Keneally and Nannestad win $100,000 historical novel prize
Tom Keneally won the $50,000 ARA Historical Novel Prize in the Adult Category for Corporal Hitler’s pistol (Penguin), while Katrina Nannestad won the $30,000 Children and Young Adults (CYA) category for the second year in a row for Rabbit, soldier, angel, thief (ABC Books).
According to adult jury president Angelo Loukakis, ‘Corporal Hitler’s pistol is a richly imagined and vivid novel that deftly moves the reader from World War I to the Irish Civil War, from the Kempsey countryside to Sydney and County Kerry through the first half and beyond of the 20th century. It is a novel that shows the impacts of the wider history of the world on individual lives and local histories, that recounts brutal wars and their wounds – whether felt on the skin or underneath – as brought back to the House.
The 2022 judging panel consisted of Loukakis, Madison Shakespeare and Meg Keneally, who “due to real or perceived conflicts of interest” withdrew from judging the shortlist and winner after the long list of Keneally, his father.
Nannestad won the CYA category for the second year in a row, for his mid-level novel Rabbit, soldier, angel, thiefwith his mid-level World War II novel we are wolves (ABC Books) won the inaugural CYA award last year. Rabbit, Soldier, angel, thief also takes place during World War II, but this time in Russia during the Great Patriotic War.
“Based on the true story of a boy soldier in the Red Army, Nannestad has created a beautiful, poignant and compelling narrative,” said jury president Paul McDonald. “The author’s gift is his ability to find light in this story, to deliver a narrative that, in the end, still offers hope, love and joy. The writing is beautiful, transparent research and wide reader appeal, the novel an ideal choice for readers aged 10 or 80.
The 2022 jury for the CYA category consisted of McDonald, Deborah Abela and Rachael King. Winners in the adult and CYA categories were chosen from restricted lists announced in September, with the four shortlisted each receiving $5,000.
Elisabeth Storrs, President and Program Director of the Historical Novel Society Australasia (HNSA), said: “The two Corporal Hitler’s pistol and Rabbit, soldier, angel, thief demonstrate the power of the historical fiction genre to illuminate unspoken truths and connect the past to the present. It promotes an understanding of the complex nature of today’s world and humanizes the lives of our predecessors. The prize is a true celebration of historical fiction and a real opportunity to promote the genre on a larger scale.
Previous winners of the ARA Historical Novel Prize are Jock Serong for The Burning Island (Text) and Mirandi Riwoe for Stone Sky Gold Mountain (UQP).
For more information, see the ANSA website.
Category: Awards Local News
