Poet Ellen van Neerven’s book Throat was the big winner at the 2021 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards.
In a standout achievement, the author won the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry, Multicultural NSW Award and Book of the Year. The three accolades come with a combined prize of $60,000.
Judges said Throat confirms van Neerven’s place as one of the sharpest and most compelling poets of their generation, saying Throat is simultaneously intimate and radical, giving us an insight into van Neerven’s life, experiences, and thoughts, while piercing the trauma at the core of this country.
“Part of what makes Throat so gripping is that poets like van Neerven, with all the complexities that shape their lives and influence their art, are rarely granted the space and time to make work. It shouldn’t be a rare luxury to enjoy something that explores life as a queer Blak person, but it is. Of course, van Neerven is much more than just those elements of their identity, but hopefully Throat will help our cultural gatekeepers understand how powerful such stories can be.” the judges said.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian congratulated all the winners in the awards.
“For more than four decades, the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards have provided a benchmark for Australian writing, recognising the year’s greatest achievements by established and emerging authors, playwrights and scriptwriters. I congratulate all the award winners and nominees whose work enriches our lives.” the Premier said.
Speaking to the ABC van Neerven said they were grateful for the prize money that comes with the award, noting that she would never be able to live off book sales alone.
“I’m really grateful for it. Because you know, if I just relied on book sales, I would not have any money,” they said. Explaining that the process for creating their work takes time and space, van Neerven said they would be able to consider bigger projects in the future.
Throat is the book of the month at the GRAI: Queer Book Club.
Take a look at the full list of winners from the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards.
Book of the Year ($10,000)
Throat by Ellen van Neerven (University of Queensland Press)
Christina Stead Prize for Fiction ($40,000)
A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville (Text Publishing)
UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing ($5,000 – sponsored by UTS)
Cherry Beach by Laura McPhee-Browne (Text Publishing)
Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction ($40,000)
The Warrior, the Voyager, and the Artist: Three Lives in an Age of Empire by Kate Fullagar (Yale University Press)
Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry ($30,000)
Throat by Ellen van Neerven (University of Queensland Press)
Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature ($30,000)
The Grandest Bookshop in the World by Amelia Mellor (Affirm Press)
Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature ($30,000)
The End of the World is Bigger than Love by Davina Bell (Text Publishing)
Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting ($30,000)
Milk by Dylan Van Den Berg (The Street Theatre)
Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting ($30,000)
FREEMAN by Laurence Billiet (General Strike & Matchbox Pictures)
Multicultural NSW Award ($20,000)
Throat by Ellen van Neerven (University of Queensland Press)
NSW Translation Prize ($30,000) – biennial award – joint winners
Autumn Manuscripts by Tasos Leivaditis, translated by N.N. Trakakis (Smokestack Books)
Imminence by Mariana Dimópulos, translated by Alice Whitmore (Giramondo Publishing)
Special Award ($10,000)
Melina Marchetta
People’s Choice Award
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams (Affirm Press)
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