The longlist has been revealed for the Miles Franklin Award, the most important literary prize in Australia. The Miles Franklin Award is open only to Australian authors, and it’s dedicated to honoring novels that feature Australian life. The grand prize is $60,000 Australian (about $45,000 American).
The big names making the cut this year include Elizabeth Harrower, who makes the longlist for a book that came out several decades after her last one, and Omar Musa, was known primarily as a rapper until his literary debut last year.
The landscape of Australian literature is really exciting right now, which is why we’ve put together lists of the greatest Australian classics and the best Australian crime authors over here at The Reading Room. The longlist for the Miles Franklin is another great place to start your literary journey to the land down under. Here’s the complete list:
Golden Boys by Sonya Hartnett
In Certain Circles by Elizabeth Harrower
The Eye of the Sheep by Sofie Laguna
The Golden Age by Joan London
The Lost Child by Suzanne McCourt
Here Come the Dogs by Omar Musa
When The Night Comes by Favel Parrett
After Darkness by Christine Piper
Tree Palace by Craig Sherborne
Nest by Inga Simpson
You can read more about the Miles Franklin Award and the longlisted books over at the award’s official website.