The Miles Franklin Award

This is Australia's most prestigious award and some of the winners can be highly recommended. One I liked very much was The White Earth by Andrew McGahan. I'll give some more tips at a later date.

Here is the 2006 Shortlist; the winner was the McDonald novel.

Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living by Carrie Tiffany
The Secret River by Kate Grenville
The Garden Book by Brian Castro
The Ballard of Desmond Kate by Roger McDonald
The Wing of the Night by Brenda Walker

"The 2006 Prize was $42,000 and is awarded for the novel of the year which is of “the highest literary merit and which must present Australian life in any of its phases”. Novels submitted must have been published in the year of entry of the Award."

Comments?

Speaking as a non-Aussie, I very much enjoyed The White Earth. I rarely agree with pubisher's who claim a novel to be Dickensian, but I thought this was. There was a real sense of place; a connection to the land in this novel.

As for 2006, I've read "Everyman's Rules" - another great novel. I am always amazed at what some authors can do in spare prose and few pages. Of course, the book to beat for me would be The Secret River. When I finished reading the story, I closed the book and just continued to sit...I was just blown away and kept thinking, "At what price?" Now, maybe the reason it struck me so powerfully is ecause of some of the similarities in our histories...I don't know. I also think she created realistic characters and a credible frontier.

Has anyone read the others; what did you think of them?

avaland: I think you have a typo: "The Ballad of Desmond KALE"

I loved The Secret River. Although the problem of Aboriginal land rights has been at or near the forefront of affairs here, and although I lived for a while in an Aboriginal community, this novel made me look again. Previously I had no compassion for the Europeans but through the main character I understood why he took the land (it was there) from the Aborigines (they were savages). Still, he knew that certain of his actions were wrong.

Has anyone read this year's winner?

I haven't read this year's winner but have read several others. The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard was much-acclaimed but I found it slightly incredible. Journey to the Stone Country by Alex Miller was a very good representation of the importance of home to Aboriginal people and to Anglo people. I liked it a lot. I enjoyed Eucalyptus by Murray Bail. Benang by Kim Scott is disturbing and I did not finish it...but will. Jack Maggs by Peter Carey was a good piece of historical fiction.
Highways to a War by Christopher Koch is en excellent book and should be in everyone's library.

The longlist is listed below. The shortlist will be announced on April 19th.

Beyond the Break
Sandra Hall

Careless
Deborah Robertson

Carpenteria
Alexis Wright

Dreams of Speaking
Gail Jones

Silent Parts
John Charalambous

Theft: A Love Story
Peter Carey

The Unexpected Elements of Love
Kate Legge

The Unknown Terrorist
Richard Flanagan

Sorry, some touchstones don't seem to want to load. I've got Dreams of Speaking, but haven't read it yet. Has anyone read any of these?

SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

Dreams of Speaking by Gail Jones
Theft by Peter Carey
Careless by Deborah Robertson
Carpentaria by Alexis Wright

I have only read Dreams of Speaking and although some of it is beautiful, I'm not sure it deserves the big award. The novel of most interest to me is Carpentaria which is written by an Aboriginal author, is supposed to be great and is a HUGE book.

Hello? Touchstones? ...

WINNER: Carpentaria by Alexis Wright.

I've had to set aside the idea of reading huge books for awhile. I seem to be fond of short ones these days. I have the Gail Jones' though, and it's pretty short - perhaps I will get to that one fairly soon...

I liked Dreams of Speaking - preferred it to Sixty Lights.

Miles Franklin Award Longlist 2008

1. Landscape of Farewell, Alex Miller, Allen & Unwin
2. Love without Hope, Rodney Hall, Picador (Pan Macmillan Australia)
3. Orpheus Lost, Janette Turner Hospital, Fourth Estate (HarperCollinsPublishers)
4. Secrets of the Sea, Nicholas Shakespeare, Harvill Secker (Random House)
5. Sorry, Gail Jones, Vintage (Random House Australia)
6. The Fern Tattoo, David Brooks, University of Queensland Press
7. The Memory Room, Christopher Koch, Knopf (Random House Australia)
8. The Time We Have Taken, Steven Carroll, Fourth Estate (HarperCollinsPublishers)
9. The Widow and her Hero, Tom Keneally, Vintage (Random House Australia)

I have read both Orpheus Lost and Love Without Hope. Both are good choices. I have The Memory Room but haven't yet read it.

