A late-career marvel and an enriching memoir: The Age Book of the Year winners
The awards were presented by The Age editor Patrick Elligett at the opening night of the Melbourne Writers Festival on Thursday night, and the winners each received $10,000, thanks to the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund.
Rodney Hall's Vortex won the awards' fiction category. Queensland-based Hall, who is 89, was unable to accept the award in person, but said in a pre-recorded video that the experimental Vortex, 'was a risk from the beginning'.
Hall, who has twice won the prestigious Miles Franklin Award, said his 14th novel, which is set in Brisbane in 1954 and depicts an alternative history of the 20th century, took shape in 2021 when he found 18 pages of a novel he had abandoned in 1971.
'At long last I could see what I had been aiming for when I was a young man. Fifteen of the eighteen pages went straight into the project.'
The fiction judges, author and critic Bram Presser, and The Age and Sydney Morning Herald 's Canberra Bureau Chief Michelle Griffin, described Vortex as a late-career marvel 'that sticks with you ... often surprisingly funny and sad all at once.'
'At a time when many will feel caught up in the vortex of global events, this novel feels both particular to its time and place and yet universal.'
The novel has been widely acclaimed as Hall's best, but the author says he 'doesn't distract himself' with comparisons of his novels. 'I just try to keep each book fresh for the reader.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Justin Bieber impersonator tricks Las Vegas club into letting him perform, runs up $15,500 bar tab
A Justin Bieber impersonator ran up a $10,000 ($15,500 AUD) bar tab after he tricked staff at a Las Vegas nightclub into believing he was the Canadian pop star — even getting up on the stage for an impromptu performance. The bizarre incident took place at the five-star Wynn Las Vegas, where LA-based DJ Gryffin was performing at XS Nightclub. Gryffin was told that Bieber, 31, was in town and wanted to make a surprise appearance during his Saturday night show. Believing he was the real Biebs, he invited him into the DJ booth, TMZ reported. Video posted on social media shows the shirtless, tattooed impersonator, wearing dark shades and low-slung blue jeans, belting out a version of Bieber's 2015 hit 'Sorry' in front of a packed nightclub crowd, all of whom appeared oblivious about the scam. The shameless scammer, identified as 29-year-old Dylan Desclos, sang a couple of Bieber's songs before Wynn staff realized the truth and kicked him off the stage. Gryffin jokingly dubbed the prank 'Beibergate' in an Instagram post, explaining that a 'dark venue and loud music didn't help.' Gryffin shared a video showing him hyping up the French fake Bieber's performance before being told the news of the devastating dupe. 'I literally thought, 'he's put on a lot of weight since the album dropped,'' Gryffin said at the end of the video. Social media clips also show the Desclos posing for selfies and browsing stores with his 'security guards' during the Vegas trip. He and his entourage ran up an almost $10,000 bar tab during their stunt, which the fake Bieber eventually paid as he was kicked out, Neon reports. Desclos, who has shared a number of videos in recent years of him pretending to be Bieber, even got similar tattoos and a matching buzzcut as the real mega star. Last year, the impersonator caught the attention of Bieber's wife, Hailey Bieber, after he was spotted on a train in his native France. 'I'm scared…' Hailey commented on a TikTok of an impersonator. The nightclub has responded to the prank. 'After an elaborate and multi-step ruse by him and his advance team, a Justin Bieber impersonator was granted access to the XS stage,' a representative for Wynn and XS Nightclub told TMZ. 'As soon as the error was recognized, he was removed from the resort and denied future entry.' Representatives for Desclos did not respond immediately to requests for comment. Originally published as Justin Bieber impersonator tricks Las Vegas club into letting him perform, runs up $15,500 bar tab
7NEWS
15 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Ariela La Longosta: New York-based influencer found dead in car from ‘gunshot wounds'
New York-based influencer Ariela La Longosta has been found dead inside her car with US police confirming she was discovered with gunshot wounds. The 33-year-old social media sensation's death was confirmed by Westchester County Police Department in New York, who said the model was found dead on the Cross County Parkway at the weekend. Following a preliminary investigation, police determined that Longosta died of gunshot wounds and was 'likely targeted for violence,' according to a statement shared on Facebook. 'The woman found deceased in her car on the Cross County Parkway on Sunday died as a result of gunshot wounds, the Westchester County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed today,' police said in a statement. 'Her death was not a random act. 'The homicide remains under investigation by detectives from the General Investigations Unit. Assistance has been provided by other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies during the continuing investigation.' Longosta has more than 566,000 followers on Instagram, where she regularly posted fashion and modelling content. Loading Instagram Post Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine rushed to social media Sunday night to pay his respects to his longtime friend, who starred in one of his 2023 music videos. 'You supported me in everything,' he said. 'My sister. NY won't ever be the same. I loved you.' The restaurant where Longosta worked, Ikon New York, also paid tribute to its employee. 'Today we lost our shining star,' the team said. 'Our hearts are broken. Your joy, your humility, and the way you treated everyone with so much care always made you stand out. Thank you for giving so much love and support to our home, which also became yours. 'We still can't believe it… you were our smile, our happiness. We love you and we will miss you forever.' The restaurant announced it will temporarily shut its doors out of respect for Longosta.
