The latest literary news from the Editor's desk ...

Hooray for Calibre!

‘What a wonderful thing is the essay! All honour to Australian Book Review and Copyright Agency Limited for celebrating it with the Calibre Prize,’ remarked Robert Dessaix at the Calibre symposium held at the National Library on 30 April. Happily, because of the generosity of CAL’s Cultural Fund, we can offer the fifth Calibre Prize for an Outstanding Essay, worth $10,000. This is one of the world’s most lucrative prizes for an original essay. Young Calibre, open to those aged twenty-one or under, is on again too, with a first prize of $2000 and two smaller prizes. The closing date for both competitions is 10 December.

Miles Franklin Award

Our comments in the previous issue about possible moves to revisit the terms of Miles Franklin’s bequest and to modernise the award have drawn fire. In this issue we publish two such letters, with a response from the Editor. More correspondence, and commentary, will appear on our blog. Let us know what you think of this issue.

Jessica Anderson (1916–2010)

Jessica Anderson, who died on 9 July, aged ninety-three, was the author of seven novels. Two of them, Tirra Lirra by the River and The Impersonators, won the Miles Franklin Award within the space of three years. Thomas Keneally is the only other writer to match this feat, and he went one better, winning in successive years (1967–68). Tirra Lirra, published in 1978, is Anderson’s best-known work. Susan Sheridan, in her Commentary, reminds us of the breadth of Anderson’s achievement and of the qualities of this superb writer’s other books.

Jon Cleary (1917–2010)

Jon Cleary, a hugely popular adventure writer, died ten days after Jessica Anderson, aged ninety-two. Eight million copies of his books were sold during his lifetime. Of his fifty-five books, seven were made into films, including You Can’t See Round Corners (1949), his first novel, which was runner-up to Ruth Park’s The Harp in the South in the Sydney Morning Herald’s novel competition. Cleary’s many subsequent awards included the Gold Medal of the Australian Literary Society in 1950. The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature described his most famous character – Sydney detective Scobie Malone – as the Australian Maigret. Inspector Malone made his final appearance in Degrees of Connection (2004), four decades after his creation in The High Commissioner (1966).

Prize time

Political leaders are highly munificent at election time, and the new prime minister will be especially so when she (or he) announces the 2010 Prime Minister’s Awards – presumably sometime this month. Two new categories have been added this year: Children’s Fiction and Young Adult Fiction. Each of the four awards is valued at $100,000. Several of the aspirants were photographed when the federal arts minister announced the shortlists on 15 July.

Patrons’ progress

Interest in our philanthropy program remains high, and this month we welcome thirteen new Patrons. We list them here with all our other Patrons.

Obama on hold

Bruce Grant’s review of David Remnick’s absorbing biography of Barack Obama (The Bridge) has been postponed until October. Instead, this month the former diplomat and academic reviews Blanche d’Alpuget’s book on Bob Hawke (page 12). D’Alpuget, meanwhile, is this month’s Open Page guest.

Art issue

This year’s Art issue of ABR will appear in November. Christopher Menz, a former Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia, will co-edit the issue. Publishers and galleries wishing to advertise in this issue or to send us new publications should contact Mark Gomes, the Deputy Editor.

September prize pool

This month, new subscribers can choose between signed copies of this year’s Miles Franklin Award-winning novel, Truth by Peter Temple (Text Publishing) or of Hawke: The Prime Minister, signed by author Blanche d’Alpuget (MUP). We have ten copies of each book to give away. For those who subscribe or renew for two years we have ten tickets to the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s Viennese Masters, valued at $90 each. Furthermore, for new and renewing subscriber cinéastes we have twenty-five double passes to The Tree, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, and fifty double passes to Father of my Children (thanks to Palace Films). Call us now on (03) 9429 6700 or subscribe here to claim your prize.