Has anyone an opinion on the others?

Judylou, I picked up Alex Miller's Landscape of Farewell today which will be the only one I've read when I finish! I can probably pick up The Memory Room from the library. Looking forward to the reviews.

I have a copy of Sorry at home but I haven't read it yet. This may bump it up the TBR pile a bit. I work in a bookshop and The Memory Room was a huge seller this Christmas. From all reports it's excellent.

I own four of them but have only read one - The Memory Room. It's not a winner, sadly. I love this author.

AND The Time We Have Taken by Steven Carroll is a regional winner in the Commonwealth Writers' Prize.

dreamlikecheese, let me know how the Gail Jones is. I liked her Sixty Lights, and have dabbled with Dreams of Speaking which I really will read in earnest at some point. She's not published here in the US.

judylou, what is Orpheus Lost about?

Its the story of Leela (an American mathematician) and Mishka (an Australian musician). Leela's quest to discover the truth about Mishka - is he in some sort of terrorist cell or what? - leads her to his family in Northern Australia. The book is worth reading for its sense of place alone.

>17 avaland:
Will do, avaland. I'll put it next on my list. I have a couple of books going at the moment but hopefully I'll get to Sorry next week for you.

I've just ordered it from the UK, although who knows when I'll get to reading it. Although it might be a great book to read on the plane on the way over there:-) (Well, if I don't sleep, I'll need 3 or 4 books)

***2008 SHORTLIST**

The Fern Tattoo by David Brooks
The Time We Have Taken by Steven Carroll
Love Without Hope by Rodney Hall
Sorry by Gail Jones
Landscape of Farewell by Alex Miller

I just hope the winning novel doesn't exceed 300 pages. I haven't read last year's winner because of the size. (Shame on me.)

The Fern Tattoo has 384 pages.
The Time We Have Taken has 352.
Love Without Hope has 288.
Sorry has no information on the website I'm checking....but my ARC has 214 pages.
Landscape of Farewell has 288 pages.

So it looks like you have a 60% chance (all other things being equal) of getting a shorter book this year amandameale.

Thank you Cheese. I already own The Fern Tattoo and Love Without Hope so those two would be even more convenient.

yay for short books! reading Sorry now (well, not right at this moment).

finished the Gail Jones last night - in fact, there would be no sleep until it was finished. I love her writing, lyrical, even poetic. Sad, horrible story beautifully done. It predates the February apology, of course, but seeks to explore apology and atonement though fiction. Certainly one of the best books I've read so far this year.

And I was kind of hoping for a negative review so that I could cross it off my list...

ha ha:-)

I wonder if the prize committee might think of its theme as dated now. There is a note in the back of the book about John Howard's refusal to apologize, the book is perhaps an attempt at atoning for that. And I'm sure the prize is for 2007 novels which would all predate the February apology anyway but perhaps the committee will think, consciously or unconsciously, that is behind us now...

It is possible that someone might read the story and not connect it to the national issue, but not with her note in the back. And i don't know deep the allegory goes (it would be worth musing about with others). The story stands on its own though.

If anything I think it makes her book more likely to win. The apology really captured the nation, and tis year seems to be all about new beginnings. Amazing what a new government can do in terms of making things seem possible. The talk now is all about acknowledging Aborigines as the traditional owners of the land in a new preamble to the Constitution. And while we're changing the Constitution, seems we may as well go the whole way and ditch the monarchy too! Looks like our first ever female Governor-General might be our last ever.

On the other hand, an Aboriginal author won last year. Will that incline the judges towards something entirely different?

My independent bookseller is tipping Landscape of Farewell.

On the other hand, Gail Jones is not of aboriginal descent. However, she is a woman and statistically has a somewhat lesser chance of winning (and a woman won last year; geesh we can't let these women get all uppity, you know).

