Heat and Light
2014 book by Ellen van Neerven
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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]
| |
| Author | Ellen van Neerven |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | University of Queensland Press |
Publication date | 27 August 2014 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Pages | 232 |
| ISBN | 9780702253218 |
Reception
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
| 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] |