The Value of Non-Fiction

We had a chance to check in with Georgie, a student from the University of Birmingham, on her experiences visiting Cheltenham Literature Festival last October for the #BGPrize2023 shortlist event. Find out more about how Georgie found the event itself, as well as her perspective on the non-fiction landscape...

The value of non-fiction (from a biased English Literature Student).

I had never been to Cheltenham before and had only heard of it because of the races that happen there; so, when I was approached by my module leader, Lisa, and asked if I wanted to visit the Literature Festival as part of a project with the Baillie Gifford Prize, I didn't really know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by how engaged I was. Normally it takes a screaming, shouting, colourful, over-the-top display to grab my attention, but this experience highlighted to me the value the Baillie Gifford Prize has in creating recognition for authors and their topics, which is really important at a time when the modern education system is so rigid.

At Cheltenham Literature Festival, I attended the Baillie Gifford shortlist event, which included Katherine Rundell’s talk on her book Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne. This opened up Donne for me. I have studied him at points during my education and found the teaching to be rather uninspiring, however, Rundell’s enthusiasm really illuminated Donne's work for me, as she explored him in a greater detail than I had ever heard before. I found her talk truly engaging. I never knew anything about the rich life of Donne, and because Rundell's vibrant portrayal of his personality and life was so engaging for me, I took a new interest in his work; rereading many of his texts I had studied in my sixth form education with a new perspective.

I think the Baillie Gifford Prize enables people with a passion to voice and share their enthusiasm which, to me, is very valuable. The recognition of this passion and talent is important because non-fiction does not get as much appreciation as fiction, and this is especially significant coming from me – a habitual fiction reader doing an English Literature degree!

I really enjoyed the Cheltenham Literature Festival itself. I was interested in Dr Sophie Mort's talk on wellbeing during the VOICEBOX sessions. I found what she said very grounding and I think the presence of such talks at events such as this are valuable because they target an audience that perhaps may not traditionally be exposed to that kind of thing. I also very much enjoyed the Baillie Gifford Prize shortlist event. I think, once again, this is down to how engaging Rundell was - if a speaker has no passion it's very obvious, and for me, makes the entire topic much less appealing. However, I was engaged throughout. I think everyone should dabble in things they have not always been interested in. Attending immersive events like these is a great way for everyone to interact with topics unfamiliar to them and to learn about different topics!

From my perspective, as an English Literature student, people tend to underestimate non-fiction. When I realised there was a craft to the genre, it opened up my mindset and made the prospect of reading these books much less daunting. This, I believe, links back again to the idea that the writer's enthusiasm for their subject is vital. Rundell’s talk, as I said earlier, made me interested in a topic I had previously shunned. Therefore, I think the cultural significance of non-fiction needs a shift and a re-branding; this I believe is done by the Baillie Gifford Prize itself, by bringing attention to pieces of non-fiction that are worthy of the recognition they receive.

As part of my participation in the Baillie Gifford Prize, project, I read Time’s Echo: The Second World War, The Holocaust and the Music of Remembrance by Jeremy Eichler. I have been taught about the Holocaust before but never in a way that I had been made aware of the profound impact of music at this time. This is a prime example for me of how reading non-fiction can immerse you even deeper in a topic that you thought you knew well. I feel my perspective was deepened and my understanding enriched. Eichler stresses the importance of music for Holocaust survivors, and this is something I think people should be aware of.

Overall, I think that the education system has a lot to answer for. Why aren’t we encouraged to read different kinds of books? Why aren't we encouraged to study the way non-fiction writers craft their texts in the same way that fiction writers do? I would highly encourage those who don’t dabble in non-fiction to read a previous winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize. In our ever-changing society, the ability to read about things that do not necessarily affect us is invaluable. For me, reading Time’s Echo has changed my perspective on something I thought I was familiar with - the power of music. I am an avid lover of music, however, I am now aware of the power of music in dire situations of life and death which is something I had not thought about before.

Go and read some non-fiction!