The Miles Franklin Award 2025 shortlist has been announced, the six books nominated chosen for their literary merit and depictions of Australian life.
According to the Miles Franklin Literary Award judges, the books on the shortlist celebrate “writing that refuses to compromise. Each of these works vitalises the form of the novel and invents new languages for the Australian experience.”
Read on to learn all about the six shortlisted books and also about the Miles Franklin Award.
Miles Franklin Award 2025 shortlisted books
01
Chinese Postman
Brian Castro (Giramondo Publishing)
Abraham Quin – a migrant, thrice-divorced, a one-time postman and professor, now a writer living alone in the Adelaide Hills — reflects on solitude, writing, friendship and time, seeing his role as a collector of fragments and a surveyor of ruins. A book about appreciating small events, the richness of language, and the experience of old age.
02
Theory & Practice
Michelle de Kretser (Text Publishing)
A young woman arrives in Melbourne in 1986 to research Virginia Woolf, where she meets Kit. They become lovers, but meanwhile, her work falls into disarray. A book about desire and jealousy, truth and shame.
Theory & Practice was the winner of the 2025 Stella Prize. Michelle has previously won the Miles Franklin Award with her novels Questions of Travel (2013) and The Life to Come (2018).
03
Dirt Poor Islanders
Winnie Dunn (Hachette Australia)
Meadow Reed — half-Tongan, half-White — pushes against the constraints of tradition, family and self, and learns that being a poor Islander girl is more beautiful than she can begin to imagine. A book about growing up between cultures and the importance of knowing every part of yourself.
04
Compassion
Julie Janson (Magabala Books)
An account of Aboriginal life in the 1800s through a dramatised story of Julie Janson’s ancestor, who went on trial for stealing livestock. An exploration of the dangerous and complex lives of Aboriginal women in colonial New South Wales.
Compassion is a sequel to Benevolence. Julie’s novel Madukka: The River Serpent was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award in 2023.
05
Ghost Cities
Siang Lu (University of Queensland Press)
Inspired by the uninhabited “ghost cities” of China, Siang Lu weaves together multiple narratives from across time, including the story of the young Xiang, who is fired from his translator job after it’s discovered he’s been relying on Google Translate. A book exploring the absurdity of modern life and work.
06
Highway 13
Fiona McFarlane (Allen & Unwin)
An Australian man is arrested for the murder of multiple backpackers along a highway. The news of the shockingly violent crime has an impact that ripples both into the past and future, first around Australia and then across the world. A look at how stories are told and spread, and what it ultimately costs.
What is the Miles Franklin Award?
The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary award which “celebrates novels of the highest literary merit that tell stories about Australian life“. It was established posthumously by Miles Franklin through a provision in her will for the foundation of a literary prize for the “advancement, improvement and betterment of Australian literature“.
Miles Franklin is the author of the classic Australian novel My Brilliant Career, which is currently being adapted for television by Netflix.
When will the Miles Franklin Award 2025 winner be announced?
The winner of the 2025 Miles Franklin Award will be announced on July 24. Recent winners include Alexis Wright (Praiseworthy; 2024), Shankari Chandran (Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens; 2023) and Jennifer Down (Bodies of Light; 2022).
Furthermore, on July 2, there will be a live panel event with three of the shortlisted authors at Gleebooks, hosted by the Copyright Agency.
How much is the Miles Franklin Award worth?
The winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award receives $60,000, and also each shortlisted author is awarded $5000.
