Conville & Walsh

What I have most wanted to do… is to make political writing into an art.

George Orwell was one of the most famous and influential political writers of the 20th century, both in fiction and non-fiction. The Orwell prize was set up in his honour in 1993, to recognise the most important political writers of the year, and we are delighted to announce that Ben Wilson has been nominated in the longlist for this year’s prize for his new book WHAT PRICE LIBERTY? How Freedom Was Won and is Being Lost.

Fear of terrorism, crime and social chaos are all factors which have put our society’s ideal of liberty very much into retreat. How can we resist the growth of intrusive authoritarianism without exposing ourselves to these risks?

What Price Liberty? uses our very own history as a guide to answering this question. Moving through four centuries of British, American and European history, it elaborates not just how civil liberties were constructed in the past, but how they were continually rethought - and re-fought - to adapt to new circumstances. Putting into context the controversies of the past decade or so, as well as the issues currently shaking our principles - such as the raging debate surrounding 42-day detention - What Price Liberty? shows that in order for liberty to survive, we must all agree upon the value we place on it.

An essential and utterly enlightening discussion, it provides the material and arguments with which we can make sense of our times.

One of Conville & Walsh’s other clients, Delia Jarrett-Macauley, won the Orwell prize in 2006. ‘It is perhaps the most elegant acknowledgement of the novel’s intentions, accessibility and merit,’ she said. ‘Coming at the end of a hard road to publication, the award has been a great serendipitous gift. Winning the Orwell Prize meant the world to me: acclaimed writers and thinkers advocating for my debut novel, the positioning of Moses, Citizen and Me within a literary tradition, and increased sales!’

The shortlist for the 2010 awards will be announced at a free debate at Thomson Reuters, Canary Wharf, on ‘Have the Political Classes been Fatally Weakened?’ from 6.30pm on Thursday 15th April.