Queensland Premier's Literary Award for Fiction

88 Lines About 44 Women has been shortlisted for the Fiction Award.The shortlist is:Peter Carey for Parrot and Olivier in AmericaJM Coetzee for SummertimeBrian Castro for The Bath FuguesSteven Lang for 88 Lines About 44 WomenAlex Miller for LovesongLink to full short lists hereThe winner of the award was Coetzee for Summertime. However, having read four of the five books in this list I think I, myself, would have leant towards the Carey which is a fascinating book, very rich in context and delightful prose. Coetzee is one of my favourite writers but I'm not sure what he's doing wandering down this non-autobiographical road; playing with the notion of fiction and the author. There are true glimpses of brilliance, I cannot deny, and I have recommended the book and will continue to do so, but I think, in many ways it's an esoteric game and what it gains in technique it loses in feeling. For what it's worth.