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Indian-American physician-author Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee’s ‘The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human’ has been longlisted for the prestigious Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction category. The New York-based cancer physician and researcher, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University, will go up against 12 other authors from around the world for the annual GBP 50,000 prize (approx Rs 52,18,530), which aims to recognise and reward the best of non-fiction and is open to authors of any nationality. Siddhartha Mukherjee’s longlisted work has been described as at once panoramic and intimate, and the author’s “most spectacular book yet". The prize covers all non-fiction in the areas of current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts. As part of the celebrations marking the prize’s 25th anniversary, it has been announced that as well as the winning author receiving GBP 50,000, the other shortlisted authors will receive GBP 5,000 (up from GBP 1,000), bringing the total prize value up to GBP 75,000. The announcement of the six books shortlisted for this year’s prize will take place on October 8 in a live event at England’s annual Cheltenham Literature Festival, and the winner will be awarded on November 16 at a ceremony at the Science Museum in London.