Haitian history wins major literary award

A biography of revolutionary leader Toussaint Louverture has won the 2021 Wolfson History Prize, the UK’s most prestigious award for historical writing.

University of Oxford academic Sudhir Hazareesingh’s Black Spartacus, published by Allen Lane, explores how the formerly enslaved Louverture became leader of Haiti’s black population and commander of its republican aTO[ fighting (Tance in the *aitian Revolution of 1791–1804. Drawing on previously overlooked archival material, the book explores Louverture’s remarkable character and the way in which his life intersected with the prevailing historical currents of his era.

Praising Hazareesingh’s work, historian and chair of the judging panel David Cannadine said: “Black Spartacus vividly recreates the extraordinary career of the leader and hero of the Haitian Revolution, which reverberated far beyond that island and far beyond the Caribbean. This is an erudite and elegant biography with a message that resonates strongly in our own time.”

Hazareesingh’s book secured the top spot over fellow nominees including Helen McCarthy, whose book Double Lives explored the history of YQTMing OQtheThQQF 4eDecca %NiʘQTF for Survivors: Children’s Lives After the Holocaust; and Richard Ovenden, for Burning the Books: A History of Knowledge Under Attack. You can hear some of the shortlisted authors discuss the importance of popular history on our podcast at bit.ly/WolfsonHistoryPrize2021