Foundation for Australian Literary Studies News & Events

News & Events

Paper Emperors by Sally Young wins 2020 Colin Roderick Literary Award

2020 CRA winner

An exposé of the Australian newspaper industry Paper Emperors: The Rise of Australia’s Newspaper Empires by Sally Young has won the 2020 Colin Roderick Literary Award, valued at $20,000.

Dr Young said she’s delighted to receive the award and to be a part of a celebration of Australian literature.

“I felt honoured to be one of the twelve long-listed authors, and then one of the six on the shortlist for the Colin Roderick Award,” she said. “I am proud to be in their company and to be a part of this celebration of Australian books.” Read more.

Events

"Seeing Australian History from the North Down"
presented by Emeritus Professor Henry Reynolds

The Foundation for Australian Literary Studies is partnering with James Cook University to present a special joint Last Lecture and Colin Roderick Memorial Lecture featuring Emeritus Professor Henry Reynolds.

"I became an Australian historian in Townsville as a result of teaching Australian history for the first time….beginning research in the north and about the north….and above all by living and working in Townsville for more than thirty years.  My contribution to Australian intellectual life has been intimately connected with those years that Margaret and I spent in Townsville’.

Henry Reynolds was born and educated in Tasmania and wrote an MA thesis about colonial politics before living and teaching in London for two years. His time in London came to an unexpected end when he received an invitation to take up a lectureship at the Townsville University College, which later became James Cook University.

Henry’s wife, Margaret, was elected to the City Council and then for sixteen years was the ALP's North Queensland Senator.  "Margaret was the activist and quickly became involved in Aboriginal issues ... she worked on the campaign for the 1967 referendum and we were meeting lots of people, among them Eddie Mabo, Bobby Sykes and Burnum Burnum. "We were immersed in the race question."

Henry became one of the pioneers of the history of White/Aboriginal relations and has published twenty books many of which were best sellers and were awarded literary prizes. He is best known for his pioneering work on the history of settler-indigenous relations which became widely known with the publication of The Other Side of the Frontier in 1981. It was this publication that attracted the attention of many:

"I certainly stirred up some trouble but that didn't bother me - how can you talk about Australia without talking about our First Nation peoples?

During this time the friendship with Murray Islander Eddie Mabo was growing. Eddie was a groundsman at the university and the two often talked.

"I loved to listen to Eddie talk about island life, his eyes just glowed - he was totally shaped by his culture and had such strong cultural ties. He was an activist for land rights, but he didn't think it applied to him.”

The rest is now history!

Watch the lecture online

News

A nine-month reading marathon taking in 168 books has produced a short list that reflects the open nature of the award, with judges agreeing that their task had been a tough one. Read more.

Multi-award-winning author Robert Drewe has added the 2019 Colin Roderick Literary Award to his collection with his short story compilation, The True Colour of the Sea. Read more.