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Alexander McPhee Miller

アレックス・ミラー

Alex Miller

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1936-12-27 （London, England）
Nationality
Australian
Languages
English
Residence History
Country Victoria, Australia → Queensland, Australia (period as a ringer)

Career

Occupations
novelist, writer, teacher
Active Years
1975-
Affiliations
Holmesglen TAFE (teacher), La Trobe University (teacher), Anthill Theatre (co-founder), Melbourne Writers' Theatre (founding member), Australian Academy of the Humanities (Fellow)
Memberships
Australian Academy of the Humanities (Fellow)

Education

University of Melbourne
Faculty of Arts / English and History
Degree: Bachelor
Period: 1961–1965
Year of Graduation: 1965
Country: Australia
Gained university entrance via night school and graduated

Awards

Braille Book of the Year Award
1990
Work: The Tivington Nott
Result: Winner
Miles Franklin Award
1993
Work: The Ancestor Game
Category: Fiction
Organization: Miles Franklin Committee
Result: Winner
Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Overall Best Book)
1993
Work: The Ancestor Game
Organization: Commonwealth Foundation
Result: Winner
Miles Franklin Award
2003
Work: Journey to the Stone Country
Category: Fiction
Organization: Miles Franklin Committee
Result: Winner
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards (Christina Stead Prize)
2001
Work: Conditions of Faith
Category: Fiction
Organization: New South Wales Government
Result: Winner
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards (Christina Stead Prize)
2011
Work: Lovesong
Category: Fiction
Organization: New South Wales Government
Result: Winner
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards (People's Choice)
2011
Work: Lovesong
Organization: New South Wales Government
Result: Winner
Melbourne Prize for Literature
2012
Work: Autumn Laing
Organization: Melbourne Prize Trust
Result: Winner
Victorian Premier's Literary Award
2014
Work: Coal Creek
Organization: Victorian Government
Result: Winner
The Age Book of the Year
2010
Work: Lovesong
Organization: The Age
Result: Winner
State Library of Tasmania's People's Choice Award
2005
Work: Journey to the Stone Country
Organization: State Library of Tasmania
Result: Winner
Weishanhu Award for Best Foreign Novel in the 21st Century
2008
Work: Landscape of Farewell
Organization: People's Literature Publishing House (China)
Result: Winner
Centenary Medal
2001
Organization: Australian Government
Result: Recipient
Manning Clark Medal
2008
Organization: Manning Clark House
Result: Winner
National Biography Award (Shortlist)
2021
Work: Max
Category: Non-Fiction
Organization: National Biography Award Committee
Result: Shortlisted
Prime Minister's Literary Award for Nonfiction
2024
Work: A Kind of Confession
Category: Non-Fiction
Organization: Australian Government
Result: Shortlisted

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Watching the Climbers on the Mountain

1988 Literary fiction

Miller's first novel; establishes early themes and character work.

memoryidentityland

The Tivington Nott

1989 Literary fiction

An early notable work depicting British landscapes and characters.

memoryreckoning with the past

The Ancestor Game

1992 Literary fiction

Breakthrough novel that gained international recognition; builds a large narrative around family, past and the search for meaning.

familythe pastcultural memory

The Sitters

1995 Literary fiction

Focuses on characters' inner lives and relationships.

relationshipstime

Conditions of Faith

2000 Literary fiction

Deals with religion, personal belief and historical memory; received critical acclaim.

faithmemory

Journey to the Stone Country

2002 Literary fiction

Explores relationships with Indigenous people and land; winner of the Miles Franklin Award.

landIndigenous relationsreconciliation

Prochownik's Dream

2005 Literary fiction

A story about personal desire and creativity.

creativitydesire

Landscape of Farewell

2007 Literary fiction

Deals with art, memory and farewell; highly regarded in China as well.

artfarewellmemory

Lovesong

2009 Literary fiction

A novel about private life and memories of love; won multiple awards.

lovememorythe past

Autumn Laing

2011 Literary fiction

Explores art and personal relationships; widely praised by critics.

arthuman relationshipsthe past

Coal Creek

2013 Literary fiction

Novel about rural community and men's lives; winner of the Victorian Premier's Literary Award.

landcommunitymasculinity

The Passage of Love

2017 Autofiction / Memoir

A candid, generous book of recollections and love; praised in interviews and reviews.

recollectionloveself-understanding

Max

2020 Non-fiction

Non-fiction account of Miller's friendship with his mentor Max Blatt and the search to understand his life.

friendshiphistorymemory

Bibliography

  • Watching the Climbers on the Mountain (1988)
  • The Tivington Nott (1989)
  • The Ancestor Game (1992)
  • The Sitters (1995)
  • Conditions of Faith (2000)
  • Journey to the Stone Country (2002)
  • Prochownik's Dream (2005)
  • Landscape of Farewell (2007)
  • Lovesong (2009)
  • Autumn Laing (2011)
  • Coal Creek (2013)
  • The Passage of Love (2017)
  • The Simplest Words (stories & essays, 2015)
  • Max (non-fiction, 2020)
  • A Brief Affair (2022)
  • A Kind of Confession (diaries & letters collection, 2023)
  • The Deal (2024)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Narrative, reflective proseRich in detail and tackling ethical and philosophical questionsAccessible to general readers while maintaining high literary seriousness
Recurring Motifs
memory and the pastland and placeart and creativityfamily and identity

Legacy

Alex Miller is regarded as one of contemporary Australia's leading writers; his work has received multiple major literary awards and substantial academic attention. His novels are noted for deep insights into land, memory and art.

Academic Societies

  • Australian Academy of the Humanities (Fellow)

Archives

  • Academy Library, UNSW@ADFA (guide to the papers of Alex Miller)

In Popular Culture

  • Highly regarded in Australian literary circles; frequently discussed in criticism and university courses.

Quotes

  • "Art is striving after something beyond our reach. So we always fail. It is our longing for something that can never be ours."
    Source: Review of The Deal (Stephen Romei, The Saturday Paper) (2024)
  • "Autumn Laing is the novel that is liable to burn brightest in the whole of his oeuvre."
    Source: Peter Craven (The Australian) (2012)

Trivia

  • Migrated alone to Australia at age 16.
  • Worked as a ringer and as a horse breaker in New Zealand among other jobs.
  • First short story published in 1975, marking the start of his active writing period.
  • Co-founder of Anthill Theatre and founding member of the Melbourne Writers' Theatre.
  • Winner of the Miles Franklin Award in 1993 and 2003.