Barbara Jefferis Award
Encyclopedia
The Barbara Jefferis Award is an Australian Literary award prize. The award was created in 2007 after being endowed by John Hinde
upon his death to commemorate his late wife, author Barbara Jefferis
. It is funded by his $1 million bequest.
Jefferis was an Australian writer, and a founding member and first female president of the Australian Society of Authors
. She died in 2004. Australian author, Tom Keneally, described Jefferis as "a rare being amongst authors, being both a fine writer but also organisationally gifted".
The Award, which comprises an annual prize of at least $35,000, is one of Australia's richest literary prizes. It is awarded to "the best novel written by an Australian author that depicts women and girls in a positive way or otherwise empowers the status of women and girls in society". The novel can be in any genre and does not have to be set in Australia. The award does not specify the author's gender. It is administered by the Australian Society of Authors
, and is one of Australia's richest literary awards. It is expected to rival the Miles Franklin Award
($42,000) and the biennial Tasmania Pacific Fiction Prize ($40,000).
The prize was first awarded in 2008 to Rhyll McMaster for Feather Man (Brandl & Schlesinger).
Wyndham reports Rosalind Hinde, daughter of John Hinde and Barbara Jefferis, as saying that her father had "the very clear and strong intention to honour my mother's writing, her feminisim and her devotion to other writers". Several writers have supported the award, including Tom Keneally, Helen Garner
, Frank Moorhouse
, Gerald Murnane
, Anne Deveson
, Kerryn Goldsworthy
and Brian Castro
. However, writer and critic, Andrew Reimer doesn't like the idea of focusing on "social agenda" over "novelist's skill and imagination", and novelist Emily McGuire agreed, stating that she doesn't "like the idea of judging fiction based on its message". Author and critic, Debra Adelaide, expressed her concern that the award might encourage "safe and constrained" writing and wondered whether "we are getting to the point where we have more awards than publishing opportunities".
2011
2010
2009
2008
John Hinde
John Hamilton Hinde AM was an Australian broadcaster and film reviewer. He worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for more than fifty years, in both television and radio....
upon his death to commemorate his late wife, author Barbara Jefferis
Barbara Jefferis
Barbara Jefferis AM was an Australian author.-Early life, and character formation:Barbara Jefferis was the daughter of Tarlton Jefferis and Lucy Barbara Ingoldsby...
. It is funded by his $1 million bequest.
Jefferis was an Australian writer, and a founding member and first female president of the Australian Society of Authors
Australian Society of Authors
The Australian Society of Authors is the peak body representing Australia's literary creators and is the major advocate for the rights and remuneration of authors in Australia...
. She died in 2004. Australian author, Tom Keneally, described Jefferis as "a rare being amongst authors, being both a fine writer but also organisationally gifted".
The Award, which comprises an annual prize of at least $35,000, is one of Australia's richest literary prizes. It is awarded to "the best novel written by an Australian author that depicts women and girls in a positive way or otherwise empowers the status of women and girls in society". The novel can be in any genre and does not have to be set in Australia. The award does not specify the author's gender. It is administered by the Australian Society of Authors
Australian Society of Authors
The Australian Society of Authors is the peak body representing Australia's literary creators and is the major advocate for the rights and remuneration of authors in Australia...
, and is one of Australia's richest literary awards. It is expected to rival the Miles Franklin Award
Miles Franklin Award
The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize for the best Australian ‘published novel or play portraying Australian life in any of its phases’. The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin , who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career ...
($42,000) and the biennial Tasmania Pacific Fiction Prize ($40,000).
The prize was first awarded in 2008 to Rhyll McMaster for Feather Man (Brandl & Schlesinger).
Controversy
The announcement of the award caused a minor controversy in Australian literary circles due to its target. Susan Wyndham, journalist and literary editor, best summarises the issue in her the questions opening her article in The Sydney Morning Herald Blogs: "Does Australia need a new fiction award that encourages 'positive' portrayals of women and girls? Or is it an outdated gesture in a post-feminist culture rich with female authors, characters and readers?"Wyndham reports Rosalind Hinde, daughter of John Hinde and Barbara Jefferis, as saying that her father had "the very clear and strong intention to honour my mother's writing, her feminisim and her devotion to other writers". Several writers have supported the award, including Tom Keneally, Helen Garner
Helen Garner
Helen Garner is an award-winning Australian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist.-Life:Garner was born in Geelong, Victoria, the eldest of six children. She attended Manifold Heights State School, Ocean Grove State School and then The Hermitage in Geelong...
, Frank Moorhouse
Frank Moorhouse
Frank Moorhouse is an acclaimed Australian writer with a growing international reputation. He has won major Australian national prizes for the short story, the novel, the essay, and for script writing....
, Gerald Murnane
Gerald Murnane
- Life :Murnane was born in Coburg, Melbourne, and has almost never left the state of Victoria. Parts of his childhood were spent in Bendigo and the Western District. In 1956 he matriculated from De La Salle College Malvern....