Yes, and Alex Miller has won it before so perhaps Rodney Hall?
(Actually, I don't think an Australian panel would care about the gender, but I can't be sure.

Not consciously, but statistics do tell... (it seems I checked them out when we had the gender and prizes discussion last year. I was curious if the Australians and Canadians had more gender parity than the Brits or the Americans, but I believe you both were somewhat worse (I'd have to check to confirm though). But, hey, last year should give it a boost, eh?

I'm not surprised by that avaland, but I do believe that they wouldn't give a prize to a man just to avoid the two-in-a-row. (I must admit to sometimes being a naive and gullible person!)

No, not saying it's a conscious thing but more or less an 'odds are that..' sort of thing.

Rodney Hall has won the prize twice before - Just Relations (1982) & The Grisly Wife (1994). I think Peter Carey & David Ireland (a novelist that is never mentioned on LT) are the only 3 time winners; so it could be that the jury will look to one of the others.

I was going to edit my message to admit my error but LT is playing up again - there is one 4 time winner, and this will cheer Avaland up,: Thea Astley.

:-)

(good to see you, btw, jargoneer)

Has anyone read any Astley? What is she like? Is there a good place to start? I just checked thebookdepository and everything appears to be out of print....

I was very impressed with David Ireland when I read him - The Unknown Industrial Prisoner & A Woman of the Future - an interesting mixture of Kafka, science fiction and the fantastic.

I think Drylands by Thea Astley is still in print - I see it in bookshops. Also The Acolyte is much admired.
I haven't read any of her books, but they're on my list.

There are a few Thea Astley books currently in print in Australia:

A Boat Load Of Homefolk
Collected Stories by Thea Astley
Drylands
Hunting The Wild Pineapple
It's Raining In Mango

and The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow is apparently being reprinted.

Everything else appears to be out of print at the moment.

Miles Franklin award to be announced this Thursday, 19th June.

Review of the shortlist contenders here

I've read Alex Miller's Landscape of Farewell, and am about to get my hands on Gail Jones' Sorry. Would have liked to have read more as the article says it's a tight race.

I look forward to reading it! How did you like it Amanda?

merry10: I haven't even read last year's winner yet. Will let you know about this one in about twelve months time. Have you read it?

Not yet! Now that the prize has been announced I expect cheaper copies in Big W in 3 weeks time! Whoo hoo!

Reading the newspaper articles around the traps, Steve Carroll has set his novel, the third of a trilogy, in suburbia, much like Glenroy where he grew up. He has been inspired also, by George Johnston's My Brother Jack which I had to read for high school. Could be an inspiration to go back read it afresh.

Publisher blurb:

One summer morning in 1970, Peter van Rijn, proprietor of the television and wireless shop, pronounces his Melbourne suburb one hundred years old.

That same morning, Rita is awakened by a dream of her husband's snores, yet it is years since Vic moved north. Their son, Michael, has left for the city, and is entering the awkward terrain of first love.

As the suburb prepares to celebrate progress, Michael's friend Mulligan is commissioned to paint a mural of the area's history. But what vision of the past will his painting reveal?

Meanwhile, Rita's sometime friend Mrs Webster confronts the mystery of her husband's death. And Michael discovers that innocence can only be sustained for so long.

The Time We Have Taken is both a meditation on the rhythms of suburban life and a luminous exploration of public and private reckoning during a time of radical change.

hmmm. Doesn't look to be too available outside of Oz...

The short list for this year's award was announced today:

Breath by Tim Winton
Ice by Louis Nowra
The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
Wanting by Richard Flanagan
The Pages by Murray Bail

The winner will be announced on June 18.

Breath by Tim Winton was announced as the winner of the 2009 Miles Franklin Literary Award today:

Fourth Miles Franklin win for Winton

2012 Miles Franklin longlist has just been announced:

Blood by Tony Birch
Spirit of Progress by Steven Carroll
Spirit House by Mark Dapin
The Precipice by Virginia Duigan
All that I am by Anna Funder
Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville
Five Bells by Gail Jones
Foal's Bread by Gillian Mears
Autumn Laing by Alex Miller
Cold Light by Frank Moorhouse
Past The Shallows by Favel Parrett
The Street Sweeper by Elliot Perlman
Animal People by Charlotte Wood

The winner will be announced in June.