News.com.au
19 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘On the rise': New Year 12 trend exploding in popularity
An elaborate new formal trend is sweeping Australian schools – but unlike the glitz and glamour of the main event, this takes place months beforehand. Students are increasingly taking part in the showstopping art of 'promposals', a dramatic and creative way to ask someone to be your date on the biggest night of the school leavers' calendar. The staged event originates from the US where Americans have been going all-out for decades, but videos flooding social media show the 'school formal proposal' is now rapidly growing in popularity here too. One recipient of the new Aussie tradition is 17-year-old Lilly Devlin, whose boyfriend of seven-months Riley Exelby, surprised her at their Queensland high school with a very extravagant invitation. Walking into school at 10am on a typical Wednesday morning, the pupil was stunned as she was surrounded by a never-ending line of teenagers, all clapping and cheering. 'It was quite overwhelming, everyone was just so happy for us, and as I walked down the path some of my best friends were handing me flowers,' the teenager told 'It was so nice, it made me feel really special.' At the end of the aisle, Riley was waiting for her with chocolates and a pot plant in his hands, as his friends surrounded him holding signs that read: F-O-R-M-A-L? After sealing the deal with a kiss, Lilly – who by this point was clutching a huge bouquet of red roses, pink lilies and white baby's breath – turned to the crowd of watching students and gave the ultimate sign of approval: a thumbs up. Later, she shared a video of the heartwarming moment on TikTok, with the caption: 'We [Australian flag emoji] not [United States flag emoji]. FORMAL? YESSS!!!' The clip quickly blew up, amassing hundreds of thousands of views in a matter of days, many agreeing they couldn't believe formal proposals were now a thing. 'This being in Australia makes it more impressive,' noted one. 'School wasn't that cute when I went to formal,' said another. Riley said it took him several weeks to plan everything, explaining the hardest part was keeping it from Lilly. 'She had no idea what was happening, it all worked out pretty well in the end,' he told 'I think we're the first people to ever have a school formal proposal at our school, it's kind of cool to know we'll go down in history.' While many social media users declared the stunt 'adorable', arguing that Riley – who is also 17 – had 'set the bar high' for the other kids, some schools have started to crack down on students. Aquinas College, an elite secondary school on the Gold Coast, reportedly banned students from 'promposing' to their dates for formal at the end of last year. It also allegedly threatened one student, who was keen to partake in the blossoming tradition, with suspension. The reasoning behind taking strict action against promposals comes from the school's concerns about videos being shared on social media, the Courier Mail reported at the time. But kids at the school argued it was 'wrong', with one unnamed student stating: 'It shines the light on love, friendship and kindness within the school community.' Lilly's mum, Beck Devlin, said that unlike other formal trends – which are often costly – this was just a heartfelt display of affection. 'I thought it was just beautiful of Riley to make my daughter's formal so memorable, to go to such trouble, and not just him, but it was also his mum and dad and his sister who helped orchestrate everything, it was just so special,' she told 'There was a lot of planning behind the scenes, and trying to hide it from Lilly, but it all came together so beautifully. 'School formals can put a lot of pressure on kids, but what Riley has shown here, is back to basics love and respect. It doesn't have to cost a lot of money.' Other videos filmed and shared on social media show similar scenes happening at schools across the country. One clip on TikTok shows a young girl receiving a pink bouquet from her suitor in front of a large crowd of uniform-clad students with the caption, 'hello hello formal date'. While another shows a hopeful Year 12 boy taking hold of a microphone during a sports assembly to ask out the girl he'd like by his side at the annual school event. The rise in popularity has also seen florists experience a boom, with Brisbane business Unveiling Poppy, selling a large number of items specifically for proposals. 'School formal proposals with custom luxe floral bouquets have become very popular, especially with our local students,' owner, Amy Gurling, told 'It's a trend that is definitely on the rise, but we also sell a lot of formal corsages for the big event too.' With Lilly and Riley not set to celebrate until November 19, the hunt is now on for the perfect couple outfits. 'I'm wearing a red gown and one of our friends has a big Ford F-250 truck which we'll be taking, it is so exciting,' she said. 'It's definitely going to be a night we'll remember forever.'
