The Trust Company

On Thursday 19 June at a gala dinner held at the State Library of New South Wales, Steven Carroll was announced as the 2008 winner for his novel The Time We Have Taken.

2008 Winner
The Time We Have Taken
Steven Carroll
(HarperCollinsPublishers Australia)

On accepting the Award, Steven Carroll said :

"It's an extraordinary thrill and an honour - but it's also daunting to be joining a long list of authors whom you've either studied or admired for years. The Miles Franklin comes with the gravitas of a whole literary tradition, and you feel that weight almost instantly."

Commenting on the winner’s novel, the Judging Panel wrote:

“Carroll’s novel is a poised, philosophically profound exploration of the question, a stand-alone work that is moving and indelible in its evocation of the extraordinary in ordinary lives.” 

His publisher, Linda Funnell, Fiction Publisher, from HarperCollins Publishers Australia said that it is tremendously exciting to see this recognition of Steven Carroll. 

“The Miles Franklin remains Australia’s best-known and most prestigious literary award, and  brings with it a unique opportunity to introduce Steve’s work to a wider audience.  The Time We Have Taken counterpoints the story of a family with that of a community – and a nation – also undergoing great change.  It is rich, lyrical and profound.  In taking suburban life as his setting, Steven Carroll does what great novelists do:   he holds a mirror up to the familiar, and reveals it to us afresh, challenging us to look again,” Ms Funnell said.

About Steven Carroll

Steven Carroll was born in Melbourne. He was educated at La Trobe University and taught English in high schools before playing in bands in the 1970s. After leaving the music scene he began writing as a playwright and became the theatre critic for the Sunday Age.

His first novel, Remember Me, Jimmy James, was published in 1992. This was followed by Momoko (1994), The Love Song of Lucy McBride (1998), and then The Art of the Engine Driver (2001) and The Gift of Speed (2004), shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award in 2002 and 2005, respectively. The Art of the Engine Driver was also shortlisted in 2005 for the Prix Femina, France’s prestigious literary award for the best foreign novel.

Steven Carroll lives in Melbourne with his partner and son.

To read more about Steven Carroll, his winning novel and the judges’ formal comments please enter here.

Steven Carroll toured Western Australia in August 2008 and was interviewed at the annual Australian Association Teacher’s Education Conference in Adelaide on 8 July 2008.  Touring details for Western Australia are available here.

The 2008 Prize was $42,000 and was awarded for the novel of the year which is of “the highest literary merit and which must present Australian life in any of its phases”.  Novels submitted must have been published in the year of entry of the Award. 

On Thursday 17 April, the 2008 shortlist was announced.   The five novels were:

Find out more about the shortlist

The Longlist
On Thursday 13 March, the 2008 longlist was announced.   To read about the longlist please enter here.

59 novels were submitted for this year's Award.

The Judges
Judges for this year’s Award are Professor Robert Dixon, Morag Fraser AM, Ian Hicks, Lesley McKay and Regina Sutton, the State Librarian of New South Wales.

The Patron
Nelson Meers Foundation was the Patron for the 2008 Award.

The Nelson Meers Foundation was founded by Nelson Meers, a former Lord Mayor of Sydney, in order to continue Mr Meers' background in civic service.  The Foundation is committed to the principle that artistic and cultural endeavours are essential to both individual identity and an enlightened and democratic society. To view more information about this Foundation please visit http://www.nelsonmeersfoundation.org.au/.

The Regional Touring Program
Made possible through the financial support of Australian copyright management company, Copyright Agency Limited (CAL), the Miles Franklin Literary Award’s shortlisted authors and winners for 2007 through to 2009 will embark on a touring program covering all Australian states and territories over the next three years. 

Read more about the touring program 

A number of organisations also generously contributed to the 2008 award:

•  NIDA for actors and their costumes at the dinner.
  
• Australian Booksellers Association provided sponsorship in kind for the 2008 booksellers’ competition.
  
• Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove for providing the 2008 booksellers’ competition prize.
  

The Miles Franklin Literary Award 2008 shortlist – Booksellers’ Competition

Book City's award winning window display

Congratulations to Book City (Hobart) who won this year’s competition for their detailed shortlist window display.