Recognised as Australia’s most prestigious prize, and won first by Patrick White in 1957, the Miles Franklin Literary Award is presented to the novel of the year which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases, as per the wishes of Miles Franklin herself.
The Trust Company, trustee of the Miles Franklin Literary Fund, joined the judges in congratulating the winner at the event, which was attended by authors, publishers, booksellers, literary associations, academics, sponsors, supporters and family of Miles Franklin.
‘Peter Temple’s Truth is writing tempered by fire’, said Morag Fraser AM, spokesperson for the Miles Franklin Literary Award judges.
‘The novel fuses the exhilaration and tension of a complex crime narrative with lives broken, patched and tested against the background of Victoria’s apocalyptic bushfires.
In Inspector Stephen Villani, Temple has created an indelible Australian character.’
Temple’s winning novel is the much anticipated sequel to The Broken Shore and comprehends murder, corruption, family, friends, honour, honesty, deceit, love, betrayal – and truth. A stunning story about contemporary Australian life, Truth is written with great moral sophistication. It takes a popular genre and transforms it into a taut literary experiment in realism and fiction.
Truth was one of six novels on this year’s Award shortlist, which featured Deborah Forster for her debut novel The Book of Emmett, Sonya Hartnett for Butterfly, Alex Miller for Lovesong, Brian Castro for The Bath Fugues and 27-year-old Craig Silvey for Jasper Jones.
‘It was a controversial and challenging shortlist, accomplished and diverse in ways that made the judges’ task extremely difficult’, said Ms Fraser. ‘Each novel offered a quite distinct and compelling fictional journey.’
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