American historian Thomas W. Laqueur has won the lucrative CundillPrize in historical literature.

The University of California, Berkeley professor was awarded the US$75,000 grand prize at a gala in Toronto on Thursday night for The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal Remains, published by Princeton University Press.

The Work of the Dead explores how and why the living have cared for the dead from the ancient past to the 20th century.

“The contribution Thomas Laqueur’s book makes to our understanding of the role the dead play in life is hugely important. It is a book that will fascinate readers both within and outside the academy,” said Cundill Prize chairwoman Antonia Maioni, dean of the faculty of arts at Montreal’s McGill University. ...