Article
Richard Flanagan’s Road to Indie success
Stephen Romei, The Australian
TASMANIAN writer Richard Flanagan has dashed from the blocks in this year’s race for the Miles Franklin Literary Award, with his novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North last night named best fiction and book of the year in the Indie Awards.
The Indies, voted by Australia’s independent booksellers, are usually a reliable guide to the literary prize season. In 2012, Anna Funder’s All That I Am was named Indie book of the year before going on to win the Miles Franklin.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North, set partly on the Thai-Burma Railway, prevailed over three novels that are sure to be contenders in this year’s fiction awards: Tim Winton’s Eyrie, Christos Tsiolkas’s Barracuda and Alex Miller’s Coal Creek.
In his acceptance speech Flanagan said 2013 was “a golden year for Australian books” across all genres.
Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites was named best debut fiction, David Hunt’s Girt: The Unauthorised History of Australia took out best nonfiction and Alison Lester’s Kissed by the Moon was voted best children’s book.