Big Jubilee Read
The Big Jubilee Read was a 2022 campaign organized by The Reading Agency in collaboration with BBC Arts to encourage reading for pleasure while marking the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, featuring a curated list of 70 books by authors from Commonwealth nations, with ten titles selected for each decade of the Queen's 70-year reign from 1952 to 2022.[1][2] The initiative highlighted literary works spanning novels, short story anthologies, and poetry that originated in countries including the United Kingdom, India, Nigeria, Jamaica, and others within the Commonwealth, aiming to foster cultural connections through shared reading experiences.[3][4] Books were chosen by a panel of librarians, booksellers, and literature experts to represent diverse voices and themes from the period.[1] The campaign sought to promote literacy and appreciation of Commonwealth literature amid Jubilee festivities, with promotional efforts including BBC programming and resources for book clubs and libraries.[5][6] Among the selected works were Booker Prize winners such as Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie and The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje, alongside lesser-known titles like The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon.[3] A point of contention arose from the exclusion of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, linked to the author's public opposition to certain transgender policies and ideologies, highlighting tensions in literary selection processes influenced by contemporary social debates.[7] Despite such issues, the Big Jubilee Read contributed to broader Jubilee cultural programming by emphasizing reading as a communal activity reflective of the Commonwealth's literary heritage.[8]Background and Initiation
Conception and Objectives
The Big Jubilee Read was initiated in 2022 by The Reading Agency, a UK charity focused on promoting literacy, in collaboration with BBC Arts, as a key cultural component of the celebrations marking Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee.[9] The project emerged from efforts to leverage the Jubilee's milestone—70 years of the Queen's reign since her accession in 1952—to highlight literary contributions from across the Commonwealth realms and territories.[8] Organizers selected 70 titles, structured decade by decade, to align precisely with the duration of the reign, drawing from novels, short story anthologies, and poetry collections published between 1952 and 2021.[10] The primary objective was to encourage reading for pleasure among diverse audiences, positioning literature as a means to foster personal enjoyment and cultural reflection rather than educational mandates.[11] By emphasizing "great reads" from Commonwealth nations, the campaign sought to showcase the shared literary heritage and contemporary voices within the 56-member organization, including works from countries such as the United Kingdom, India, Nigeria, and Australia.[2] This approach aimed to bridge generational and geographic divides, inviting readers to explore narratives that captured evolving themes in postcolonial societies, migration, identity, and resilience during the post-World War II era onward.[12] Secondary goals included stimulating public discourse on Commonwealth literature through events, discussion guides, and library partnerships, while avoiding prescriptive reading lists in favor of voluntary engagement.[13] The initiative deliberately prioritized accessibility and enjoyment, with resources like decade-specific guides provided to book clubs and literacy programs to facilitate group discussions without imposing ideological frameworks.[14]Partnerships and Funding
The Big Jubilee Read initiative was primarily delivered through a collaboration between BBC Arts and The Reading Agency, which coordinated the campaign's promotion, events, and resource distribution to libraries and reading groups across the United Kingdom and Commonwealth nations.[15][11] This partnership leveraged BBC Arts' media outreach for publicity, including program features and online content, while The Reading Agency focused on literacy engagement tools such as reading guides and community programming.[15][16] Funding for the project totaled £185,000, provided by Arts Council England as part of its investment in reading promotion initiatives during the Platinum Jubilee period.[11][17] This grant supported core operational costs, including the development of promotional materials and partnerships with libraries, without reliance on additional public or private donors specified in official announcements.[18] Supplementary support was extended by organizations such as Libraries Connected, which facilitated library network participation, and the Society of Authors, aiding author engagements and rights management for featured titles.[16] These contributions were non-monetary, emphasizing coordination and expertise rather than direct financial input, aligning with the campaign's goal of broad, low-cost accessibility.[16]Selection Methodology
Criteria for Inclusion
