Home 5 News 5 Miles Franklin Literary Award 2021 shortlist announced

Miles Franklin Literary Award 2021 shortlist announced

by | Jun 17, 2021 | News

New voices and small publishers have dominated the longlist of Australia’s most prestigious literary prize, a move that could indicate a positive progression.

Two first-time novelists, a previous Man Booker prize-winner and a veteran writer of eight works of fiction are among the six authors shortlisted for the 2021 Miles Franklin award.

Chairman of judges Richard Neville said the longlist was a mix of well-established, early career and debut novelists whose work range from historical fiction to fabulism and psychologism.

“Through an array of distinctive voices these works invite their readers to engage with questions regarding the natural and animal worlds, asylum, sexual abuse, colonialism, racism, and grief,” Mr Neville, the Mitchell Librarian at the State Library of NSW, said. “These are stories about trauma and loss, and also about beauty, resilience, and hope.”

Aravind Adiga, who won the Man Booker prize in 2008 for The White Tiger, is shortlisted for his fifth novel, Amnesty: a tale about a Sri Lankan man living in Sydney whose status as an illegal immigrant risks being exposed after he becomes entangled in a murder investigation.

UK-based writer Daniel Davis Wood has also been shortlisted for his second novel, At the Edge of the Solid World, in which a grieving Sydney couple is coming to terms with the death of their newborn in the Swiss Alps, as their Australian home town confronts an act of shocking violence that makes international headlines.

Grief and violence are themes also shared in The Labyrinth, Amanda Lohrey’s eighth work of fiction and the second time the 74-year-old has been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin.

Two debut novelists complete the shortlisted nominees; Sydney-based writer Andrew Pippos for Lucky’s, telling the epic tale of a Chicago-born Greek migrant who finds his fortune in Australia during the second world war; and New York-based writer Madeleine Watts, for her coming of age novel The Inland Sea. Watts won the 2015 Griffith Review novella prize for her debut novella, Afraid of Waking It.

The winner will be announced on 15 July.

Recent News

18Feb
Ian Chapman to Step Down as S&S UK CEO in May

Ian Chapman to Step Down as S&S UK CEO in May

After 25 years at Simon & Schuster, Ian Chapman, who serves as CEO and publisher of Simon & Schuster UK & International, will depart in May.   Chapman, who became CEO in 2013, has led publishing, editorial, marketing, and sales operations in the UK, Australia and India. His title-marked years were majorly growthy; for 2022 and 2023, Simon […]

18Feb
IPA Condemns Attack on Publisher at Bangladesh Book Fair

IPA Condemns Attack on Publisher at Bangladesh Book Fair

The International Publishers Association (IPA) has condemned an attack on publisher Sabyasachi’s stand at the Amar Ekushey book fair in Dhaka, Bangladesh.  Extremists were protesting at the presence of books by author Taslima Nasrin, the Bangladeshi writer who is known for her work on women’s oppression and criticism of religion.  Some of her books are […]

18Feb
AI and Copyright: Key Takeaways from the AI Action Summit

AI and Copyright: Key Takeaways from the AI Action Summit

Artificial Intelligence (AI) remains the issue of the moment.  The former chief executive of Google, Erich Smidt proposes a balance between government oversight of AI development and over-regulation of the sector.   He told the BBC: “The truth is that AI and the future is largely going to be built by private compaanies.  It’s really […]

Related Posts

IPA Condemns Attack on Publisher at Bangladesh Book Fair

IPA Condemns Attack on Publisher at Bangladesh Book Fair

The International Publishers Association (IPA) has condemned an attack on publisher Sabyasachi's stand at the Amar Ekushey book fair in Dhaka, Bangladesh.  Extremists were protesting at the presence of books by author Taslima Nasrin, the Bangladeshi writer who is...

AI and Copyright: Key Takeaways from the AI Action Summit

AI and Copyright: Key Takeaways from the AI Action Summit

Artificial Intelligence (AI) remains the issue of the moment.  The former chief executive of Google, Erich Smidt proposes a balance between government oversight of AI development and over-regulation of the sector.   He told the BBC: “The truth is that AI and the...

International Interest in Newly Discovered Joan Didion Manuscript

International Interest in Newly Discovered Joan Didion Manuscript

There is strong international interest in a new book by the celebrated American writer and journalist Joan Didion who died in 2021.  Entitled Notes to John, the manuscript was discovered in a portable filing cabinet next to her desk after her death.  The book is a...

Previous Next
Close
Test Caption
Test Description goes like this

Pin It on Pinterest