The best books on The Best Politics Books of 2026: The Orwell Prize for Political Writing, recommended by The judges of the 2026 Orwell Prize for Political Writ... (opens in new tab)

The books shortlisted for the 2026 Orwell Prizes, the UK's most prestigious awards for writing about politics, have been announced. "As judges, we returned again and again to what George Orwell means to us: clarity of prose and unflinching intellectual bravery," said Rohan Silva, chair of the judging panel for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing, awarded annually for a nonfiction book. We've listed the brilliant books they chose below, from Cold War betrayals and the partition of India, to...