Commonwealth Writers Prize, South East Asia and the Pacific Regional winners 2011


The Commonwealth Writers regional prize winners for 2011 were announced today, 3rd March 2011. Congratulations to the winner in the South- East Asia and Pacific region, Kim Scott, for "That deadman dance".
Already an award winning author of the Miles Franklin award in 2000 for "Benang: from the heart", Scott is the first indigenous Australian to win this award. The story is a brilliantly written account of the first contact between a fictional British settlement on the Western Australian coast and the Noongar people. It is an inspiring and thought provoking read, well worth requesting from the library.
The winner for best first book was "A man melting" by Craig Cliff of New Zealand.
The overall winners will be announced on 21st May, 2011.
The shortlisted titles for South East Asia and Pacific in the categories of best book and first best book were as follows.
South East Asia and Pacific Best Book:
"Reading Madame Bovary" by Amanda Lohrey (Australia)
"That Deadman Dance" by Kim Scott (Australia)
"Time’s Long Ruin" by Stephen Orr (Australia)
"Hand Me Down World" by Lloyd Jones (New Zealand)
"Notorious" by Roberta Lowing (Australia)
"Gifted" by Patrick Evans (New Zealand)
Best first book
"21 Immortals" by Rozlan Mohd Noor (Malaysia)
"A Man Melting" by Craig Cliff (New Zealand)
"The Graphologist’s Apprentice" by Whiti Hereaka (New Zealand)
"The Body in the Clouds" by Ashley Hay (Australia)
"Traitor" by Stephen Daisley (Australia/New Zealand)
"A Few Right Thinking Men" by Sulari Gentill (Australia)