Books by Katherine Rundell
Katherine Rundell (born 1987) is a British author.
Rundell’s book Super-Infinite won the 2022 Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction. “She writes brilliantly. You feel her erudition and her turn of phrase is just so unexpected and fluent. She puts forward ideas about his poetry. He’s clearly one of her passions as a writer, that comes across very strongly, and she gives all the reasons why she thinks he should be much more widely read.” Caroline Sanderson, chair of the judging panel.
Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne
by Katherine Rundell
🏆 Winner of the 2022 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction
🏆 Winner of the 2023 British Book Award for Non-Fiction: Narrative
“Rundell is a children’s author who also specializes in Renaissance literature and makes the case that Donne should be as widely feted as William Shakespeare, his contemporary. She writes, ‘Donne is the greatest writer of desire in the English language. He wrote about sex in a way that nobody ever has, before or since: he wrote sex as the great insistence on life, the salute, the bodily semaphore for the human living infinite. The word most used across his poetry, part from ‘and’ and ‘the’, is ‘love”.” Read more...
Award Winning Biographies of 2022
Sophie Roell, Journalist
“The Good Thieves is by Katherine Rundell which, according to my kids, is already enough of a recommendation: the book needs no further introduction. But if you need a bit more detail, it’s an adventure story and a lot happens in it. It’s about a girl who goes to New York to look after her grandfather. She tries to put together a band of kid robbers (including two from the circus) to help steal an emerald to get back her grandfather’s home that was stolen from him.” Read more...
Editors’ Picks: Children’s Books
Sophie Roell, Journalist
The Explorer
by Katherine Rundell
A fantastic and engaging read – so it’s no surprise that The Explorer received a plethora of awards. An adventure story set in the Amazon, it’s the perfect listen to keep young explorers entertained.
Narrator: Peter Noble
Length: 6 hours and 13 minutes
Ages: 8-12
The Wolf Wilder
by Katherine Rundell
A superb adventure story of a girl and her wolves as they embark on a rescue mission through the dramatic Russian wilderness.
Narrator: Nicolette McKenzie
Length: 5 hours and 41 minutes
Ages: 8-12
“Rundell has this mastery of language, this light touch—and she’s so funny when she puts her mind to it. It’s just beautiful.” Read more...
The Best Picture Books of 2017
Zoe Greaves, Children's Author
Interviews where books by Katherine Rundell were recommended
The Best Picture Books of 2017, recommended by Zoe Greaves
Looking for a lovely set of books to give to a child who is just learning to read? Five Books children’s editor, Zoe Greaves, picks five of the best published this year.
Fierce Girls in Tween Fiction, recommended by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Books like Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls popularise the many different ways women and girls can be strong, and as strong as they need to be. Award-winning children’s author, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, talks us through some of her favourite strong female characters in children’s fiction.
Editors’ Picks: Children’s Books, recommended by Sophie Roell
Five Books editor Sophie Roell selects the best children’s books of 2019, after intense discussions with her family about which books should make the list.
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1
All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days: The True Story of the Woman at the Heart of the German Resistance to Hitler
by Rebecca Donner -
2
The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III
by Andrew Roberts -
3
Burning Boy: The Life and Work of Stephen Crane
by Paul Auster -
4
The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World
by Jonathan Freedland -
5
Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne
by Katherine Rundell -
6
Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist's Memoir of the Jim Crow South
by Winfred Rembert
Award Winning Biographies of 2022, recommended by Sophie Roell
Award Winning Biographies of 2022, recommended by Sophie Roell
In telling stories of lives that are often very different from our own and yet connected to us by our common humanity, biographies are some of the most compelling nonfiction books around. Five Books editor Sophie Roell rounds up some of the biographies that have won or been shortlisted for prizes in 2022.
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1
Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne
by Katherine Rundell -
2
Devil-Land: England Under Siege, 1588-1688
by Clare Jackson -
3
A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Chapters
by Henry Gee -
4
Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate
by M E Sarotte -
5
My Fourth Time, We Drowned
by Sally Hayden -
6
Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology
by Chris Miller
Award Winning Nonfiction Books of 2022, recommended by Sophie Roell
Award Winning Nonfiction Books of 2022, recommended by Sophie Roell
It’s that time of year when there are dozens of the best-of-the-year lists. Which books are worth reading? One way of narrowing it down is by looking at the various awards that celebrate books across a range of nonfiction categories. Five Books editor Sophie Roell does a roundup of nonfiction books that won prizes in 2022.
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1
Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire
by Caroline Elkins -
2
The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World
by Jonathan Freedland -
3
My Fourth Time, We Drowned
by Sally Hayden -
4
The Restless Republic: Britain Without a Crown
by Anna Keay -
5
A Fortunate Woman: A Country Doctor’s Story
by Polly Morland -
6
Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne
by Katherine Rundell
The Best Nonfiction Books: The 2022 Baillie Gifford Prize Shortlist, recommended by Caroline Sanderson
The Best Nonfiction Books: The 2022 Baillie Gifford Prize Shortlist, recommended by Caroline Sanderson
Every year the judges of the Baillie Gifford Prize pick out the best nonfiction books published in the United Kingdom over the previous 12 months. Author and books journalist Caroline Sanderson, chair of this year’s judging panel, talks us through the books that made the 2022 shortlist, books that are important, readable and will hopefully surprise you.
