The trustee of the Miles Franklin Literary Award, Perpetual, have announced twelve brilliant authors have been included on the 2022 Longlist. They will be competing for one of the most prominent literary prizes in Australia, with the winner also receiving $60,000.
The Miles Franklin Literary Award was established by feminist, and author of My Brilliant Career, Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin. First presented in 1957, the Award celebrates novels of the highest literary merit that tell stories about Australian life, shining a light on some of the country’s most accomplished writers.
The 2022 Miles Franklin Literary Award Longlist is:
| Author: | Novel: | Publisher: |
| Michael Mohammed Ahmad | The Other Half of You | Hachette Australia |
| Larissa Behrendt | After Story | University of Queensland Press |
| Michelle de Kretser | Scary Monsters | Allen & Unwin |
| Jennifer Down | Bodies of Light | Text Publishing |
| Briohny Doyle | Echolalia | Penguin Random House |
| Max Easton | The Magpie Wing | Giramondo Publishing |
| John Hughes | The Dogs | Upswell Publishing |
| Jennifer Mills | The Airways | Picador Australia, Pan Macmillan Australia |
| Alice Pung | One Hundred Days | Black Inc. Books |
| Claire Thomas | The Performance | Hachette Australia |
| Christos Tsiolkas | 7 ½ | Allen & Unwin |
| Michael Winkler | Grimmish | Puncher and Wattmann |
“This year’s longlist, drawn from a robust pool of entries, reflects the thematic richness and the formal adventurousness of the contemporary Australian novel, as our writers respond to our times,” said Richard Neville, State Library of NSW Mitchell Librarian.
“Diverse in every sense, it extends from works of realism to novels in a more experimental vein, proving that the nation’s story-tellers are continuing to test the boundaries of what the novel can do.”
The judging panel comprises Richard Neville, Mitchell Librarian of the State Library of NSW and Chair; author and literary critic, Dr Bernadette Brennan; literary scholar, Dr Mridula Nath Chakraborty; book critic, Dr James Ley; and author and editor, Dr Elfie Shiosaki.
Last year, the Miles Franklin Literary Award was awarded to Amanda Lohrey for her novel, The Labyrinth (2021).
The shortlisted finalists will be revealed on 23 June and the winner announced on 20 July 2022. For more information, visit: www.perpetual.com.au for details.
Image: 2022 Miles Franklin Literary Award Longlist (supplied)