study of World Politics 1898 to 1906 in 1938. [3] This book was an example of the type of scholarship he excelled in as It examined the “rise of American global power, with all the risk, hope and complexity such a geopolitical shift entailed at the beginning of the 20th Century.”[4] He followed this work with Peace by Power: The Plain Man’s Guide to the Key Issues of the War and the Post-War World.in 1942 and America in Britain’s Place in 1961.[5]
50 years later, the Lionel Gelber prize was created, celebrating the best non-fiction books that focused on global issues and relations.[6] Hailed as “the world’s most important award for non-fiction” by The Economist, his prize celebrates and highlights important work being done in his field. As of 2023, the prize is now worth $50,000 dollars.[7]
During his 82 years, this author, scholar, historian, and diplomat wrote eight books and countless articles on foreign relations.[8] His drive, “formal attire, and his stately manners made him a formidable personality in a family of accomplished individuals.”[9] Lionel studied at Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto before winning the Rhodes scholarship and began his studies at Balliol College at Oxford.[10] Through his contributions to global affairs, his reputation as “original thinker and a scholar passionately devoted to world issues,” the Lionel Gelber Prize honors a great man who knew of the importance of international relations and providing fellow scholars an audience for their work.[11]