If there was ever any doubt about the diversity of the books written by Australian women the longlist for this year's Stella Prize should put paid to that.
It consists of eight works of non-fiction, three novels and a collection of short stories and includes a biography of Queen Victoria, a memoir of growing up black in Australia, an account of IVF, an examination of how the media covered the Port Arthur massacre and its impact, and a novel about the effects of murder and how the female victim's sister is treated by a community, the media and the police.
The chair of the judges, novelist and academic Brenda Walker, said the 12 writers could not have known when they were writing about racism, violence against women, infertility or offshore incarceration that 2017 would be a "year of fervent discussion about inclusion and constructive community. But it does seem to be a particularly historical moment."
Two of the longlisted authors, Georgia Blain and Cory Taylor, died last year. Blain is listed for her final novel, Between a Wolf and a Dog, for which she last week won the Victorian Premier's Award for fiction, and Taylor for her memoir, Dying, which she completed shortly before her death.
The full Stella Prize longlist is: Victoria: The Queen, Julia Baird; Between a Wolf and a Dog, Georgia Blain; The Hate Race, Maxine Beneba Clarke; Poum and Alexandre, Catherine de Saint Phalle; Offshore: Behind the Wire on Manus and Nauru, Madeline Gleeson; Avalanche, Julia Leigh; An Isolated Incident, Emily Maguire; The High Places, Fiona McFarlane; Wasted: A Story of Alcohol, Grief and a Death in Brisbane, Elspeth Muir; The Museum of Modern Love, Heather Rose; Dying: A Memoir, Cory Taylor; and The Media and the Massacre, Sonya Voumard.
Maxine Beneba Clarke said that in the time of fake news writing, non-fiction became all the more important. "It's been a really strong year for women's non-fiction." She pointed out that the Stella had been awarded only once to a writer of non-fiction, in 2014 when Clare Wright won for The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka. "I do think that women have been under-recognised in the field of non-fiction."
Walker said some of the books were deeply personal and generous - "They opened the door for readers at a time when the writers themselves had so much to contend with" – while the serious investigative and historical research required for other titles represented another form of artistic generosity to readers.
In the judges' report, she said the non-fiction was notable for the strength and diversity of investigative, biographical and autobiographical work. She said many of the books addressed urgent national issues with particular relevance to women, at a time when women were fighting to be seen and heard politically, and to secure their positions in the public sphere. "These are important contributions to the national conversation, and help us move to a more inclusive and empathetic Australian society."
The criteria for the prize - which is open to books of fiction and non-fiction by Australian women writers - are originality, excellence and to be engaging. "All the books are fantastically readable," Walker said.
The shortlist for the Stella, which is worth $50,000 to the winner, will be announced on March 8, with the winner revealed on April 18.
