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Jonathan Franzen supports Stella
Franzen says he supports the idea of the Stella Prize, which is modelled on Britain’s Orange Prize, as “good affirmative action”. “The bias you are talking about is very real and it’s upsetting. In North America, when anyone talks about the great writers they mention Philip Roth and Don DeLillo and then go on down the list, but why is [Canadian writer] Alice Munro not at the top of that list? She is the genius in our midst.”
“They are books that rattle our cages and dismantle our cultural scripts – books that brim with ideas and desires. Some are genre-bending and genre-busting; others are genre masterclasses. Some are quietly potent; others are bombastic and irrepressible. But they all demand – command – our full-hearted, full-minded attention..”
And, once again, nearly half of the books on our have longlist come from small/indie publishing houses, testament to the vital role these publishers play in diversifying the Australian literary landscape – our cultural conversation is so profoundly enriched by their risk-taking.
It has been an honour to chair the 2024 Stella Prize, and to read alongside such a compassionate and insightful panel. My deepest thanks to my fellow judges: Eleanor Jackson, Bram Presser, Yves Rees and Cheryl Leavy.
It is my second year in a row reading for Stella. Since August of 2022, I’ve read close to 500 works by Australian women and non-binary writers. The heartbeat of Australian writing is here. These writers deserve a global readership. It is culturally damning that the great majority of them struggle to eke out a sustainable career at home.
Just one reason why the Stella Prize matters.
Explore the latest from Stella
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info@stella.org.au
ARBN: 657 317 283