Australia's most prestigious literature prize shortlist features both well-established and new authors, including first-time nominees Lucy Treloar, AS Patric and Myfanwy Jones.
The Miles Franklin Literary Award shortlist for 2016 was announced on Sunday.
The award was created through the will of My Brilliant Career author Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin to support authors of Australian literature and was first presented in 1957.
The shortlist of five writers and their novels explores various facets of Australian lifestyle from "the creation, maintenance and manipulation of identity, the impact of its dislocation, the devastation of its theft, and the consequences of its re-imagination", State Library of NSW librarian Richard Neville said.
Chief executive of The Copyright Agency Adam Suckling said the award serves as a terrific celebration of Australia's literary talent.
"This is a thrilling group of talented writers who have all created quite extraordinary and unforgettable stories and characters," he said in a statement.
Previously, the award has been presented to some of the country's greatest writers of the past 50 years, including Australian literary talent Tim Winton, who has won the prize four times.
Among this year's list is award-winning author Peggy Frew's second novel Hope Farm, which explores the broken bonds of childhood and the cost of holding back the truth.
While Frew's work showcases the tensions of the adult world, fellow nominee Charlotte Wood's The Natural Way of Things - which won the 2016 Stella Prize - tells a story of contemporary misogyny and corporate control.
The novels will be judged by Neville alongside The Australian journalist Murray Waldren, bookseller Lindy Jones, writer Craig Munro and professor Susan Sheridan.
The winner of the 2016 Miles Franklin Literary Award, who will receive $60,000 in prize money for his or her novel, will be announced at the Melbourne Writers' Festival on August 26.
THE 2016 SHORTLIST:
* Peggy Frew - Hope Farm
* Myfanwy Jones - Leap
* AS Patric - Black Rock White City
* Lucy Treloar - Salt Creek
* Charlotte Wood - The Natural Way of Things
PREVIOUS BIG-NAME WINNERS:
* Anna Funder - 2012 - All That I Am
* Tim Winton - 2009 - Breath
* Steven Carroll - 2008 - The Time We Have Taken
* Thea Astely - 2000 - Drylands
* Alex Miller - 1993 - The Ancestor Game
* Tim Winton - 1992 - Cloudstreet
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