The 2013 longlist for the Miles Franklin Literary Award sees the largest number of female authors selected since the longlist was first introduced in 2005.

From an original list of 73 novels, half of which were written by female authors, the judges selected ten novels for the longlist.

It includes eight female authors, five first time novelists, four previously shortlisted authors and one former double Miles Franklin Literary Award winner.

The 2013 longlist is:

Romy Ash, Floundering (Text)
Lily Brett, Lola Bensky (Penguin)
Brian Castro, Street to Street (Giramondo)
Michelle de Kretser, Questionsof Travel (Allen & Unwin)
Annah Faulkner, The Beloved (Picador)
Tom Keneally, The Daughters of Mars (Random House)
Drusilla Modjeska, The Mountain (Random House)
M. L. Stedman, The Light Between Oceans (Random House)
Carrie Tiffany, Mateship with Birds (Picador)
Jacqueline Wright, Red Dirt Talking (Fremantle Press)

The longlist includes:

• Five debut novels: Romy Ash, Annah Faulkner, Drusilla Modjeska, Jacqueline Wright and M. L. Stedman;
• Previous winners: Tom Keneally has won twice: 1968, Three Cheers for the Paraclete and 1967 for Bring Larks and Heroes;
• Previous shortlisted: Brian Castro (2010 for The Bath Fugues, 1993 for After China, 1992 for Double Wolf), Carrie Tiffany (2006 for Everyman’s Rules for Scientific Living), Lily Brett (2000 for Too Many Men) and Tom Keneally in 2003 for An Angel in Australia.

Speaking on behalf of the judging panel, Richard Neville, Mitchell Librarian, State Library of NSW said, “This year we have seen one of the highest number of entries indicating the robust strength of new fiction. From those 73 books the judges have selected ten outstanding novels for this year’s longlist.

“These range from conventional to multiple narratives, with settings as diverse as a lonely lighthouse, battlefield hospitals on the Western Front, colonial Papua New Guinea, the dusty outback and the inner city. The list provides a feast of reading, including close encounters with a polio-stricken girl determined to be an artist, a young boy kidnapped by his runaway mother, an unexpected shipwreck adoption, a family of kookaburras, a rock journalist and a famously shambolic poet.”

Griffith REVIEW will be providing exclusive online reviews of the longlisted novels by some of Australia’s most high profile authors. These, along with information on the individual books and publisher reading notes on the Miles Franklin website will promote discussion between book lovers and assist with making these novels more accessible to a broader audience.

The Miles Franklin 2013 shortlist will be announced at a public event at the State Library of New South Wales on Tuesday April 30.

The winner will be announced in Canberra on June 19.

About the Miles Franklin Literary Award

The Trust Company Limited is Trustee for the Miles Franklin Literary Award.

My Brilliant Career author Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin left the residue of her estate to establish the award in 1954.

Celebrating Australian character and creativity, the Award was established to support authors for the advancement, improvement and betterment of Australian literature. Last year’s winner of the $50,000 prize was Anna Funder for her novel, All That I Am.

Simon Lewis, Head of Philanthropy and Community at The Trust Company said, “We are delighted with the strength and quality of applications this year. Congratulations to all the longlisted authors.

With the $60,000 increased prize money and our Miles of Reading Challenge launched last week, 2013 is an exciting year for the Miles Franklin as we look to actively enhance the legacy Miles Franklin entrusted us with.

“We are calling for people to get more involved than ever before. Pick up a book and support Australian literature, and have your say by writing your own review. Our online discussion forum provides a wonderful opportunity for book lovers across Australia to get involved.”

The Miles of Reading Challenge encourages Australians to support Australian literature by reading at least one novel from the longlist and the trustee is now calling for the public to submit their own reviews of longlist novels via the Miles of Reading online forum for the chance to win copies of Miles Franklin’s celebrated novels.

The Challenge includes an interactive online discussion forum supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and Griffith REVIEW, and has been endorsed by 2012 Miles Franklin winner, Anna Funder.

The Trust Company will also promote the Challenge through Australia’s library networks.