Richard Flanagan has been awarded the Baillie Gifford Prize for nonfiction for his book "Question 7" but refused the award over the firm’s ties to the fossil fuel industry. Australian writer Richard Flanagan was awarded the £50,000 (€60,000) for his genre-bending memoir "Question 7" which combines autobiography, family history and the story of the development of the atomic bomb. Although Flanagan couldn’t attend the London ceremony last night as he is trekking in the Tasmanian rainforest, he sent in a video message saying he wouldn’t accept the prize fund until the firm cuts off its investment in fossil fuel.
In his speech, Flanagan noted that he wasn’t intending to criticise the firm, but would welcome an opportunity to speak with Baillie Gifford’s board to “describe how fossil fuels are destroying our country”. Over the past year, Baillie Gifford has come under increased for the industries the Scottish firm invests in. Baillie Gifford entered the public eye in August 2023 when over 50 authors threatened to boycott the Edinburgh Book Festival over its investments in corporations that profit from fossil fuels.
At the time, it was reported that the firm had around £4.5 billion (€5.3 billion) invested in companies involved in oil and gas money.
Baillie Gifford has sponsored many of the major literary festivals around the UK in recent years, including the Hay, Borders, and Cheltenham Book Festivals, alongside Edinburgh Book Festival and Fringe Festival. After.
