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Professor Philippe Sands QC wins the 2016 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction
16 November 2016
Professor Philippe Sands QC, Professor of Law at UCL Faculty of Laws, has won the 2016 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction for his book East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity.
East West Street focusses on an invitation to deliver a lecture in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, where Professor Sands began to uncover a series of extraordinary historical coincidences. It set him on a quest that would take him halfway around the world in an exploration of the origins of international law and the pursuit of his own secret family history, beginning and ending with the last day of the Nuremberg trial.
Professor Sands received his award at the RIBA in London on Tuesday 15 November 2016 and announced he would share the £30,000 prize with his fellow shortlisted author and friend Hisham Matar. Together they decided they would donate the money to a refugee charity of their joint choosing.
Professor Sands said:
‘Excited and thrilled to have been shortlisted for, and now won, the Baillie Gifford Prize. I am deeply grateful to the Law Faculty and UCL for years of support, and putting up with my peripatetic ways and curious interests. I can’t imagine a finer Law Faculty anywhere in the world!’
The Baillie Gifford Prize, formerly known as The Samuel Johnson Prize (1999 – 2015), aims to reward the best of non-fiction in the areas of current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts.
Professor Dame Hazel Genn, Dean at UCL Laws, said:
‘We are immensely proud of Philippe’s achievement which is a testament to his humanity and exceptional talents. The whole of the UCL Laws community warmly congratulates him on the award of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.’
Read here
‘On Law, Life and Literature’ Professor Philippe Sands QC speaks about his new book
Order East West Street from Amazon