The shortlist has been announced for the 2008 Colin Roderick Award and H. T. Priestley Medal.

The Colin Roderick Award is presented annually by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies, James Cook University, for ‘the best book published in Australia (in 2008) which deals with any aspect of Australian life.’

On the shortlist is Helen Garner’s The Spare Room.

There was a record number of submissions, and the judges commented on the exceptional standard of works in all categories—fiction, non‐fiction and poetry. The winner of the award will be announced at the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies' annual dinner on Tuesday 27 October, in Townsville. We wish Helen luck on the night, and offer our congratulations on yet another recognition for this remarkable novel.

The shortlist:

James Boyce, Van Diemen’s Land
Graham Freudenberg, Churchill and Australia
Helen Garner, The Spare Room
Robert Gray, The Land I Came Through Last
Shé Hawke, Depot Girl
Brian Matthews, Manning Clark: A Life
Christos Tsiolkas, The Slap

Judging Panel:

Professor Donat Gallagher
Professor Peter Pierce
Dr Stephen Torre