2012 Miles Franklin longlist has just been announced:

Blood by Tony Birch
Spirit of Progress by Steven Carroll
Spirit House by Mark Dapin
The Precipice by Virginia Duigan
All that I am by Anna Funder
Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville
Five Bells by Gail Jones
Foal's Bread by Gillian Mears
Autumn Laing by Alex Miller
Cold Light by Frank Moorhouse
Past The Shallows by Favel Parrett
The Street Sweeper by Elliot Perlman
Animal People by Charlotte Wood

The winner will be announced in June.

Thanks for the list!

I've read All That I Am and Past the Shallows and both were excellent. A preference for me towards All That I Am because it's not the "typical" dysfunctional family story that are a constant theme in Australian writing (and which I am totally over). Past the Shallows was a dysfunctional family story, but it was a very very good one.

I've got Sarah Thornhill out from the library just this week so will be reading that soon (for bookgroup). Sadly, I haven't heard too mucn positiveness for this one.

And Autumn Laing and The Street Sweeper are in my future bookgroup reads. I'm looking forward to both of them. And Cold Light, I did like the previous books VERY much.

Nice wrap up - I haven't read any of them, but have read a few of the writers before. I have an Australia category in my 12in12 so hope to get to some more Australian fiction, though was considering mainly older novels. Charlotte Wood is coming to the Auckland writers and readers festival in May so I might get to hear her talk.

Oh, I just noticed that The Roving Party isn't on the list. I've heard excellent things about it, sorry to see it's not there.

I've read one Charlotte Wood, The Submerged Cathedral, but so long ago I can't really give a proper opinion on it any more! But Animal People is on my wishlist, readers in my bookgroup were very positive.

It's quite a bumper crop for Australian literature this year, if that very long longlist is anything to go by! And I've heard of them all, bar Blood.

I have to say I love this really long list of books to choose from. Here in NZ they decided (much against public opinion) to limit the annual book award shortlists to just three books. There are 4 categories (2 are for non-fiction, 1 fiction and 1 for poetry) and the book of the year award seems to be won most of the time by a non-fiction book.

We don't always have such a long list, I think last year's was much smaller from memory. They aren't limited to a number of books, or even actually choosing a winner, so they can make a short longlist and I think there's been at least one year when they haven't even chosen a winner as no one met the standard.

Rather nice, this emphasis on quality over quantity. (At least, I hope it's that, and not some change to make the prize more "popular" or anything. *coff*Booker*coff*)

Sarah Thornhill is very enjoyable but not a winner, IMO.

ETA: Loved Five Bells. Love Gail Jones.

Yes, it's rather sad that she didn't get a nomination for the superb The Secret River, but did for that rather ordinary effort. I read it happily enough, but I don't think it's Miles Franklin-worthy.

The winner of the Miles Franklin award for 2012 is:

All That I Am by Anna Funder.

I really liked All That I Am, but I didn't think of it as particularly Australian. An interesting choice as usual, and I'm glad it's won.

Must try to get a copy of All that I am. I've only read Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville and Foal's Bread by Gillian Mears (both were electronic copies from the library- a sign of the times- all I had to do was log into the local library and uploaded to my laptop!). I thought Foal's Bread was excellent. Sarah Thornhill just seemed like a nice light weight historical fiction, fun and enjoyable to read, and one I'd recommend if that is what you're after, but not a MF contender
I'm a Gail Jones fan after reading Sorry so must try to read five bells at some stage..

Good to hear you liked Foal's Bread! My new bookgroup chose that as this month's read ad I've been dragging my feet, rather...

This year's Miles Franklin Award shortlist has been announced. Of note, all of the shortlisted authors are women:

Romy Ash, Floundering
Michelle de Kretser, Questions of Travel
Annah Faulkner, The Beloved
Drusilla Modjeska, The Mountain
Carrie Tiffany, Mateship with Birds

The winning novel will be announced on June 19th.

