Prime Minister's Literary Awards Shortlists Announced
The shortlisted authors for the 2012 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards have been announced. This year's awards have attracted the highest number of entries since the awards were inaugurated in 2008. A prize for poetry is being offered this year for the first time. Prizes will also be awarded in five other categories:
- Fiction
- Non-fiction
- Children's fiction
- Young adult fiction
- Australian history
Anna Funder's All That I Am is probably the bookies' favourite for the fiction prize, after scooping up other awards, including the Barbara Jefferis Award. Other fiction contenders are Kate Grenville (Sarah Thornhill), Gillian Mears (Foal's Bread), Alex Miller (Autumn Laing), and Janette Turner Hospital (Forecast: Turbulence).
The non-fiction category will be fought out by Geoffrey Blainey, A. J. Brown, Adrian Hyland, Anthony Macris, and Mark McKenna. In poetry, the shortlisted writers are Ali Alizadeh, Luke Davies, John Kinsella, John Mateer and Gig Ryan.
The Australian History prize entries cover a range of themes: immigration; the relationship between Indigenous and settler Australians during the middle four decades of the twentieth century; the decline of the wool industry; Aboriginal land management; and the founding of Melbourne.
Entries were received from every state and territory. Submitted items included books, e-books, websites, documentaries and audiovisual material.
For those who want to follow the awards or add a comment, there is a Facebook page for the awards.