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Indian Express
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Who is Siang Lu, whose novel ‘Ghost Cities' just won Australia's biggest literary award
Chinese Malaysian Australian author Siang Lu has won the 2025 Miles Franklin Literary Award – Australia's most prestigious literary prize – for his absurdist novel Ghost Cities, which masterfully weaves together parallel stories. 'I am honoured beyond belief, and beyond words,' Lu said after winning the prestigious award. 'I didn't dare dream of this. It didn't seem possible.' Lu receives AUD $60,000 (approx ₹33.6 lakh) in prize money as part of the award. The win was not exactly a surprise. Ghost Cities had already been shortlisted for six major awards and Lu was being compared to literary giants such as Haruki Murakami, Gabriel García Márquez, and even Kevin Kwan. Its publisher, University of Queensland Press, called it 'a profound and highly imaginative novel' that 'cleverly draws on Chinese history to explore the absurdity of modern life and work.' The judges called it 'a genuine landmark in Australian literature.' Lu's novel unfolds across multiple timelines and realities: in one strand, a young man named Xiang is fired from his job at the Chinese consulate in Sydney after it is discovered he doesn't speak a word of Chinese and has been relying entirely on Google Translate. He relocates to a mysterious, uninhabited megacity, one of China's infamous 'ghost cities,' and from there the narrative explodes into a kaleidoscope of myth and mirage. How is Xiang's quiet exile connected to a long-dead Emperor who creates a thousand doubles of himself? Or to a mountain that gains sentience and a libido? Or to a chess-playing automaton that harbours a deadly secret? In Lu's world, everything is metaphor and everything is literal. Lu first caught readers' attention with The Whitewash, his 2022 debut about the unraveling of a fictional Hollywood film meant to 'smash the bamboo ceiling.' That novel, styled as a mock oral history, satirised the politics of representation in the entertainment industry, and won the ABIA Audiobook of the Year with its pioneering cast of majority Asian-Australian actors. Where The Whitewash tackled race and pop culture, Ghost Cities zooms out to empire, language, and time. It is, as author Nick Earls put it, 'a stunning piece of writing. It's quite a feat to create one labyrinth in a book… but somehow Siang Lu creates two… and makes them act as mirrors to each other.' The novel has exploding libraries, shape-shifting doubles, and government functionaries who cannot speak the languages of their own bureaucracy. And there's Xiang, a kind of anti-hero, wandering through ghost cities that might be metaphors, or might just be real. Lu, who splits his time between Brisbane and Kuala Lumpur, does not court the solemnity that often clings to literary success. When his publisher made him start an author Instagram, he went rogue, launching #sillybookstagram, a feed full of Photoshopped book covers that deface his friends' work with pure nonsense. 'Why waste time write book when Silly PhotoShop do trick?' he writes, tongue firmly in cheek. A post shared by Siang Lu (@sianglu_author) Author Alice Pung put it best: 'The inventiveness, the genius of it all – it is like the lovechild of Viet Thanh Nguyen crossed with Gabriel Garcia Marquez crossed with Kevin Kwan. It is nuts, and deep, and moving, and also funny.' Lu also co-created The Beige Index, a digital project critiquing racial representation in film and media. Alongside fellow shortlist authors – Brian Castro (Chinese Postman), Michelle de Kretser (Theory and Practice), Winnie Dunn (Dirt Poor Islanders), Julie Janson (Compassion) and Fiona McFarlane (Highway 13) – he represents a new wave of writers reshaping the national canon. A post shared by Miles Franklin Literary Award (@milesfranklinliteraryaward) This year's judging panel—Richard Neville, Jumana Bayeh, Mridula Nath Chakraborty, Tony Hughes-d'Aeth, and Hsu-Ming Teo—described Lu's novel as 'sitting within a tradition in Australian writing that explores failed expatriation and cultural fraud' while also being 'strikingly new.' 'In Ghost Cities, the Sino-Australian imaginary appears as a labyrinthine film-set,' the judges wrote, 'where it is never quite clear who is performing and who is directing.' Jane Magor, speaking on behalf of award trustee Perpetual, said Lu's win 'redefines what Australian literature can be….Our stories are ever-changing…. And the literary tradition Miles Franklin envisioned continues to grow in daring and unexpected ways.' The Miles Franklin Literary Award, established in 1957, was set up to honour a work of 'highest literary merit' that presents 'Australian life in any of its phases.' Aishwarya Khosla is a journalist currently serving as Deputy Copy Editor at The Indian Express. Her writings examine the interplay of culture, identity, and politics. She began her career at the Hindustan Times, where she covered books, theatre, culture, and the Punjabi diaspora. Her editorial expertise spans the Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab and Online desks. She was the recipient of the The Nehru Fellowship in Politics and Elections, where she studied political campaigns, policy research, political strategy and communications for a year. She pens The Indian Express newsletter, Meanwhile, Back Home. Write to her at or You can follow her on Instagram: @ink_and_ideology, and X: @KhoslaAishwarya. ... Read More
