William Hazlitt Essay Prize 2013 The Winners

The essay as a form is age-old, but also ageless. It may have originated in ideas of self-examination(Montaigne: 'it is many years since I have had only myself as the object of my thoughts') but is defined equally by its magpie capacity to inhabit any and every subject.These six essays, chosen by all the judges, satisfy the elephantine criteria of a good essay.