2015 Miles Franklin Literary Award Shortlist announced

From the Miles Franklin Literary Award website:

The 2015 Miles Franklin Literary Award shortlist is:

Sonya Hartnett – Golden Boys
Penguin Books Australia

Sofie Laguna – The Eye of the Sheep
Allen & Unwin

Joan London – The Golden Age
Random House Australia

Christine Piper – After Darkness
Allen & Unwin

Craig Sherborne – Tree Palace
Text Publishing

Speaking on behalf of the judging panel, State Library of NSW Mitchell Librarian, Richard Neville, said: “The 2015 Miles Franklin shortlist presents a powerful group of Australian novels with a rich cast of unforgettable characters, and themes ranging from childhood gangs and domestic violence to itinerant thieves, wartime internment and the post-war polio epidemic.”

In addition to Mr Neville, the judging panel includes: The Australian journalist and columnist, Murray Waldren; Sydney-based bookseller, Lindy Jones; writer and editor, Craig Munro; and Emeritus Professor, Susan Sheridan.

Each of the 2015 shortlisted authors will receive $5,000 from the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund, which has sponsored the Miles Franklin Literary Award since 2004. In that time, the fund has granted more than half a million dollars to the Award’s shortlisted authors.

Read more.

Congratulations to the five shortlisted authors!

We caught up with shortlisted writer Sofie Laguna last year – read the interview here.