Showing all posts about literature
Jason Mott wins fiction prize in 2021 National Book Awards
20 November 2021
North Carolina based American author Jason Mott has won the fiction prize with his novel Hell of a Book, in this year’s National Book Awards, which have recognised outstanding American writing since 1950. Prizes are also awarded in non-fiction, poetry, translated literature, and young people’s writing, categories.
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American literature, Jason Mott, literature
Goodreads Choice Awards 2021
19 November 2021
The first round of voting is open in the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards. From now until Saturday 28 November 2021, Goodreads members will be able to vote for their favourite title of twenty books, across seventeen categories, including fiction, romance, horror, science fiction, nonfiction, memoir, graphic novels, and young adult.
In the second round of voting, which will be open from 30 November to 5 December, titles will be whittled down to ten books per category, and members will be able to vote for their preferred book in each. The winners of each category will be announced on Thursday 9 December (which is less than three weeks now hereabouts).
Books published in the United States in English, including works in translation and other significant rereleases, between November 18, 2020, and November 16, 2021, are eligible for the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards.
The Goodreads Choice Awards are said to be the only major book awards decided by readers.
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State of the (Writing) Nation 2021
17 November 2021
Australian writer Alice Pung presented this year’s State of the (Writing) Nation oration, an initiative of Writers Victoria and the Wheeler Centre. Melbourne based writer Christos Tsiolkas, speaking before the oration, introduced Shu-Ling Chau, an emerging author also based in Melbourne. Pung’s address focussed on the production, promotion, and reception process of the writing process.
William Hazlitt wrote that ‘the smallest pain in our little finger causes us more concern than the destruction of our fellow human beings’. In her address, Pung will consider what kind of writing matters in the face of our small hurts and large griefs, and take an unflinching look at the excessive weight we place on literature to ameliorate our feelings. If you’re only half-grudgingly woke, is it better to just stay asleep? Pung will explore the pitfalls of this self-motivated obsession with using literature to educate, and examine whose expense it comes at.
Pung spoke about the experiences of disadvantaged writers in Australia, be they immigrants, refugees, disabled, indigenous, queer, or poor. This is essential listening for anyone with an interest in Australian literature.
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Alice Pung, Australian writing, Christos Tsiolkas, literature, Shu-Ling Chua
The Voss Literary Prize shortlist 2021
17 November 2021
Gail Jones, Vivian Pham, and Nardi Simpson, are among authors named on the shortlist of this year’s Voss Literary Prize. The award, initially intended to honour the best written work in the world, yes, the whole world – whether published or unpublished – each year, was established in honour of Australian historian Vivian Robert de Vaux Voss who died in 1963. While originally conceived by Voss in 1955, the first award was made in 2014, following the death of the original beneficiary of Voss’ will. Tara June Winch, the winning author in 2020, with her novel The Yield, took home five-thousand dollars in prize money.
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Gail Jones, literature, Nardi Simpson, Vivian Pham
Emerging Poets Mentorship 2022
16 November 2021
Applications are open for the Emerging Poets Mentorship, which will be hosted online early in 2022, by the Stella Prize’s Virtual Writer in Residence, afshan d’souza-lodhi.
Run by Stella’s Virtual Writer in Residence, afshan d’souza-lodhi, the mentorship is open to an emerging woman or non-binary poet based in Melbourne, and seeks to support them in developing an unpublished collection of poetry.
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Dymocks 2021 Book of the Year shortlist
10 November 2021
Australian book retailer Dymocks have unveiled the shortlist for their 2021 Book of the Year award. Titles to make the cut include Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty, Who Gets to be Smart by Bri Lee, and one of the inspirations behind the name of this very website, Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro. The winner will be announced later in November.
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Bri Lee, Kazuo Ishiguro, Liane Moriarty, literature
Andrew Pippos wins 2021 Readings Prize
9 November 2021
Sydney based Australian writer Andrew Pippos has been named winner of the 2021 Readings Prize for his debut novel Lucky’s. Congratulations.
As any book lover knows, walking into a bookshop and being confronted with hundreds (if not thousands) of books to choose from can be overwhelming. It is also one of the best feelings in the world. The Readings Prize shortlist is here to help narrow the field a little, to encourage readers to pick up a book by a first- or second-time author they don’t know and to give it a try.
The Readings is an award that focuses on newly published authors, a few more prizes like this are needed.
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Andrew Pippos, Australian writing, literature
For your to-be-read list, November 2021
8 November 2021
They’re making it easy on us this month, ABC literary writers and reviewers have suggested just five books for our reading consumption this month. Mind you, we’re already a week into the eleventh month, meaning we’ve lost eight reading days, so that might be a small problem. Anyway, I’m liking the look and sound of Byobu, by Ida Vitale, a 98 year old Uruguayan author, although Byobu was actually published in 2004 when she was eighty. Never let anyone say you’re too old to start a career as a writer.
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books, Ida Vitale, literature, novels
Damon Galgut’s The Promise wins Booker Prize
4 November 2021
South African author Damon Galgut has been named the winner of this year’s Booker Prize, with his book The Promise. After the shortlist was announced in mid-September it was clear the judges had their work cut out in selecting a winner. Maya Jasanoff, chair of the judging panel, described how they made their choice:
We arrived at a decision after a lot of discussion and arrived at a consensus around a book that is a real master of form and pushes the form in new ways, that has an incredible originality and fluidity of voice, and a book that’s really dense with historical and metaphorical significance.
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Booker Prize, Damon Galgut, literature, writing
Book of the Year Award 2021 shortlist announced
29 October 2021
The shortlist for the Small Press Network 2021 Book of the Year Award (BOTY) was unveiled on Monday, 25 October, 2021. Previously the award was known as the Most Underrated Book of the Year Award, but the name was changed in 2020. The Small Press Network represents small and independent publishers in Australia, and the winner of the 2021 BOTY will be announced in late November. Do check out the work of the shortlisted authors, these are titles I seldom see on Bookstagram.
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