The Advertiser
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Rejected 200+ times, Ghost Cities wins major book prize
Brisbane writer Siang Lu has won the Miles Franklin Literary Award for his comical novel Ghost Cities, after more than 200 publishers rejected the manuscript. And the 39-year-old author isn't joking when he says he was shocked to find out he'd won the $60,000 prize after being shortlisted for the first time. "I just sat down and actually lost all feeling in my hands and legs, and I lost my voice," he said. "It was one of the first times in my life where I actually had to ask someone with complete seriousness, to just tell me that I wasn't dreaming." Australia's most prestigious literary award was announced at a ceremony in Sydney on Thursday night, at which Lu revealed that he finished the manuscript for Ghost Cities a decade ago in 2015, but it was rejected more than 200 times by publishers in Australia and overseas. "I used to print my rejections and Blu Tack them on the glass pane between my office and my bedroom ... eventually, they grew so numerous that I could no longer see through the glass," he said in his acceptance speech. Having finally been published by University of Queensland Press, the winning book has been described by critics as both intellectually ambitious and zany, and it's been shortlisted for no fewer than seven book awards. The Miles Franklin is the pick of the bunch, of course, and Lu says his win changes things dramatically - not only financially, but in terms of recognition for the quality of his work. Ghost Cities was inspired by megacities built in China during the nation's real estate boom, many of which have been left uninhabited and falling into ruin. It weaves together multiple stories - including that of a young man who is fired from his job as a translator at the Chinese consulate in Sydney, when it is discovered he is monolingual and has been relying on Google Translate. There's also a chess automaton with a secret, and an ancient emperor who creates a thousand replicas of himself. Since it hit the shelves in 2024, Lu has found what he describes as a perverse joy in chatting to his readers, as they try to guess what Ghost Cities is actually saying. The answer is less complex than readers might imagine: "It is trying to be funny," he promises. The 2025 shortlist was dominated by writers of colour, including veteran Brian Castro, who has made the shortlist four times, and two-time winner Michelle de Kretser. The six authors shortlisted for the Miles Franklin also receive $5000 from the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund. Brisbane writer Siang Lu has won the Miles Franklin Literary Award for his comical novel Ghost Cities, after more than 200 publishers rejected the manuscript. And the 39-year-old author isn't joking when he says he was shocked to find out he'd won the $60,000 prize after being shortlisted for the first time. "I just sat down and actually lost all feeling in my hands and legs, and I lost my voice," he said. "It was one of the first times in my life where I actually had to ask someone with complete seriousness, to just tell me that I wasn't dreaming." Australia's most prestigious literary award was announced at a ceremony in Sydney on Thursday night, at which Lu revealed that he finished the manuscript for Ghost Cities a decade ago in 2015, but it was rejected more than 200 times by publishers in Australia and overseas. "I used to print my rejections and Blu Tack them on the glass pane between my office and my bedroom ... eventually, they grew so numerous that I could no longer see through the glass," he said in his acceptance speech. Having finally been published by University of Queensland Press, the winning book has been described by critics as both intellectually ambitious and zany, and it's been shortlisted for no fewer than seven book awards. The Miles Franklin is the pick of the bunch, of course, and Lu says his win changes things dramatically - not only financially, but in terms of recognition for the quality of his work. Ghost Cities was inspired by megacities built in China during the nation's real estate boom, many of which have been left uninhabited and falling into ruin. It weaves together multiple stories - including that of a young man who is fired from his job as a translator at the Chinese consulate in Sydney, when it is discovered he is monolingual and has been relying on Google Translate. There's also a chess automaton with a secret, and an ancient emperor who creates a thousand replicas of himself. Since it hit the shelves in 2024, Lu has found what he describes as a perverse joy in chatting to his readers, as they try to guess what Ghost Cities is actually saying. The answer is less complex than readers might imagine: "It is trying to be funny," he promises. The 2025 shortlist was dominated by writers of colour, including veteran Brian Castro, who