Miles Franklin Literary Award 2018 shortlist announced

18 June 2018 Books+Publishing

The shortlist for the 2018 Miles Franklin Literary Award has been announced.

The shortlisted titles are:

No More Boats (Felicity Castagna, Giramondo)
The Life to Come (Michelle de Kretser, A&U)
The Last Garden (Eva Hornung, Text)
Storyland (Catherine McKinnon, Fourth Estate)
Border Districts (Gerald Murnane, Giramondo)
Taboo (Kim Scott, Picador).

Judge and Mitchell Librarian at the State Library of NSW Richard Neville said, ‘The Miles Franklin 2018 shortlist engages with the complexities of Australian life in all of its phases, and the legacy of its timeless Indigenous past and its recent European present. All the novels explore how Australians connect with their complex stories, with their emotional histories, and with the legacy of colonisation. Each author in the shortlist considers what it means to live in a particular location, with unique and challenging vision. The vibrancy of contemporary Australian literature, and its relevance to thinking through the challenges of modern Australia, is confirmed with this diverse and intelligent shortlist.’

The judging panel also included journalist for the Australian Murray Waldren; book critic Melinda Harvey; Abbey’s Bookshop senior book buyer Lindy Jones; and Flinders University academic Susan Sheridan.

The shortlist was announced at the Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) conference in Canberra on 17 June, and was chosen from a longlist of 11 announced in May. The winning author, who will receive $60,000, will be announced on 26 August.

As previously reported by Books+Publishing, Josephine Wilson won the 2017 Miles Franklin Literary Award for her novel Extinctions (UWA Publishing).

Category: Local news