It took me a while to wake up to something quite bizarre. In Vanessa Goodwin’s MR: Shortlists for the 2015 Premier’s Literary Prizes the world’s best novel in English doesn’t rate …
Check out the Media Release … you might be fooled – as I was – by the order of announcement (and the style of language used) …
2015 Premier’s Literary Prizes shortlists
Margaret Scott Prize – best book by a Tasmanian writer.
• What Days Are For by Robert Dessaix (Random House Australia)
• The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan (Random House Australia)
• A Short History of Richard Kline by Amanda Lohrey (Black Inc.)
• To Name Those Lost by Rohan Wilson (Allen & Unwin)Tasmania Book Prize – best book with Tasmanian content in any genre.
• The Rise and Fall of Gunns Ltd by Quentin Beresford (New South Publishing)
• Forgotten War by Henry Reynolds (New South Publishing)
• To Name Those Lost by Rohan Wilson (Allen & Unwin)
Despite Vanessa’s best attempts to dress it up to look as if Flanagan’s Narrow Road – described as a work of genius by A C Grayling, the chairman of the 2014 Man Booker judging panel – is right there in the mix … it is nominated only for the Margaret Scott Prize – best book by a Tasmanian writer.
The big award is for the next category … Tasmania Book Prize – best book with Tasmanian content in any genre.
And Mr Flanagan is … absent.
Let’s get this straight. So The Narrow Road to the Deep North may be adjudged world’s best book in English – and remember it was far tougher that year because it was opened up to world writers rather than only Commonwealth etc – but in Flanagan’s home state it’s not even worth nominating.
Bizarre. Despite the veneer of acceptance … despite the State Reception and Government House dinner in his honour … it’s all a smokescreen to cover what the arts establishment and the local literary lords really think of Mr Flanagan …
Obviously he’s still A traitor to Tasmania …
• Leo Schofield in Comments: Agree with Jane. True, much of the book is harrowing but for this reader the most moving passage was the description of the reunion of survivors of the railway meeting for a beer, then heading to old man Nikitaris’ fish shop in North Hobart and, finding it closed, breaking the window, collecting live fish from the tank and heading back to the docks to return them to the sea. They go back the next day to pay for the damage and the owner feeds them wine and fish. The metaphors are inescapable and the masterly description of the entire event bring tears to ones eye’s. Flanagan’s book is a universal masterpiece. The others are flashes in a parochial pan.
• Rohan Wilson in Comments: I have to say, as a shortlisted author, Richard’s absence puts the rest of us in a very uncomfortable position. Whoever goes on to win the award will do so in the full and clear knowledge that their book wasn’t the best one. It’s obvious to everyone that Narrow Road to the Deep North is a contemporary Australian classic. To rule it out because much of the narrative takes place elsewhere other than Tasmania is, frankly, bizarre.