has made the shortlist four times, and two-time winner Michelle de Kretser. The six authors shortlisted for the Miles Franklin also receive $5000 from the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund. Brisbane writer Siang Lu has won the Miles Franklin Literary Award for his comical novel Ghost Cities, after more than 200 publishers rejected the manuscript. And the 39-year-old author isn't joking when he says he was shocked to find out he'd won the $60,000 prize after being shortlisted for the first time. "I just sat down and actually lost all feeling in my hands and legs, and I lost my voice," he said. "It was one of the first times in my life where I actually had to ask someone with complete seriousness, to just tell me that I wasn't dreaming." Australia's most prestigious literary award was announced at a ceremony in Sydney on Thursday night, at which Lu revealed that he finished the manuscript for Ghost Cities a decade ago in 2015, but it was rejected more than 200 times by publishers in Australia and overseas. "I used to print my rejections and Blu Tack them on the glass pane between my office and my bedroom ... eventually, they grew so numerous that I could no longer see through the glass," he said in his acceptance speech. Having finally been published by University of Queensland Press, the winning book has been described by critics as both intellectually ambitious and zany, and it's been shortlisted for no fewer than seven book awards. The Miles Franklin is the pick of the bunch, of course, and Lu says his win changes things dramatically - not only financially, but in terms of recognition for the quality of his work. Ghost Cities was inspired by megacities built in China during the nation's real estate boom, many of which have been left uninhabited and falling into ruin. It weaves together multiple stories - including that of a young man who is fired from his job as a translator at the Chinese consulate in Sydney, when it is discovered he is monolingual and has been relying on Google Translate. There's also a chess automaton with a secret, and an ancient emperor who creates a thousand replicas of himself. Since it hit the shelves in 2024, Lu has found what he describes as a perverse joy in chatting to his readers, as they try to guess what Ghost Cities is actually saying. The answer is less complex than readers might imagine: "It is trying to be funny," he promises. The 2025 shortlist was dominated by writers of colour, including veteran Brian Castro, who has made the shortlist four times, and two-time winner Michelle de Kretser. The six authors shortlisted for the Miles Franklin also receive $5000 from the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund. Brisbane writer Siang Lu has won the Miles Franklin Literary Award for his comical novel Ghost Cities, after more than 200 publishers rejected the manuscript. And the 39-year-old author isn't joking when he says he was shocked to find out he'd won the $60,000 prize after being shortlisted for the first time. "I just sat down and actually lost all feeling in my hands and legs, and I lost my voice," he said. "It was one of the first times in my life where I actually had to ask someone with complete seriousness, to just tell me that I wasn't dreaming." Australia's most prestigious literary award was announced at a ceremony in Sydney on Thursday night, at which Lu revealed that he finished the manuscript for Ghost Cities a decade ago in 2015, but it was rejected more than 200 times by publishers in Australia and overseas. "I used to print my rejections and Blu Tack them on the glass pane between my office and my bedroom ... eventually, they grew so numerous that I could no longer see through the glass," he said in his acceptance speech. Having finally been published by University of Queensland Press, the winning book has been described by critics as both intellectually ambitious and zany, and it's been shortlisted for no fewer than seven book awards. The Miles Franklin is the pick of the bunch, of course, and Lu says his win changes things dramatically - not only financially, but in terms of recognition for the quality of his work. Ghost Cities was inspired by megacities built in China during the nation's real estate boom, many of which have been left uninhabited and falling into ruin. It weaves together multiple stories - including that of a young man who is fired from his job as a translator at the Chinese consulate in Sydney, when it is discovered he is monolingual and has been relying on Google Translate. There's also a chess automaton with a secret, and an ancient emperor who creates a thousand replicas of himself. Since it hit the shelves in 2024, Lu has found what he describes as a perverse joy in chatting to his readers, as they try to guess what Ghost Cities is actually saying. The answer is less complex than readers might imagine: "It is trying to be funny," he promises. The 2025 shortlist was dominated by writers of colour, including veteran Brian Castro, who has made the shortlist four times, and two-time winner Michelle de Kretser. The six authors shortlisted for the Miles Franklin also receive $5000 from the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund.
