Patrick White Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 44 (2017) Winner
Tony Birch
トニー・バーチ
Tonī Bāchi
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- c. 1957 （Melbourne, Victoria, Australia）
- Nationality
- Australian
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Fitzroy, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Academic, Activist, Former Firefighter
- Active Years
- 1989-2024
- Affiliations
- University of Melbourne, Victoria University, Museum Victoria, Senior Indigenous Curator
- Memberships
- Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (FAHA), Royal Society of Literature International Writer, First recipient of the Dr Bruce McGuinness Indigenous Research Fellowship
- Nominations
- Miles Franklin Award 2012 shortlist (Blood), Miles Franklin Award 2020 shortlist (The White Girl), Queensland Premier's Literary Awards 2006 shortlist (Shadowboxing)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Melbourne | — | History | BA | 30歳で入学した成熟学生として | Australia |
| The University of Melbourne | — | Creative Writing | MA | — | Australia |
| The University of Melbourne | — | Urban cultures and histories | PhD | — | Australia |
The University of Melbourne
History
Degree:
BA
Period:
30歳で入学した成熟学生として
Country:
Australia
First Aboriginal student to graduate with a degree in History
The University of Melbourne
Creative Writing
Degree:
MA
Country:
Australia
First Aboriginal to receive an MA in Creative Writing
The University of Melbourne
Urban cultures and histories
Degree:
PhD
Year of Graduation:
2003
Country:
Australia
Chancellor's Medal for best PhD in Arts
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Patrick White Award | — | — | Copyright Agency Cultural Fund | winner |
| 2012 | Melbourne Prize for Literature Civic Choice Award | Blood | — | Melbourne Prize Trust | winner |
| 2017 | Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Prize for Indigenous Writing | Ghost River | — | State Library Victoria | winner |
| 2020 | New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Indigenous Writers' Prize | The White Girl | — | State Library of NSW | winner |
| 2022 | New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Christina Stead Prize for Fiction | Dark as Last Night | — | State Library of NSW | winner |
| 2022 | Queensland Literary Awards Steele Rudd Award | Dark as Last Night | — | — | winner |
| 2024 | The Age Book of the Year Awards | Women & Children | — | — | winner |
Patrick White Award
2017
Organization:
Copyright Agency Cultural Fund
Result:
winner
Melbourne Prize for Literature Civic Choice Award
2012
Work:
Blood
Organization:
Melbourne Prize Trust
Result:
winner
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Prize for Indigenous Writing
2017
Work:
Ghost River
Organization:
State Library Victoria
Result:
winner
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Indigenous Writers' Prize
2020
Work:
The White Girl
Organization:
State Library of NSW
Result:
winner
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Christina Stead Prize for Fiction
2022
Work:
Dark as Last Night
Organization:
State Library of NSW
Result:
winner
Queensland Literary Awards Steele Rudd Award
2022
Work:
Dark as Last Night
Result:
winner
The Age Book of the Year Awards
2024
Work:
Women & Children
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Blood
2011 NovelGhost River
2015 NovelThe White Girl
2019 NovelWomen & Children
2023 NovelDark as Last Night
2021 Short story collectionBibliography
- Blood
- Ghost River
- The White Girl
- Women & Children
- Shadowboxing
- Father's Day
- The Promise: Stories
- Common People
- Dark as Last Night
- Broken Teeth
- Whisper Songs
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- RealismWorking-class perspectives
- Recurring Motifs
- Colonial oppressionDispossessionStolen GenerationsGenerational violence
Legacy
Pioneering Aboriginal Australian author, first Indigenous winner of the Patrick White Award. Multiple winners of state premier's literary awards and Miles Franklin shortlists. Teaches creative writing at University of Melbourne, Fellow of Australian Academy of the Humanities.
Academic Societies
- Australian Academy of the Humanities
Trivia
- Expelled from school twice, left at 15 to become a telegram boy.
- Worked as a firefighter for a decade before entering university at 30.
- First Indigenous recipient of the Patrick White Award.
- Donates portion of prize money to Indigenous youth climate justice group Seed.