Serendipitously, while trawling Trove for something else recently, I came across a fascinating article in the Tribune about the winners of the first two Miles Franklin Awards. The article was written by Jack Beasley in July 1959, and the two winners were Patrick White's Voss (1957), and Randolph Stow's To the islands (1958), two books … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: 1950s prose-poets criticised
Literary awards
Monday musings on Australian literature: Stella judges on the zeitgeist in Australian fiction
Last week I reported on the longlist for this year's Stella Prize, and shared an excerpt from the judge's comments. For today's Monday Musings, I'm reiterating most of that - for us to think about and discuss: Reading for the Stella Prize … [is] a sample of the zeitgeist, a look at what is informing … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Stella judges on the zeitgeist in Australian fiction
Stella Prize 2019 Longlist
I don't do well at having read the Stella Prize longlist at the time of its announcement. In 2017 I'd read none, and last year I improved on that by having read one of the 12-strong longlist. By the end of the year, though, I had read five, which is good for me, given in … Continue reading Stella Prize 2019 Longlist
Indie Books Awards shortlist, 2019, announced
And so it, starts, the Literary Awards trail! Early in the year will be the Stella Prize, but first up is the Indie Book Awards. These are lovely awards, because they are run by Australia's Independent Booksellers - who are members of Leading Edge Books - and we love to support them don't we? Consequently, … Continue reading Indie Books Awards shortlist, 2019, announced
Monday musings on Australian literature: ACT’s literary awards
Last week, I attended the ACT Writers Centre's Christmas Party and Awards Night. It was a lovely, relaxed affair - just the sort I like. Not too much ceremony, but much good will and conviviality. I loved seeing writers, and others from our little territory's literary community, mingle with each other, commending each other's achievements. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: ACT’s literary awards
Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Winners, 2018, announced
The Winners of the the Prime Minister's Literary Awards for 2018 were announced this morning at Parliament House ... an event I followed via their Twitter Live Feed ... and it contained the BEST of ALL POSSIBLE news that Gerald Murnane won the Fiction prize. I haven't read the novel, so perhaps my approval is … Continue reading Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Winners, 2018, announced
Rebecca Skloot, The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks (#BookReview)
In her extensive acknowledgements at the end of her book, The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot thanks "Heather at The Book Store, who tracked down every good novel she could find with a disjointed structure, all of which I devoured while trying to figure out the structure of this book." Interesting that she looked … Continue reading Rebecca Skloot, The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks (#BookReview)
Emily O’Grady, The yellow house (#BookReview)
Although Emily O'Grady's debut novel The yellow house won this year's prestigious The Australian/Vogel's Literary Award for unpublished manuscripts by authors under 35, I wasn't sure at first that I was going to like it. I think this was because I was feeling I'd read a surfeit of books this year about young people living challenging lives … Continue reading Emily O’Grady, The yellow house (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Barbara Jefferis Award and negative depictions of women
A month ago, blogger Kim Forrester (Reading Matters) tweeted "I’ve stopped reading books where a woman being murdered is the plot point. Let’s change the story." I thought this was interesting, but didn't think a lot about it at the time because I read very little crime (though I do watch some). However, I was … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Barbara Jefferis Award and negative depictions of women
Queensland Literary Awards 2018 winners announced
Hot off tonight's twitter feed are this year's winners of the Queensland Literary Awards. They combine specific state awards and awards for which all Australian writers are eligible. Here is the whole suite of winners in the order they were announced: Queensland Premier’s Award for a work of State Significance: Jackie Ryan's Expo 88 Young Publishers … Continue reading Queensland Literary Awards 2018 winners announced
Whispering Gums 