I have been a bit slack on updating the prize lists for this year. Last week saw the announcement of the short list for the 2012 Miles Franklin award and this year it made for happier reading in terms of gender equity of the nominated authors. Remembering back to last year and the controversy and turmoil that was created when let year’s shortlist was announced, and all three shortlisted author’s were male. Hundreds of articles then followed on what this meant for female authors, whether their was an in-built sexism in the literature world, we even had a go at it here.
If we were ever in any doubt as to the state of female authored literature in Australia – then this year’s shortlist will put those doubts to rest. Three out of the five shortlisted authors are female – Anna Funder for All that I am, (which I really loved and reviewed here), Gillian Mears for Foal’s Bread, and Pavel Parrett for Past the Shallows. Frank Moorhouse (for Cold Light, the final in his Edith Trilogy) and Tony Birch for Blood, round out the shortlist.
The shortlist is also good news for new authors with three of the shortlisted authors also debut novelists (Anna Funder, Pavel Parrett and Tony Birch). So, all in all sounds like Australian fiction is in good health!
Anna Funder’s book is the only one I have read of the five; I have Cold Light, but need to read the first two Edith novels first. I have heard good things about Gillian Mear’s and Pavel Parrett’s books but they have not as yet crossed my path. Any one else read books on the shortlist?
Book and author pics are from the Miles Franklin Trust website
