The idea of coming up against Alexander, and all of these thousands of versions of his story written by some of the people I admire the most in the world – absolute terror!
said Professor Edmund Richardson, 44, the Durham University historian whose book, Alexander: God, King, Man, won the £50,000 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. The biography was named the winner at a ceremony in London on November 4, 2026.
A Historical First for the Prize
The Baillie Gifford Prize, established in 1999 to recognize English-language books across categories including history, politics, and the arts, had never previously awarded a title covering ancient history, according to The Independent. Kirsty Lang, who chaired the six-member judging panel, stated the work is non-fiction writing at its very best
and a cracking cinematic story
that reads like a novel.
The winning entry was selected from more than 350 submissions. The panel’s decision was reached by majority vote, according to the Financial Times. The prize, which carries a monetary value of £50,000 (approximately $67,000 to $67,200), has been credited with bringing an eclectic range of fact-based literature to wider audiences. Lang noted the book should appeal to fans of epic movie versions of classics like The Odyssey, which she said have helped drive a surge of popular interest in the ancient Greek world. They knew to tell great stories,
Lang said. Life, death, love, relationships, tragedy. They speak to the most basic of human emotions and motivations.
It’s wonderful to celebrate @Durham_Classics professor Edmund Richardson, winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize (@BGPrize) for Non-Fiction for 'Alexander: God, King, Man', a biography of Alexander the Great. An amazing achievement! 👉 https://t.co/gQAW2nBJiP#BGPrize2026 pic.twitter.com/TYuTix8bo3
Research Across Four Continents
Richardson’s biography is the product of more than a decade of research. His work took him across four continents, from the catacombs of Egypt to the mountain passes of Afghanistan. The project includes new translations of sources from 12 ancient languages, drawing on records beyond traditional Greek and Roman accounts to include evidence from the civilizations Alexander encountered. Richardson described the process as spending far too long, down far too many rabbit holes.
The narrative follows Alexander’s life from his accession to a debt-ridden Macedonian throne at age 20 following the assassination of his father, Philip, in 336 B.C., through his military campaigns, to his death in Babylon at age 32. Richardson emphasized that the historical figure was not destined for his later fame. No one called him Alexander the Great in his lifetime,
Richardson told The Associated Press. No one thought he was going to conquer the world. He was his father’s slightly disappointing son, even when he took the throne. He was a tributary, not the main event. And then he starts to do all of these astonishing things.
The Challenges of Writing History
Richardson’s fieldwork was fraught with difficulty. He noted that terrible things tend to happen to people who take up papyrus or laptop to write the Alexander story.
He noted that the first person to write the story, Aristotle’s great nephew Callisthenes, was crucified.
The biography explores how Alexander’s military expeditions connected the world in unprecedented ways. Richardson observed that the campaign transforms reality more profoundly than almost any other event in human history.
He added, It connects the world up in ways that it has never been connected before.
The judges praised the book as a love letter to the humanities
at a time when such disciplines face funding pressures.
Last night the brilliant Edmund Richardson won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction with his cinematically excellent Alexander: God, King, Man. Huge congratulations to Edmund and all the other shortlisted authors. pic.twitter.com/HaY2R0eGZJ
Competitive Field
Last year’s winner was Australian writer Helen Garner for her collected diaries, How to End a Story.
More on Edmund Richardson
📚 And the winner is… Edmund Richardson for his book Alexander: God, King, Man – 🏆 Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2026. Here's what our judges had to say about our #BGPrize2026 winner!https://t.co/uaNircWkdQ pic.twitter.com/SfWybjrw9Z