Indian-origin historian Sunil Amrith wins British Academy Book Prize

London, Oct 23: ‘The Burning Earth: An Environmental History of the Last 500 Years’ by Indian-origin historian Sunil Amrith has been named the winner of this year’s British Academy Book Prize, a prestigious 25,000-pound award that celebrates the world’s best works of non-fiction.

Amrith, a Professor of History at Yale University in the US, was born in Kenya to South Indian parents, grew up in Singapore and graduated from the University of Cambridge in England.

The 46-year-old’s latest book, described by judges as “important reading” in the context of the climate crisis, received the coveted prize at a ceremony at the British Academy in London on Wednesday evening.