Authors Rodney Hall and Lech Blaine led an esteemed field of writers at The Age’s annual Book of the Year Awards last night during the opening night of the Melbourne Writers Festival. 

With Hall’s novel Vortex taking out the fiction category, and Blaine’s memoir Australian Gospel awarded best non-fiction, the winners each received $10,000 thanks to the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund. 

Both authors were praised by the judges – author and critic Bram Presser; The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald’s Canberra Bureau Chief Michelle Griffin; author, reviewer and mission director of Caritas Australia, Michael McGirr, and author and director Lorin Clake – for writing books that stay with readers long after their final pages. 

Queensland-based Hall, who is 89 and unable to attend the awards in person, said that Vortex “was a risk from the beginning”. The novel, which is set in Brisbane in 1954, depicts an alternative history of the 20th century.   

Blaine’s memoir Australian Gospel tells the story of his family’s battle with the biological parents of his three fostered siblings. The parents were Christian fanatics who fought for decades to get their children back.  

The Age editor Patrick Elligett said: “Engaging with thought provoking ideas and stories is addictive and The Age is proud of its long history encouraging that addiction through its coverage of the literary scene and support of writers around the country.”

The Age Book of the Year Awards has been running for 44 years and has honoured some of the most celebrated writers in Australia including David Malouf, Thea Astley, Tony Birch, Tim Winton, Elizabeth Jolley and Robbie Arnott. 

For further information, please contact:
Adrian Motte
Senior Communications Manager – Trade & Publishing 
amotte@nine.com.au

Friday, 9 May, 2025