The shortlist for this year's Australian / Vogel Award has been announced.

Author Matt Rubinstein, one of the judges of the $50,000 prize for an unpublished manuscript by a writer under 35, said 'this year's entries included ‘exciting ideas, complex characters, strong narratives, beautiful descriptions and snappy dialogue.' 'Not every entry had all of these ingredients in equal measure, but a surprising number of them did.'

Rubinstein and fellow judges Cate Kennedy, Marele Day and Murray Walden expanded the shortlist to six.

They shortlisted titles (with comments from Rubinstein) are:

• The Vintage and the Gleaning by Jeremy Chambers: a ‘quietly remarkable observation of country and masculinity';
• Document Z by Andrew Croome: ‘as compelling for its character studies and its views of 1950s Australia as for its Cold War thriller plot';
• Orayt? by Demet Divaroren: an ‘irresistible story of the joys and trials of family and tradition';
• The Heaven I Swallowed by Rachel Hennessy: looking at the Stolen Generations ‘from the perspective of a perpetrator who is neither excused nor condemned';
• Credible Deterrent: A Folly in Parts by T R Magarey: an ‘enormous and frequently hilarious' novel;
• Nobody by Theresa Meads; a ‘choose-your-own-adventure from hell'.

The winner will be announced tomorrow.

Read full descriptions and extracts of the manuscripts on Allen & Unwin's website here.

Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2008/09/09525/

This article from Thorpe Bowker's Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2008, Thorpe-Bowker

Tags: andrew croome, demet divaroren, jeremy chambers, matt rubinstein, rachel hennessy, theresa meads