Announcing the Miles Franklin Literary Award 2009 shortlist

The five novels are:

Breath
Tim Winton
Penguin

Ice
Louis Nowra
Allen & Unwin

The Pages
Murray Bail
Text Publishing Australia

The Slap
Christos Tsiolkas
Allen & Unwin

Wanting
Richard Flanagan
Knopf (Random House Australia)

55 books were submitted for this year’s Award.

The winner who will receive $42,000, will be announced at a gala dinner held at the State Library of New South Wales Thursday 18 June 2009.
Judges for this year’s Award are Professor Robert Dixon, Professor Morag Fraser AM, Lesley McKay, Regina Sutton and Murray Waldren.

For over 50 years, the Miles Franklin Literary Award has encouraged authors and delivered an immense contribution to Australian cultural life. First awarded in 1957 to Patrick White for his novel Voss, past winners include Thea Astley (1962, 1965, 1972 and 2000), Peter Carey (1981, 1989 and 1998), Alex Miller (1993 and 2003), Murray Bail (1999), Tim Winton (1984, 1992 and 2002), and Steven Carroll who won the Award in 2008.

The Miles Franklin is awarded for the novel of the year which is of the highest literary merit and which presents Australian life in any of its phases.