Debut author Khin Myint wins 2025 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award

First time author Khin Myint has won this year’s $50,000 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award for Fragile Creatures: A Memoir.

Fragile Creatures tells the story of lost love and grief, both the author’s own and that of his sister whose life and death, of tragic complexity, were played out not only within a family, but on social media and television.

The prestigious award is administered by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies (FALS), based at James Cook University, and is open to any book that deals with some aspect of Australian life that has first been published in Australia. It is coupled with the silver H.T. Priestley Memorial Medal.

Khin Myint joins a list of renowned Australian writers that have won the Roderick, including Thea Astley, Emily Bitto, Robert Drewe, Dorothy Green, Gail Jones, Malcolm Knox, Melissa Lucashenko and David Malouf.

“I got a message from my publisher saying to check my email and to start off I didn't believe I had actually won until I re-read the message from FALS,” he said.

“I started to look into the other authors on the longlist and the shortlist after that and I was just stunned at the quality of the work that was out there. I couldn't really believe that I was going to take out the award this year but I’m super excited.

“An award like this is a real gift to give, especially to give it to a debut author who really has something they want to say.

“With a book, you create this beautiful sail, and it catches some wind when the book first comes out. So to win this award I feel incredibly grateful that they've given the book this opportunity to help get it out there.”

It is only the fourth time a debut author has won the award, and the judges emphasised Myint’s achievement to win against a field of more than 200 books across all genres.

Award judges Mary Vernon, Professor Emerita Susan K. Martin, Professor Emeritus Alan Lawson and Dr Leigh Dale described the Perth-based author’s book as “extraordinary” for its exploration of complicated questions about the relationship between mind and body, medicine, and the role storytelling plays in illness and recovery.

“There are many brilliant aspects,” they said.

“The striking phrases and elegant structure, used to tell two linked stories; the emotional insight, into the author and those close to him; and the incredible control and judiciousness of tone.”

They also noted the publisher’s choice of cover design for its signposting of the story.

The prize is funded by the largest-ever bequest given to an Australian regional university, by Margaret and Colin Roderick.

Colin Roderick was founding professor of English at JCU. The generosity of his wife, Margaret, who collaborated in his literary scholarship and reviewing, enabled a significant increase in prize money for the award last year, and into the future.

Fragile Creatures: A Memoir is published by Black Inc. Books and the first chapter is available to be read online.