The shortlists for this year's Prime Minister's Literary Award were announced today, as I was driving back from Melbourne. Creative Australia's page for the announcement says they received "a remarkable 673 entries across six literary categories: fiction, non-fiction, young adult literature, children’s literature, poetry, and Australian history", which is exactly what they said last year, … Continue reading Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Shortlist 2026, announced
Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1926: 1, First Nations language and literature
In 1922, I started a Monday Musings sub-series in which I shared news about Australian literature from a century ago. I wrote several posts for the sub-series in the first couple of years, but fewer in the last couple of years. This is not because I lost interest, but because the issues started to repeat … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1926: 1, First Nations language and literature
Corey Tutt and Irma Gold, with Jessica Tedim, Come home Bigibila (#BookReview)
The recently published children's picture book, Come home Bigibila, is a gorgeous book for several reasons, but the most important of these is that it's a good read. If it weren't that, the other reasons would fade away! So, let's start there. Come home Bigibila tells the story of Bigibila, a baby echidna who is … Continue reading Corey Tutt and Irma Gold, with Jessica Tedim, Come home Bigibila (#BookReview)
Miles Franklin Award 2026 winner
Champagne corks will be popping in the Canberra region tonight because "our" Omar Musa has been announced the winner of this year's Miles Franklin award with his second novel, Fierceland. At the recent ACT Literary Awards which I attended, there was quiet hope - and not a little optimism - that this might be our … Continue reading Miles Franklin Award 2026 winner
Monday musings on Australian literature: Modern social novel
In my recent post on Alan Fyfe's novel The cross thieves I described it as a modern social realist novel and tagged it as a social problem novel. Wikipedia calls these novels Social novels (defining social realism as primarily an art movement). Whatever we call them, I think you know what I mean. However, for … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Modern social novel
Six degrees of separation, FROM Land TO …
Usually, I have my Six Degrees post scheduled in advance, but this month I kept putting it off, partly because I'd start down one path and not like it only to start down another that turned out equally unappealing. I think I like what I ended up with - well enough anyhow! I wonder whether … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM Land TO …
Shaun Micallef, De’Ath takes a holiday (#BookReview)
This book is bonkers, but that's mainly its point of course. It has other points too, and I'll get to those, but first I'll introduce it more formally. De'Ath takes a holiday is billed by its author, Australian comedian and satirist Shaun Micallef, as "the origin story of the first real vampyre (not Dracula)", which … Continue reading Shaun Micallef, De’Ath takes a holiday (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australia literature: Audiobook reading in Australia
Early this month, the Sydney Morning Herald's Jason Steger mentioned, in his weekly email, a recent survey into Australian audiobook listeners. It was also reported by the Australia Reads* website. This survey was conducted by the Australian National University (ANU), but Australia Reads also shares the findings of a second report, Creative Australia's 2026 and … Continue reading Monday musings on Australia literature: Audiobook reading in Australia
Alan Fyfe, The cross thieves (#BookReview)
Publisher Transit Lounge introduces Alan Fyfe as "a maker of stories and poems who lives on unceded Noongar country". His first novel, T, was listed for the West Australian Premier’s Award for an Emerging Writer, and his first poetry collection, G-d, sleep, and chaos, won The West Australian Premier’s Award for Poetry and the overall West Australian Book … Continue reading Alan Fyfe, The cross thieves (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Too many books?
Over recent months, I've been picking up little hints of concern about Australian publishing, not about its being hard to get published so much as that too many books are being published. I've done a little research and thinking, but I also want to throw it open to the brains trust here. If you are … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Too many books?
Whispering Gums 