Heat and Light
 | |
| Author | Ellen van Neerven |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | University of Queensland Press |
Publication date | 27 August 2014 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Pages | 232 |
| ISBN | 9780702253218 |
Heat and Light is a 2014 work of fiction by First Nations Australian author Ellen van Neerven. The book contains three stories: "Heat", "Water", and "Light".[1] It was the winner of the Indigenous Writers Prize at the 2016 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards and was shortlisted for the 2015 Stella Prize.[2][3]
Reception
[edit]Heat and Light received generally positive reviews, with reviewers praising the work as an impressive debut from a promising young writer. In Queensland Review, Jessica Gildersleeve wrote that the book contained innovative narrative experiments and that it spoke to themes of marginalisation and loss.[4] In Southerly, Kate Livett wrote that the book blurred the traditional line between novel and short story collection and that it was written with impressive confidence and maturity.[5] A. S. Patrić wrote in Australian Book Review that the work was fresh and imaginative, but that its stories were uneven in quality and did not form a cohesive whole.[6]
Awards
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards | Indigenous Writers Prize | Won | [3] |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Awards | Prize for Indigenous Writing | Shortlisted | [7] | |
| 2015 | Nita Kibble Literary Awards | Dobbie Literary Award | Won | [8] |
| The Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelists | — | Won | [9] | |
| Queensland Literary Awards | Queensland Premier’s Award for a Work of State Significance | Shortlisted | [10] | |
| Readings Prize | New Australian Fiction Prize | Shortlisted | [11] | |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards | Glenda Adams Award for New Writing | Shortlisted | [12] | |
| Stella Prize | — | Shortlisted | [2] | |
| 2013 | Queensland Literary Awards | David Unaipon Award | Won | [13] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Heat and Light by Ellen van Neerven". University of Queensland Press. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Heat and Light – Ellen Van Neerven". Stella Prize. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Indigenous Writers' Prize". State Library of New South Wales. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ Gildersleeve, Jessica (June 2015). "Ellen van Neerven, 'Heat and Light'". Queensland Review. 22 (1): 102–103. doi:10.1017/qre.2015.12.
- ^ Livett, Kate (2016). "Heat and Light". Southerly. Vol. 76, no. 1. p. 229-232. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ Patrić, Alec (September 2014). "Heat and Light by Ellen Van Neerven". Australian Book Review. No. 364. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing 2016 shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. 2 September 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ Wyndham, Susan (15 July 2015). "Joan London's The Golden Age hits gold at last". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ Morris, Linda (22 May 2015). "Maxine Beneba Clarke, Alice Pung, Ellen Van Neervan, Omar Musa, Michael Mohammed Ahmad are 2015 Best Young Australian Novelists". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "History of the awards". State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Meet the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction shortlist 2015". Readings. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ Wyndham, Susan (24 April 2015). "NSW Premier's Literary Awards 2015 shortlist gives voice to long-silent authors, new talent and animals". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ Bochenski, Natalie (3 September 2013). "Women dominate Queensland Literary Awards". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 June 2025.