, Anne Deveson
Anne Deveson
Anne Barbara Deveson AO is an Australian writer, broadcaster, filmmaker and social commentator.During World War II, Deveson's family moved to Western Australia from Malaya as refugees. She attempted a Science degree in England, but dropped out to pursue other interests...
, Kerryn Goldsworthy
Kerryn Goldsworthy
Dr. Kerryn Lee Goldsworthy is an Australian freelance writer and former academic.Kerryn Goldsworthy has a B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Adelaide. She taught at the University of Melbourne from 1981 to 1997 as a tutor and lecturer and has also worked briefly at Deakin, Flinders and Adelaide...
and Brian Castro
Brian Castro
Brian Albert Castro is an Australian novelist and essayist.-Biography:Castro was born in Hong Kong and has lived in Australia since 1961. He is of Portuguese, Chinese, and English descent. Currently he is Chair of Creative Writing at the University of Adelaide....
. However, writer and critic, Andrew Reimer doesn't like the idea of focusing on "social agenda" over "novelist's skill and imagination", and novelist Emily McGuire agreed, stating that she doesn't "like the idea of judging fiction based on its message". Author and critic, Debra Adelaide, expressed her concern that the award might encourage "safe and constrained" writing and wondered whether "we are getting to the point where we have more awards than publishing opportunities".
Winners
- 2011 - Come Inside, G.L.Osborne, Clouds of Magellan ISBN 9780980712025
- 20102010 in Australian literature-Awards and honours:*22 June – Peter Temple wins the Miles Franklin Award for his crime novel Truth.-See also:* Literature* List of years in Australian literature* List of Australian literary awards* 2010 in Australia* 2010 in literature* 2010 in poetry...
- The China Garden, Kristina OlssonKristina OlssonKristina Olsson is an Australian writer, journalist and teacher. She studied journalism at the University of Queensland and went on to write for The Australian, The Courier-Mail and Sunday Mail, the Sydney Sunday Telegraph and Griffith Review....
, University of Queensland Press, ISBN 9780702236976 - 20092009 in Australian literatureThe year 2009 in Australian literature involves some significant new books, drama, poetry and events.For an overview of world literature see 2009 in literature.See also:2008 in Australian literature,2009 in Australia,...
- The Spare RoomThe Spare RoomThe Spare Room is a novel by Australian writer Helen Garner, set over the course of three weeks while the narrator, Helen, cares for a friend dying of bowel cancer. The Spare Room was published in 2008.- Plot summary:...
, Helen GarnerHelen GarnerHelen Garner is an award-winning Australian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist.-Life:Garner was born in Geelong, Victoria, the eldest of six children. She attended Manifold Heights State School, Ocean Grove State School and then The Hermitage in Geelong...
, Text, Melbourne, ISBN 9781921351396 - 20082008 in Australian literatureThe year 2008 in Australian literature involves some significant new books, drama, poetry and events.For an overview of world literature see 2008 in literature.See also:2007 in Australian literature,2008 in Australia,...
- Feather Man, Rhyll McMasterRhyll McMasterRhyll McMaster is a contemporary Australian poet and novelist. She has worked as a secretary, a nurse and a sheep farmer. She now lives in Sydney and has written full-time since 2000....
, Brandl & Schlesinger, Blackheath, ISBN 9781876040833
Shortlisted works
Winners are listed in bold type.2011
- The Good Daughter, Honey Brown, Penguin/Viking, ISBN 9780670074433
- Lie Being a Wife, Catherine Harris, Vintage, ISBN 9781864710397
- Sustenance, Simone LazarooSimone LazarooSimone Lazaroo is an Australian author. Born in Singapore, she migrated with her family to Western Australia as a young child. Her background is Eurasian. She lives in Fremantle, Western Australia and teaches Creative Writing at Murdoch University....
, University of Western Australia Press, ISBN 9781742580715 - Indelible Ink, Fiona McGregor, Scribe, ISBN 9781921215964
- Come Inside, G.L.Osborne, Clouds of Magellan, ISBN 9780980712025
2010
2010 in Australian literature
-Awards and honours:*22 June – Peter Temple wins the Miles Franklin Award for his crime novel Truth.-See also:* Literature* List of years in Australian literature* List of Australian literary awards* 2010 in Australia* 2010 in literature* 2010 in poetry...
- The Lost Life, Steven CarrollSteven CarrollSteven Carroll is an Australian novelist. He was born in Melbourne, Victoria and studied at La Trobe University. He has taught English at secondary school level, and drama at RMIT...
, HarperCollins, ISBN 9780732284800 - Swimming, Enza Gandolfo, Vanark Press, ISBN 9780980350029
- The World Beneath, Cate KennedyCate KennedyCate Kennedy is an author born in Louth, Lincolnshire, England who moved to Australia in her childhood. She graduated from University of Canberra and has also taught at several colleges, including The University of Melbourne...
