The winning books.
The winners of Australia's richest literary awards have been announced.
They are:
Fiction –
Foal’s Bread by Gillian Mears
Poetry –
Interferon Psalms by Luke Davies
Non-fiction –
An Eye for Eternity: The Life of Manning Clark by Mark McKenna
Prize for Australian History –
The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia by Bill Gammage
Young adult fiction –
When We Were Two by Robert Newton
Children’s fiction –
Goodnight, Mice! By Frances Watts, illustrated by Judy Watson
The judges said that the pool was unusually strong but
Foal’s Bread was a unanimous choice for the fiction winner. "Written in transfixing prose and with an – at times – aching affinity for the harsh landscape the book describes,
Foal’s Bread is an extraordinary work of remarkable strength and originality," they said.
They said young adult winner
When We Were Two, which the judges said "deserves to become a classic". "The looming shadow of war is ever present and the book speaks of the innocence, naivety and hope of a generation of young men and boys who marched towards it. Yet the strength of the story lies in the unconditional love between the two brothers, and in their spirit and courage which are destined to survive the slaughter to come."
Non-fiction –
An Eye for Eternity: The Life of Manning Clark was cited for as "essential reading for all Australians seeking to understand the transformation of Australian cultural nationalism in the second half of the twentieth century."
Poetry winner
Interferon Psalms was described as notable for the power of its poetic realisation. "
Interferon Psalms encompasses not only the meditative intensities of the dark night of the soul but a tragicomic vision which is by turns dramatic, alarming and luminous in its formal expression," reads the citation.
The children's winner
Goodnight Mice! was commended as "an almost perfect bedtime book". The judges commended the collaboration of author and illustrator. "Watts’s words sing with rhyme and repetition, making them excellent linguistic tools for small children, while Watson’s impish, affectionate illustrations speak to families from every type of background."
The Australian History winner was
The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia. "Gammage’s compelling central insight is that the landscape of 1788 was not natural but rather that it was made by Aboriginal people. The author again demonstrates a rare capacity to open a fresh horizon, capturing both history and his reader."
The awards pool totals $600,000 for the books which "celebrate the contribution of Australian literature and history to the nation’s cultural and intellectual life". Winners in each category get $80,000 tax-free going to the winner and shortlisted authors receive $5,000 tax-free each.