New literary award for female writers 'to address imbalance'

19 Oct 2012, 7:10 pm   -   Source: Michelle Hanna, SBS
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A new $50,000 literary prize for women has been announced today. Named after writer Stella Miles Franklin, organisers say they hope the new Stella Prize will address a gender imbalance in a male-dominated literary landscape.

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A new $50,000 literary prize for women has been announced today. Named after writer Stella Miles Franklin, organisers say they hope the new Stella Prize will address a gender imbalance in a male-dominated literary landscape.

And while it may have been a big year for female writers, winning both the Booker Prize in the UK and the Miles Franklin Award in Australia, organisers say 'Don't be fooled - this is the exception, not the rule'.

“Having successful women in one year doesn't change really a long pattern that we've seen... where women haven't been in that spotlight I think as much as they deserve to have been, says author and The Stella Prize Deputy Chair Kirsten Tranter.

In its fifty-five year history, women have been awarded Australia's Miles Franklin Award fourteen times. Of the 47 Booker Prizes awarded, sixteen have gone to women. But the problem doesn't start and end there. There is also the question of exposure.

There are far fewer reviews of books by female authors in Australia and it follows an international trend. In some cases, less than 25 per cent of reviews were of books by women.

The Stella Prize, inspired by the Women's Prize for Fiction in the UK, hopes to bring women writers into focus in Australia at least. But is a new prize for women only the right way to address gender imbalance?

“I think it's a good step forward” says Sex Discrimination Commission Elizabeth Broderick.

“I think when you do create a prize which celebrates female writers, then you actually acknowledge their contribution and not only that, you inspire a whole generation of young female writers.”

Beyond the prize-money, book awards are considered important for the increased awareness they bring about for both the shortlisted and prize-winning works, boosting sales for both the electronic versions and the traditional print version.

Unlike the Miles Franklin Award's sometimes controversial criteria for books that are about ‘Australian life in any of its phases’, the Stella Prize is open to all genres and topics. An idea welcomed by author Malla Nunn.

“It's particularly wonderful for me I guess, because I'm an Australian citizen but I was born in South Africa and I write about South Africa,” says Nunn.

“And I think the prize with this open area that it's looking at, acknowledges that Australians are drawn from so many different countries now".

The inaugural winner will be announced in April.

Michelle Hanna SBS , Literary Award

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Your Comments

Mr

Wini - from Germany, 7 months ago

Sexism at its finest

The Stella Prize: A significant step forward

Margaret Lynette Sharp - from Sydney, 7 months ago

The Stella Prize represents a significant step towards greater awareness of the quality and value of Australian woman writers. Congratulations to all involved!

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