'Praiseworthy' by Alexis Wright shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award

Published on 23 Apr 2024

The National Library of Australia would like to congratulate Alexis Wright, whose novel Praiseworthy has been shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award.

The cover of Alexis Wright's book 'Praiseworthy.' The cover is black with a yellow abstract brushstroke.

Alexis Wright, Praiseworthy, 2023

Alexis Wright, Praiseworthy, 2023

Presented annually, the Dublin Literary Award is one of the most significant literature prizes in the world. It is awarded to a novel written or translated into English and aims to promote excellence in world literature.

The world’s leading libraries nominate books for consideration; this year, the National Library of Australia nominated Praiseworthy. It joins five other novels from Ireland, Romania, the USA and Canada on the shortlist, chosen from more than 70 nominated books.

Approximately 22,000 novels are published annually in Australia.

‘Funny and fierce, Alexis Wright’s Praiseworthy is a wonder of twenty-first century fiction. This modernist more-than-an-allegory yokes a painfully contemporary tale of political, social and climatic disaster to a narrative consciousness embodying 65 000+ years of aboriginal survival.’

Daniel Medin, 2024 Dublin Literary Award judge

The winner will be announced on 23 May at the International Literature Festival Dublin.

You can learn more and buy a copy of Praiseworthy from the Library’s Bookshop.

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