Ali Smith wins Orwell prize for novel taking in Covid-19 and Brexit

Summer, written at speed last year, takes political fiction award while Joshua Yaffa’s Between Two Fires takes matching nonfiction honour

Ali Smith has won the Orwell prize for political fiction for Summer, a novel written at speed last year, which judges described as “a time-capsule which will prove to be essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the mood of Britain during this turbulent time”.

The Scottish author came up with her project to write four political novels in real time back in 2015, starting with Autumn. Smith began writing Summer, the final book in her Seasonal Quartet, in January 2020 and it was published in August. The novel includes references to Covid-19, Australian wildfires, Brexit and the murder of George Floyd.

Related: Summer by Ali Smith review – a remarkable end to an extraordinary quartet

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