BACKGROUND
From 2007 to 2013, Catherine Belton was the Moscow correspondent for the FT. In People, Belton explored the rise of Russian president Vladimir Putin. It was named book of the year by the , the FT, the New and the Telegraph
THE BRITISH BOOK AWARD FOR FREEDOM TO PUBLISH HARPERCOLLINS & ARABELLA PIKE
WINNER
HarperCollins & Arabella Pike
I
n 2021, HarperCollins and Catherine Belton, Magnitsky Award-winning journalist and author of Putin’s People, faced an unprecedented legal battle
that saw four Russian oligarchs and the state- owned oil giant Rosneft bring legal proceedings against the publisher, and Belton personally. The claims, filed within weeks of each other,
PICTURED PUBLISHER ARABELLA PIKE TOOK HER FIGHT TO THE HIGH COURT
were widely considered to be an example of “lawfare”: abusive lawsuits designed to manipu- late existing legislation to intimidate and outspend journalists, NGOs, academics and publishers into silence and/or censorship. A similar case was brought against another William Collins book, Kleptopia by Tom Burgis, which investigated how dirty money is conquering the world. The British Book Award for Freedom to Publish
is awarded in recognition of HarperCollins and publisher Arabella Pike’s fortitude and bravery in defending its authors against these costly attacks,
and for their robust defence of investigative non-fiction and publishing in the public interest. More widely, this award recognises the huge
challenges publishers continue to face all over the world when bringing their editorial selections to market. Not all acts of censorship end up in the High Court, but for the book business to thrive publishers must continue to stand behind their own editorial decisions and the right of authors to express themselves through their work. This is a task publishers can do at the same
time as expanding their own output and making sure that their publishing is broad, nuanced and representative, and that writing is published with both thought and attention. More books are almost always the answer; almost never the problem. This is the first time in its history that the
British Book Awards has made such an award. It may not be the last time.
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