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

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.

Daniel Medin, 2024 Dublin Literary Award judge, said:

‘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.’

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 National Library’s Bookshop.