‘An Unsentimental Bloke’ wins National Biography Award

An Unsentimental Bloke: The Life and Work of C J Dennis by Philip Butterss (Wakefield Press) has won this year’s National Biography Award, presented by the State Library of New South Wales (SLNSW).

The judges described the biography of the Australian poet as a ‘fascinating account of Dennis’s public and private life and an illuminating analysis of the literary worlds in which he moved’.

‘An Unsentimental Bloke is a meticulously researched account of the life and times of C J Dennis, possibly the most popular writer ever to pen stories for an Australian audience and far and away the most popular of all Australian poets,’ said the judges.

The winner of the $25,000 award, Australia’s richest prize for biographical writing and memoir, was announced on 3 August at the beginning of the SLNSW’s Biography Week.

The winner was chosen from a shortlist of six that included: Moving among Strangers: Randolph Stow and My Family (Gabrielle Carey, UQP); Citizen Emperor: Napoleon in Power 1799-1815 (Philip Dwyer, Bloomsbury); To Begin to Know: Walking in the Shadows of My Father (David Leser, A&U); A Singular Vision, Harry Seidler (Helen O’Neill, HarperCollins); and The Feel-Good Hit of the Year: A Memoir (Liam Pieper, Penguin). The shortlisted authors each receive $1000.

The award was judged by Melanie Nolan, Peter Cochrane and Rosemary Sorensen.

For more information about the award and Biography Week, visit the SLNSW website here.

Category: Local news