The Lionel Gelber Prize
The Lionel Gelber Prize is a literary award given annually to the best non-fiction book in international affairs published in English. The prize was founded in 1989 by Canadian diplomat Lionel Gelber and seeks to deepen public debate on significant international issues. The award is presented annually by the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.
2024 Lionel Gelber Prize Winner
The winner of the 2024 Lionel Gelber Prize is Homelands: A Personal History of Europe by Timothy Garton Ash
Jury Chair and University Professor Janice Stein reflected, “Timothy Garton Ash’s book is beautifully written. Homelands is the story of freedom, its decline in Europe after a decade of optimism that the space for liberal democracy in Europe was expanding. Garton Ash has written a love letter to freedom, laced with passion, disappointment, and above all deep concern that we do not appreciate its fragility and do not treasure it enough.” She added that the author’s personal engagement is what makes this book so remarkable. “Homelands is not a book typical of a historian who stands back from history. It is written by someone who is deeply involved with the history he is living. I think everyone who reads this book will be enriched by it.”
