In a captivating treasure hunt through the storied halls of Abbotsford, the ancestral home of Sir Walter Scott, the 2025 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction revealed its six-book shortlist, per theedinburghreporter.co.uk. The £25,000 prize, one of the UK’s richest literary awards, celebrates novels set over 60 years in the past, published in 2024 across the UK, Ireland, or the Commonwealth.
The shortlist, announced via a video trail winding through Abbotsford’s walled gardens, grand library and Scott’s own study, showcases diverse narratives spanning centuries and continents. The contenders are: The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry, The Mare by Angharad Hampshire, The Book of Days by Francesca Kay, Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller, and The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden. Authors hail from England, Ireland and the Netherlands, weaving tales from the Peloponnesian War to 1960s Britain.
This year’s judging panel, chaired by writer Katie Grant, praised the shortlist’s “richness and subtlety.” “These novels are a celebration of storytelling,” Grant said, highlighting themes of revenge, reconciliation, and adventure, from Tudor England to the Wild West. The panel includes art historian James Holloway, broadcaster James Naughtie, and newcomer Rosi Byard-Jones, a past Young Walter Scott Prize winner.
Now in its 16th year, the prize, run by The Abbotsford Trust, honours Scott’s legacy while promoting historical fiction’s power to illuminate the past and reflect the present. Matthew Maxwell Scott, a descendant of the literary giant, said that “the best historical fiction isn’t just facts—it shows how the past felt and holds a mirror to today.”
The winner, to be announced on June 12 at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose, will claim £25,000, with £1,500 awarded to each shortlisted author. The event promises a lively celebration of literature, uniting authors and readers in the heart of Scotland’s literary heritage.
Abbotsford’s role as the prize’s backdrop underscores its mission to inspire through Scott’s enduring influence.