The books selected for the Big Jubilee Read were required to have been published within the corresponding decade of Queen Elizabeth II's reign, spanning 1952 to 2021, with ten titles assigned to each of the seven decades to mark the timeline of her 70-year rule.[15] This structure ensured chronological coverage while allowing flexibility in representation, as the list included novels, short story anthologies, and poetry collections rather than strictly one book per year.[12] Authorship was restricted to writers from Commonwealth nations, emphasizing literary works originating from or strongly connected to countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, such as the United Kingdom, India, Nigeria, Canada, Australia, and various Caribbean and African states.[15] This geographic criterion aimed to highlight the cultural diversity and shared literary heritage across the Commonwealth, though selections drew criticism for uneven representation, with some regions like the Pacific receiving no inclusions despite eligibility.[19] The panel prioritized works deemed "brilliant, beautiful and thrilling" for adult readers, focusing on promotion of reading for pleasure rather than academic or pedagogical value, excluding children's literature explicitly.[12][20] An initial longlist of over 150 titles, drawn from public suggestions and expert nominations, was narrowed by a panel of Commonwealth-based academics, librarians, booksellers, and literary specialists convened by The Reading Agency, though detailed scoring rubrics or weighting for factors like innovation, influence, or sales were not publicly disclosed.[15][20] This process favored established prize-winners and critically acclaimed titles, including 21 connected to the Booker Prize ecosystem, reflecting a preference for works with proven cultural impact over niche or emerging voices.[3]Selection Committee and Process
The selection of the 70 books for the Big Jubilee Read was conducted by an expert panel composed of librarians, booksellers, and literature specialists.[17][8] The panel operated under the auspices of the BBC and The Reading Agency, the primary partners in the initiative.[21] The process initiated with the compilation of a long-list drawn from public suggestions submitted by readers, ensuring broad input while prioritizing works by authors from Commonwealth countries.[8] This long-list was subsequently refined by the panel, which narrowed it down to 10 titles per decade spanning Queen Elizabeth II's reign from 1952 to 2022, for a total of 70 books.[12][8] The final selections emphasized literary merit and representation across the Commonwealth, with the list announced on April 17, 2022.[21] Specific panel members were not publicly named, reflecting a collective expert judgment rather than individual attributions.[17]Composition of the List
Decade-by-Decade Structure
The Big Jubilee Read organizes its 70 selected books chronologically across the seven decades of Queen Elizabeth II's reign, from her accession in 1952 to 2022, with exactly ten titles assigned to each decade based on their publication dates.[2] [3] This structure reflects the initiative's aim to chronicle literary output from Commonwealth nations over the period, highlighting evolution in themes, styles, and authorship tied to historical contexts such as decolonization, migration, and globalization.[22] All books were required to be originally published in English or translated into it, ensuring accessibility while prioritizing works from diverse Commonwealth realms including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, and various Caribbean and African states.[12] The decades are delineated as follows: 1952–1961, 1962–1971, 1972–1981, 1982–1991, 1992–2001, 2002–2011, and 2012–2022.[5] [23] For instance, the 1952–1961 selections include A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (United Kingdom, 1962, but aligned to early reign context in some listings) and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (Dominica/United Kingdom, 1966), emphasizing post-war introspection and colonial legacies.[22] Later decades, such as 2012–2022, feature contemporary works like Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (Scotland, 2020), capturing modern social realism amid economic shifts.[2] This decade-specific curation, drawn from a public longlist refined by experts, avoids anachronistic inclusions and promotes sequential reading to mirror the timeline of the monarchy's endurance.[6]Geographic Representation Across Commonwealth Nations
The Big Jubilee Read list encompasses authors from 31 Commonwealth nations across six continents, including Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, North America, and Oceania, reflecting an intent to highlight literary contributions from diverse regions during Queen Elizabeth II's reign.[4] This geographic spread includes works set in or by writers from countries such as Nigeria, India, Australia, Canada, Jamaica, and South Africa, among others, with selections drawn exclusively from Commonwealth member states to align with the program's celebratory focus.[2] Despite the breadth, representation varies significantly by nation, with the United Kingdom—predominantly England—featuring the highest number of titles at 11, followed by India (8), Australia (7), and Canada (5). Nigeria, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland, and Trinidad and Tobago each contribute 3 books, while countries like Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius (via dual nationality), Pakistan, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka (2 each for some), Tanzania, and Wales have 1 or 2 entries.[24] This distribution underscores a concentration in larger, English-dominant Commonwealth realms, potentially mirroring historical publishing trends and English-language accessibility rather than equal per-capita inclusion.| Country/Region | Number of Books |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom (mainly England) | 11 |
| India | 8 |
| Australia | 7 |
| Canada | 5 |
| Nigeria, Jamaica, New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland, Trinidad and Tobago | 3 each |