Penguin Literary Prize 2024 winner announced

Penguin Random House (PRH) has announced The Occupation by Chloe Adams as the winner of the 2024 Penguin Literary Prize.

Shortlisted as ‘Those Days of Hill and Sea’, The Occupation tells the story of a young woman who travels to Japan in 1948 as part of the Allied occupation force. While there, she is confronted with moral ambiguity and the consequences of her own transgressions.

‘At the heart of The Occupation is a story that has run through my family for three generations, casting an unexamined shadow. In that regard, this story is seventy-five years in the making, so I’m thrilled it can finally be told,’ said Adams.

The novel was chosen from a shortlist of six by a judging panel that included PRH publisher Meredith Curnow and senior editor Kathryn Knight, Riverbend Books founder Suzy Wilson, Avenue Bookstore bookseller Emily Westmoreland and James Gatherum-Goss from Dymocks.

Gatherum-Goss said the winning manuscript was ‘absolutely deserving of the accolade’. ‘I always enjoy a story rooted in true events and Chloe brings that narrative to life with authentic and atmospheric prose,’ said Gatherum-Goss. ‘I can’t wait to see it on bookstore shelves everywhere.’

Said Curnow: ‘This annual conversation with booksellers is always enlightening, stimulating and fun. Their generosity in leaning into the potential of the shortlisted manuscripts and writers is wonderful. We agreed that Chloe Adams has crafted an affecting war story and a moving love story in a time and setting we knew little about.’

Launched in 2017, the Penguin Literary Prize was established to find, nurture and develop new Australian authors of literary fiction. It offers the winner $20,000 and the opportunity to publish with PRH. Previous winners of the Penguin Literary Prize include Hitch by Kathryn Hind, published June 2019; The Spill by Imbi Neeme, published June 2020; The Rabbits by Sophie Overett, published July 2021; Denizen by James McKenzie Watson, published in 2022; On a Bright Hillside in Paradise by Annette Higgs, published in 2023; and Jade and Emerald by Michelle See-Tho, due to be published in July 2024.

Category: Awards Local news