Six authors were shortlisted, but only one could take the ultimate accolade; the Winston Graham Historical Prize comes with a cheque for £3,000, but far more valuable is the national recognition.
And that recognition came this year for Andrew Miller, who was presented with the prestigious literary accolade at a glittering awards ceremony here at the museum.
Guests arriving for the The Winston Graham Historical Prize Ceremony, 2025
The Winston Graham Historical Prize is for novels set in the UK and Ireland at least 60 years ago with a strong sense of place; it is the result of a bequest made by Winston Graham, author of the Poldark series, to the Royal Institution of Cornwall – the charity which runs the museum.
Miller’s winning novel, The Land in Winter, is set in a small village in the South West during the ‘Big Freeze’ of 1963 when Britain came to a standstill under a blanket of snow, and the world was poised between the shadow of the Second World War and the societal transformations of the mid-1960s.
Andrew Miller’s novel, The Land in Winter
The novel has been widely praised for its surreal, almost suffocating atmosphere and the intense depiction of the main characters’ inner lives.
One of the judges, the author Francis Spufford, captured the exceptional atmosphere of the novel, saying: “Though set nearest to us in time of all the shortlisted books, it takes the delight that all great historical fiction does in putting together for us the pieces, small and large, of a lost world. An exquisite achievement, luminously written, full of wonder at the diversity and strangeness of human experience.”
Judge Francis Spufford announcing the winner
On receiving the prize, Miller said: “Winston Graham’s novels were early favourites of mine, so it’s a particular thrill to win this year’s prize. Another of my favourites – Herman ‘Moby Dick’ Melville – once said that when he wrote a book it was like a letter to the world, and he hoped for a letter back. This prize is my letter back. I feel hugely encouraged and grateful.”
The Land in Winter, published by Sceptre, is Miller’s 10th book; it has also been shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize which is to be announced this week.
Andrew Miller – Credit Abbie Traylor-Smith
Chair of the judges, Charlotte Hobson, also had a message for the other shortlisted authors – Elizabeth O’Connor, Carys Davies, Glen James Brown, Rosanna Pike and Francesca Kay.
“What is perhaps unusual about the Winston Graham Historical Prize is that the shortlist is selected democratically by Readers’ Committee, made up of diverse and enthusiastic readers all over Cornwall. Each of these books was passionately advocated for by dozens of them – a real ovation from the public. It made the final judges’ job a hard one.”
The museum is proud of our connection with Winston Graham, who researched many of his Poldark novels here and bequeathed a legacy for us to run this prize celebrating stories which open windows onto the past. Bringing people and places from history to life is in our DNA here at the museum, and the Winston Graham Historical Prize is an important facet of how we do that.
The Winston Graham Historical Prize will return in 2026 – follow us on social media for updates.