Zevin, Friedlander and Kinstler among longlistees of the Wingate Prize 

Works by Gabrielle Zevin, Omer Friedlander and Linda Kinstler have been longlisted for the 2022 Wingate Prize for the best book, fiction or non-fiction to translate the idea of Jewishness to the general reader.

The longlisted books for the 46th year of the £4,000 prize, run in association with JW3, include Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Chatto); The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland (John Murray); The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land by Omer Friedlander (John Murray) and On Consolation by Michael Ignatieff (Picador).

Also longlisted are: Come to this Court and Cry by Linda Kinstler (Bloomsbury Circus); The Women of Rothschild by Natalie Livingstone (John Murray); Very Cold People by Sarah Manguso (Picador); The Island of Extraordinary Captives by Simon Parkin (Sceptre), and The Memory Monster by Yishai Sarid, translated by Yardenne Greenspan (Serpent’s Tail). 

The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Jennifer Croft (Fitzcarraldo Editions); In the Midst of Civilised Europe by Jeffrey Veidlinger (Picador) and The Only Daughter by AB Yehoshua, translated by Stuart Schoffman (Halban) are also up for the prize. 

This year’s judging panel is comprised of the chair, Dr Aviva Dautch, executive director of Jewish Renaissance, Guggenheim Fellow and National Jewish Book Award winner George Prochnik, journalist, editor and author Sarah Shaffi and award-winning author Julie Cohen.

Dautch said: “After a warmly enjoyable, but also robust, discussion, we arrived at a longlist which showcases the breadth and depth of contemporary Jewish writing: from well-researched reportage of previously little-known but urgently relevant historical events to intellectual enquiries into what it means to live in the modern world; from compelling memoirs to beautifully crafted and surprising fiction, told through sinuous literary prose.

“We selected the best books using the prize’s criteria but were delighted to find they were by writers from a diverse range of nationalities and backgrounds, including established names as well as exciting debuts. Sadly, we had to let some very deserving books go, but are confident that the 12 we have chosen merit a wide readership, bringing the nuanced complexities of Jewish experience to a general audience."

The Wingate Prize shortlist will be announced late January and the winner will be announced in March 2023.