The following longlisted books were not selected for the shortlist:

Lily Brett, Lola Bensky
Brian Castro, Street to Street
Tom Keneally, The Daughters of Mars
M.L. Stedman, The Light Between Oceans
Jacqueline Wright, Red Dirt Talking

More info: http://www.milesfranklin.com.au/2013/2013_shortlist

I've read all of the shortlist except fot The Mountain. I liked all of them. I was sorry though, to see Lola Bensky miss out. I completely loved that book!

I've read Floundering and Mateship with Birds. I think I must be a cultural cretin because I just did not like (and yes, I know that is a weak and puerile word) Mateship with Birds. Floundering had me on the edge of my seat. I just found Mateship a wee bit too creepy. Perhaps that's a good thing. I don't know. I hope to read Questions of Travel next and have to order the other two.

P.S. Have to say that I really like how the website here gives reviews and Reading Notes for bookclubs on quite a few of the books http://www.milesfranklin.com.au/reading_challenge/the-miles-of-reading-hub

I liked the way Mateship with Birds seemed so real. The characters were all very believable and, yes, there was just a bit of creepiness in there. But I liked that.

Maybe that's what it was....maybe it was too real for me. I have to say that her writing reminded me of Patrick White's writing at times - which is a great compliment. I just felt the characters were like the ones out of Tree of Life....sort of desperate really.

Getting a head start on the Miles Franklin Longlist for 2014? consider the following:

Barracuda, Christos Tsiolkas
Coal Creek, Alex Miller
Eyrie, Tim Winton
The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Richard Flanagan

All have made it to the shortlist for The Indie Awards, 2014, a prize awarded by the Australian Independent Booksellers' Association for Australian fiction. Hannah Kent's Burial Rites is probably a leader for their best debut novel by an Australian author, but won't make the Miles Franklin because it is set in 19th Century Iceland.

Another longlist contender:

The Swan Book by Alexis Wright which is on the Victorian Premier's fiction award list.

Excellent list Meg. I have a copy f all of the above, but have yet to read any of them!!

LOL, neither have I. Have a Kindle edition of Coal Creek though. Bargain!

The 2017 Miles Franklin Shortlist

An Isolated Incident, by Emily Maguire
The Last Days of Ava Langdon, by Mark O’Flynn
Their Brilliant Careers, by Ryan O’Neill
Waiting, by Philip Salom
Extinctions, by Josephine Wilson

The winner of the $60,000 award will be announced on 7 September

Extinctions by Josephine Wilson wins the 2017 Miles Franklin award

Miles Franklin Literary Award

•The winner of the 2018 award will be announced on Sunday, August 26 at a ceremony in Melbourne.

•Taboo by Kim Scott.
•The Last Garden by Eva Hornung.
•Storyland by Catherine McKinnon.
•The Life to Come by Michelle de Kretser.
•Border Districts by Gerald Murnane.
•No More Boats by Felicity Castagna.

•The Life to Come by Michelle de Kretser was the winner.

The 2019 Miles Franklin shortlist

The Lebs by Michael Mohammed Ahmad (Hachette Australia)

A Sand Archive by Gregory Day (Picador Australia)

A Stolen Season by Rodney Hall (Picador Australia)

The Death of Noah Glass by Gail Jones (Text Publishing)

Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko (University of Queensland Press)

Dyschronia by Jennifer Mills (Picador Australia)

Each shortlisted writer will receive prize money of $5,000. The winner of the $60,000 prize will be announced on 30 July.

The 2020 Miles Franklin shortlist

The White Girl by Tony Birch

Islands by Peggy Frew

No One by John Hughes

The Returns by Philip Salom

Exploded View by Carrie Tiffany

The Yield by Tara June Winch

The winner The Yield by Tara June Winchwas announced on 16 July.

2021 Miles Franklin Literary Award Shortlist and Winner

Amnesty by Aravind Adiga
The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott
At the Edge of the Solid World by Daniel Davis Wood
Labyrinth by Amanda Lohrey - Winner
Lucky’s by Andrew Pippos
The Inland Sea by Madeleine Watts