Middleton wins 2015 Vogel

Murray Middleton has won this year’s Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award for his short-story collection When There’s Nowhere Else to Run.

The book was chosen by author Rohan Wilson, bookseller Jenny Barry and the Australian literary editor Stephen Romei from a shortlist of four, which also included Animal Etiquette (Stephanie Barham), Sign (Colin Dray) and Lacepede (Geraldine Love). Extracts of the shortlisted titles appeared in the Australian newspaper on 18 April and are available online here.

When There’s Nowhere Else to Run is set in contemporary Australia and follows characters, including teachers, lawyers, nurses, firemen, chefs, gamblers and war veterans, who find their lives unravelling. ‘Vivid and compelling, these short stories, which echo the experiences of modern life, are marked by strong settings and scenarios,’ said Barry. ‘The title story “When There’s Nowhere Else to Run” nails the pathos and awkwardness of dealing with the loss of a friend beautifully.’

Middleton, who lives in Melbourne, previously won the Age Short Story Award in 2010 for his story ‘The Fields of Early Sorrow’, and had entered the Vogel Award on two other occasions.

When There’s Nowhere Else to Run was published by Allen & Unwin on 21 April.

In 2014, the winner of the Vogel Award was After Darkness by Christine Piper.

Category: Local news