ANZ LitLovers LitBlog

The Melbourne Prize for Literature awards were announced at Federation Square tonight.

Congratulations to Craig Sherborne for winning the Best Writing Award, and to Alex Miller for winning the Melbourne Prize for Literature.

Craig Sherborne is the author of The Amateur Science of Love – see my review and a Sensational Snippet.

Alex Miller is the author of many books – see his profile at Meet an Aussie Author which has links to my reviews of many of his books, and also my review of his latest, Autumn Laing.

The nominees for Best Writing were:

Tony Birch, Blood – see my review
Anna Goldsworthy, Piano Lessons – see my review
Sonya Hartnett,      The Children of the King
Paul Kelly, How to make gravy
Wayne Macauley, The Cook – see my review
David McCooey, Outside
Favel Parrett, Past the Shallows – see my review
Carrie Tiffany, Mateship with Birds – see my review and a Sensational Snippet
Ouyang Yu, The English Class – see my review

and the nominess for the Melbourne Prize for Literature were:

Alison Lester, a children’s book author, a favourite with the children at school.
Robert Manne, see my review of Bad News  but he’s written heaps of other interesting books!
Joanna Murray-Smith – one of Melbourne’s best loved playwrights.
Peter Temple – a popular crime writer.

I didn’t make it to the ceremony because I’ve torn a ligament in my ankle and am confined to barracks for a while so I am indebted to @Melbourne Prize for the news and the photo!

Congratulations to all the winners, the nominees and their publishers, and thanks to the judges who had a very difficult job.  Special thanks also go to the Melbourne Prize  Trust, an initiative of the Committee for Melbourne, for their generosity.