Most Underrated Book Award 2019
The winner of this year’s MUBA was announced as part of the 2019 Independent Publishing Conference. We are very pleased to say that the winner is … Songwoman by Ilka Tampke, published by Text Publishing.
Ilka wrote this article in the Guardian about the experience of winning. ‘This award is saying that my novel is worthy of more attention than it received. And that’s not embarrassing at all. In fact, it is one of the most heartening and galvanising things that a writer can hear,’ she wrote.
The judges for this year’s award were broadcaster Mel Craneburgh, bookseller Jackie Tang and previous MUBA winner Jane Rawson.
The Most Underrated Book Award is sponsored by the Australian Booksellers Association and aims to uncover and celebrate the hidden gems of Australian publishing.
To find out more about previous winners, check out the information below.
Entries for the 2020 Most Underrated Book Award will open in February 2020. Any book published by a member of the Small Press Network is eligible.
The Winner
Songwoman
Songwoman is Tampke’ second novel, a sequel to her debut, Skin (2015), but can be read as a standalone novel. The MUBA 2019 judges praised the submitted books for their range of vibrant and contrasting voices and genres. The 2019 judging panel of Melissa Cranenburgh, Jane Rawson and Jackie Tang (convenor) highlighted the fact that it is often […]
Judges' Report
A wonderfully escapist epic, bound to draw in lovers of historical fiction and fantasy—with an engaging narrative and a relatable hero. Ilka Tampke has mastered the tone and cadence of artful world-building and her setting—Britain during Roman occupation—feels well-drawn, without being overburdened with historical minutiae. The gripping plot follows the struggle for Anglo-Saxon independence in the face of a technologically advanced imperialist force, inevitably raising questions about the cyclical nature of oppression and those who levy it. Songwoman’s marginalised hero, Ailia, takes on the sadly still-all-too-relevant issues of cultural identity, racism and gender inequity, all set against a gripping plot rich in politicking, bloody battles and—of course—romance. A riveting read, with a good dose of historical fancy, Songwoman was a clear favourite.
The Shortlist
Songwoman
Songwoman is Tampke’ second novel, a sequel to her debut, Skin (2015), but can be read as a standalone novel. The MUBA 2019 judges praised the submitted books for their range of vibrant and contrasting voices and genres. The 2019 judging panel of Melissa Cranenburgh, Jane Rawson and Jackie Tang (convenor) highlighted the fact that it is often […]
Judges' Report
A wonderfully escapist epic, bound to draw in lovers of historical fiction and fantasy—with an engaging narrative and a relatable hero. Ilka Tampke has mastered the tone and cadence of artful world-building and her setting—Britain during Roman occupation—feels well-drawn, without being overburdened with historical minutiae. The gripping plot follows the struggle for Anglo-Saxon independence in the face of a technologically advanced imperialist force, inevitably raising questions about the cyclical nature of oppression and those who levy it. Songwoman’s marginalised hero, Ailia, takes on the sadly still-all-too-relevant issues of cultural identity, racism and gender inequity, all set against a gripping plot rich in politicking, bloody battles and—of course—romance. A riveting read, with a good dose of historical fancy, Songwoman was a clear favourite.
Brontide
Brontide is a coming-of-age story set in the coastal town of Taralune in Queensland. Exploring themes of racism, familial dynamics and modern masculinity, this story unfolds through a series of fictional interviews between McPherson and the four unique and interlinked adolescent boys at the centre of this narrative. Praised for its authentic dialogue and accessibility to […]
Judges' Report
Young adult books have the latitude to delight in experiments with form that are often denied to those in the adult market. Sue McPherson has taken full advantage of this and truly played with structure in her novel Brontide, a small marvel with a big heart. Despite its brevity, these pages hold a deceptively ambitious structure, told via interviews with four high school boys in a small Queensland town. These four voices ring out with irreverence, humour, pain and longing—their thoughts are presented unvarnished, resulting in big moments that are in turn hilarious, confronting and even heartbreaking. Utterly unpretentious, this is a hidden gem that would particularly appeal to reluctant teen—or even adult—readers who still want complex and nuanced storytelling. The book is not without flaws, but the reader is quickly swept up in a compelling narrative and few will leave dry-eyed.
Antidote to a Curse
Antidote to a Curse follows Silvio Portelli, a writer and teacher who has returned from his travels in Europe. The novel straddles two worlds: On the one hand, it is set against the backdrop of 1990s Melbourne and delves into Silvio’s encounters with the people he comes across, including his eccentric landlady, and his own relationship […]
Judges' Report
Transit Lounge publishes some of Australia’s most daring, inventive novels and Antidote to a Curse is no exception. Blending the Bosnian war, an impending AIDS diagnosis, life in 1990s inner Melbourne, giant aviaries and talking cats, Antidote is more of a Soviet-era Eastern European experimental novel than what you’d normally expect from staid, realist Australia. That being said, there is a nod to the traditions of realism in the richly wrought depiction of inner-Melbourne circa 1990 that pays homage to the Greek quarter and some iconic haunts. It’s hard to find any sense of stability—or often, to know what it is you are reading—as Cristina’s narrative shifts and changes under you, but that queasy, feverish feeling of moving ground is what makes this story so rewarding. An exciting new voice and a quietly ambitious book that resurrects the philosophical spectres of desire and trauma, displacement and longing—the curse and … the Antidote.
Judges
Mel Cranenburgh
Melissa Cranenburgh is a writer, broadcaster, editor and educator. She spent more than a decade in senior editing roles, including associate editor and acting editor of The Big Issue, and co-editor of the magazine’s annual fiction edition. She now teaches in RMIT’s Professional Writing and Editing diploma, and hosts Triple R’s flagship weekly book show, Backstory.
Jane Rawson
Jane Rawson has written two novels – A Wrong Turn at the Office of Unmade Lists (which won the Most Underrated Book Award in 2014) and From the Wreck, both published by Transit Lounge – and a novella, Formaldehyde (Seizure). She is the co-author of The Handbook: Surviving and Living with Climate Change (Transit Lounge). Her short fiction and essays are in Sleepers, Overland, Tincture, Seizure, Griffith Review, Meanjin and Review of Australian Fiction.
Jackie Tang
Jackie Tang is a freelance writer and editor. She has reviewed books for Triple R, Kill Your Darlings and Books+Publishing, where she was previously editor-in-chief. She currently works as the digital marketing manager at Melbourne bookseller Readings.