Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan is joint winner of the Barbara Jefferis Award for 2014. The award is given for :
Sea Hearts or The Brides of Rollrock Island shares the award an prize money with Fiona McFarlane’s The Night Guest.
Margo has the acceptance speech she gave on her blog and I would encourage you to read it:
Sea Hearts and The Night Guest win the Barbara Jefferis Award
I'm really pleased to announce that Sea Hearts is joint winner, with Fiona McFarlane's The Night Guest, of the Barbara Jefferis Award for "the best novel written by an Australian Author that depicts women and girls in a positive way or otherwise empowers the status of women and girls in society".
The award was given at a lovely event last night hosted by the Australian Society of Authors in the foyer of St Barnabas Church, Broadway, at which Tara Moss spoke—and isn't she a brilliant speaker! Better Read Than Dead bookshop sold many, many books, and champagne flowed and the music played and the room was full of friends and colleagues and really, I couldn't have been happier, for my selkies and my self.
Here's my acceptance speech:
Thank you Margaret, Georgia and Dorothy for all your work and consideration as judges of this year's Barbara Jefferis Award. Amy, Tracy, Jacinta, [Read On]
I reviewed Sea Hearts back in 2012 and really enjoyed it. I think really good writing challenges you and makes you think, makes you reconsider positions. When an author can do this while entertaining you through fiction, the experience can be transformative. I like the way Margo’s writing gets under my skin. So, a well deserved prize and further accolades for what is one of my favourite books.
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