An author who has been obsessed by whales since childhood was rewarded for his fascination last night when his book about them won the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize.

Philip Hoare, who has dedicated the past eight years to watching and writing about whales, won the £20,000 non-fiction prize for his book Leviathan, an exploration of society’s relationship with whales.

He was previously known for his biographies of aesthetes such as Nöel Coward and Stephen Tennant but began writing about whales after he was convinced by his friend John Waters, the American film director best known for Hairspray.

Jacob Weisberg, the political journalist who led the judging panel for the prize, said: “What made Leviathan stand out in a shortlist of wonderful reads was Philip Hoare’s lifelong passion for his subject and his skill in making his readers share it. His prose is dream-like and rises to the condition of literature.”

Hoare, 51, has said that it is impossible not to smile when a 50-ton, 50ft humpback whale launches itself out the water. “I’ve been watching them in the waters off Cape Cod for years and never fail to be amazed at their beauty and amused at their antics.”

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