The actual 2009 Miles Franklin Award Longlist of novels has now been announced. This is the real deal, not to be confused with those lists of "possibles" I've been toying with over the past day or so.
Addition Toni Jordan, Text Publishing
A Fraction of the Whole Steve Toltz, Hamish Hamilton (Penguin Books)
Breath Tim Winton, Hamish Hamilton (Penguin Books)
fugative blue Claire Thomas, Allen & Unwin
Ice Louis Nowra, Allen &Unwin
one foot wrong Sofie Laguna, Allen & Unwin
The Devil's Eye Ian Townsend, Fourth Estate (HarperCollinsPublishers Australia)
The Pages Murray Bail, Text Publishing
The Slap Christos Tsiolkas, Allen & Unwin
Wanting Richard Flanagan, Knopf (Random House Australia)
Of my original list of 22 possibles, I missed the books by Thomas and Laguna. However, of my suggested longlist of 12 I only picked four of the final selection. This wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing but I foolishly challenged Kerryn Goldsworthy - who blogs over at "Still Life with Cat" - to see who would pick the most. I had a bottle of wine on the outcome, as well as a bottle on each of the next two levels - the shortlist and the winner. If you're interested in watching a slow train wreck of confidence then I suggest you check out Kerryn's original selection, and the follow-up. It's in the comments sections that all the action takes place.
So it's Goldsworthy: 1, Middlemiss: 0. Two sets left. Excuse me, have to go limber up.
The shortlist will be released on 16 April.
