Hot off the press – possibly the longest of recorded literary longlists, for this year’s Miles Franklin Literary Award, which is worth $50,000 – not quite prime ministerial, but still premiership material, and well worth winning, apart from the kudos attached to Australia’s pre-eminent literary competition.
Of the sixty-one novels entered in the Award, the judges have longlisted thirteen. We list them below, and indicate who reviewed them for Australian Book Review, and when. Obviously ABR can’t review every novel published in this country. If we did, we would have no room for other genres. But it’s pleasing that we reviewed ten of the thirteen. You can peruse these reviews on ABR Online Edition (just $6 for thirty days’ access).
The judges this year are Anna Low, Richard Neville (Mitchell Librarian), Julianne Schultz, Murray Waldren, and Gillian Whitlock. Happily, this year’s list is inclusive and varied – and also rather starry (it features several past shortlisted and winning authors):
We’ll find out in June who has won this year’s ‘Miles’:
- Tony Birch Blood (UQP) – reviewed by Chris Flynn in the December 2011–January 2012 issue
- Steven Carroll The Spirit of Progress (Fourth Estate) reviewed by Patrick Allington in the September 2011 issue
- Mark Dapin Spirit House (Pan Macmillan Australia)
- Virginia Duigan The Precipice (Vintage)
- Anna Funder All That I Am (Hamish Hamilton) – reviewed by Jo Case in the October 2011 issue
- Kate Grenville Sarah Thornhill (Text Publishing) – reviewed by Sophie Cunningham in the October 2011 issue
- Gail Jones Five Bells (Vintage) – reviewed by Felicity Plunkett in the February 2011 issue
- Gillian Mears Foal’s Bread (Allen & Unwin) – reviewed by Gillian Dooley in the November 2011 issue
- Alex Miller Autumn Laing (Allen & Unwin) – reviewed by Morag Fraser in the October 2011 issue
- Frank Moorhouse Cold Light (Vintage) – reviewed by Kerryn Goldsworthy in the November 2011 issue
- Favel Parrett Past the Shallows (Hachette Australia)
- Elliot Perlman The Street Sweeper (Vintage) – reviewed by Don Anderson in the October 2011 issue
- Charlotte Wood Animal People (Allen & Unwin) – reviewed by Miriam Zolin in the December 2011–January 2012 issue
http://www.milesfranklin.com.au/news
Peter Rose
Editor, Australian Book Review
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