, Scribe, ISBN 9781921372964 - The China Garden, Kristina OlssonKristina OlssonKristina Olsson is an Australian writer, journalist and teacher. She studied journalism at the University of Queensland and went on to write for The Australian, The Courier-Mail and Sunday Mail, the Sydney Sunday Telegraph and Griffith Review....
, University of Queensland Press (UQP), ISBN 9780702236976 - Headlong, Susan Varga, UWA Publishing, ISBN 9781921401237
2009
2009 in Australian literature
The year 2009 in Australian literature involves some significant new books, drama, poetry and events.For an overview of world literature see 2009 in literature.See also:2008 in Australian literature,2009 in Australia,...
- People of the BookPeople of the Book (novel)People of the Book is a 2008 historical fiction novel by Geraldine Brooks. The story focuses on an imagined past of the still extant Sarajevo Haggadah, one of the oldest surviving Jewish illuminated texts.-Plot summary:...
, Geraldine Brooks, Fourth Estate (HarperCollins), Sydney, ISBN 9780732280376 - The Spare RoomThe Spare RoomThe Spare Room is a novel by Australian writer Helen Garner, set over the course of three weeks while the narrator, Helen, cares for a friend dying of bowel cancer. The Spare Room was published in 2008.- Plot summary:...
, Helen GarnerHelen GarnerHelen Garner is an award-winning Australian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist.-Life:Garner was born in Geelong, Victoria, the eldest of six children. She attended Manifold Heights State School, Ocean Grove State School and then The Hermitage in Geelong...
, Text, Melbourne, ISBN 9781921351396 - The Lifeboat, Zacharey Jane, University of Queensland PressUniversity of Queensland PressEstablished in 1948, University of Queensland Press is a dynamic publishing house known for its innovative philosophy and commitment to producing books of high quality and cultural significance...
, St Lucia, ISBN 9780702236426 - Addition, Toni Jordan, Text, Melbourne, ISBN 9781921351422
- The Good ParentsThe Good ParentsThe Good Parents is the second full-length novel written by Joan London. It was first published in 2008.The book concerns an eighteen year old girl, Maya de Jong, who moves to Melbourne and becomes involved in a relationship with her boss. When Maya's parents come to Melbourne to stay with her,...
, Joan LondonJoan London (Australian author)Joan Elizabeth London is an Australian author of short stories, screenplays and novels.She graduated from the University of Western Australia having studied English and French, has taught English as a second language and is a bookseller...
, Vintage (Random House), Sydney, ISBN 9781741667936 - The Last Sky, Alice Nelson, Fremantle Press, Fremantle, ISBN 9781921361128
2008
2008 in Australian literature
The year 2008 in Australian literature involves some significant new books, drama, poetry and events.For an overview of world literature see 2008 in literature.See also:2007 in Australian literature,2008 in Australia,...
- The Anatomy of Wings, Karen FoxleeKaren Foxlee-Life:After training and working as a nurse for most of her adult life, she graduated from the University of the Sunshine Coast with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2005, in creative writing...
, University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, ISBN 9780702236167 - Feather Man, Rhyll McMasterRhyll McMasterRhyll McMaster is a contemporary Australian poet and novelist. She has worked as a secretary, a nurse and a sheep farmer. She now lives in Sydney and has written full-time since 2000....
, Brandl & Schlesinger, Blackheath, ISBN 9781876040833 - The SeamstressThe Seamstress-Cast:* Lída Baarová as Líza Bártová * Theodor Pištěk as Bárta* Hugo Haas as Francois Lorrain* Bedrich Veverka as Alfons* Adina Mandlová as Mici* Ruzena Slemrová as Majitelka salónu Yvette* Vera Ferbasová as Tonka* Václav Trégl as Houzvicka...
, Geraldine WoollerGeraldine WoollerGeraldine Wooller is an Australian novelist, short-story writer and essayist. Her novels are predominantly reflective works on the nature of love, friendship, loss and endurance....
, University of Western Australia Press, Perth, ISBN 9781920694937 - The Lost DogThe Lost Dog-Awards:*Commonwealth Writers Prize, South East Asia and South Pacific Region, Best Book, 2008: shortlisted*Barbara Jefferis Award, 2008: shortlisted*New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, 2008: winner...
, Michelle de KretserMichelle de KretserMichelle de Kretser is an Australian novelist who was born in Sri Lanka but moved to Australia when she was 14.She was educated in Melbourne and Paris, and published her first novel, The Rose Grower in 1999...
, Allen & UnwinAllen & UnwinAllen & Unwin, formerly a major British publishing house, is now an independent book publisher and distributor based in Australia. The Australian directors have been the sole owners of the Allen & Unwin name since effecting a management buy out at the time the UK parent company, Unwin Hyman, was...
, Sydney, ISBN 9781741753394 - Burning In, Mireille Juchau, Giramondo, Sydney, ISBN 9781920882273
- The Gospel of Gods and Crocodiles, Elizabeth Stead, University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, ISBN 9780702236020