The shortlist for the fiction prize was a tight contest with some well regarded authors rounding out the top five:
- Peter Carey for Amnesia;
- Elizabeth Harrower for In Certain Circles;
- Rohan Wilson for To Name Those Lost; and,
- Sonya Hartnett for Golden Boys.
I had expected it to be a tight race between The Golden Age and Golden Boys. London had missed out on this year's Stella Prize and Miles Franklin Award, so I am excited that she triumphed for this award.
When I reviewed this book earlier this year, I noted how Australian this book is with its depictions of the landscape, culture and language of Australia.
The judges of this prize commented that it "is a grand narrative written on a most intimate and modest canvas" and "a novel of great beauty and depth", which captures the book beautifully.
I should mention the other books that won at the PM's Literary Awards:
Poetry
Geoffrey Legmann for Poems 1957-2013
Australian History (Joint winners)
Ross Coulthard for Charles Bean
David Horner for The Spy Catchers - The Official History of ASIO Vol 1
Non Fiction (Joint winners)
Marleen Bungey for John Olsen: An Artist's Life
Michael Wilding for Wild Bleak Bohemia
Young Adult Fiction
Claire Zorn for The Protected
Children's Fiction
David Metzenthen for One Minute's Silence
I must admit to being disappointed that Helen Garner's gripping This House of Grief was overlooked for the non-fiction prize. It should have won.
For more information on all the winners and shortlisted books, see the PM Literary Awards website.