A shortlist has been released for the A$10,000 (about US$7,345) Age Book of the Year, as the Australian prize makes its return after a nine-year hiatus. For 2021, there is only a fiction prize but the intention is to add a nonfiction prize for 2022. The winner will be named September 3 as part of the opening night of the Melbourne Writers Festival. The shortlisted titles are:
The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott
The Tolstoy Estate by Steven Conte
The Living Sea of Waking Dreams by Richard Flanagan
A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville
The Labyrinth by Amanda Lohrey
Song of the Crocodile by Nardi Simpson
Born into This by Adam Thompson