Media Release
Votes in on Victoria’s favourite summer reads
27 February 2008
Two novels have tied for first-place in a unique program designed to determine Victoria’s favourite summer read.
Max Barry’s Company and Barry Heard’s Well Done, Those Men were voted as favourites ahead of a long and strong list of works in the State Library of Victoria’s unique reader’s choice program, The Summer Read.
The Summer Read, a reader development program developed by the State Library of Victoria, asked readers to vote online, via SMS, by post or at public libraries around Victoria for their favourite in a short-list of 20 great books of fiction, non-fiction and poetry – each written by a Victorian or set in Victoria.
Authors included: Peter Doherty; Ilsa Evans; Garry Disher; Max Barry; William McInnes; Cate Kennedy; Diana Georgeff; Adrian Hyland; Paul Mitchell; Dorothy Porter; Craig Sherborne; Kate Holden; Alex Miller; Michelle de Kretser; Gregory Day; James Phelan; Adib Khan; Kate Legge; Alice Pung and Barry Heard.
In Barry Heard’s memoir Well Done, Those Men, Barry draws on his own experiences of life before, during, and after the Vietnam War. The result is a sympathetic portrayal of a group of young men who were sent off to war completely unprepared for the emotional and psychological impact it would have on them.
Max Barry’s Company is a wry and satirical novel about corporate culture.
‘Naturally’, said Max, ‘I assumed the whole exercise was a desperate, doomed attempt to attract the attention of an anaesthetised public who no longer care about art forms that don't involve texting votes to Channel TEN – but clearly it worked!’
‘The most enjoyable and impressive part for me was the opportunity to blog alongside all these excellent authors. Usually it's impossible to keep that many writers sober’, he said.
On hearing he was a joint-winner, Barry said: ‘When first informed I was selected for the Summer Read I felt daunted being 'in the mix' with so many talented and recognized writers' - it was nothing short of an honor to be part of that Summer Read. Thank you Summer Read, what a brilliant concept and such a creative initiative to encourage reading.’
Paula Kelly, manager of reader development at the State Library, said The Summer Read had been a great success.
‘We are so lucky to have authors of this calibre in Australia, but luckier still to have authors who are happy to share their writing experiences. Not only have we been treated to some great reading, but readers all around Victoria have had the opportunity to meet the authors in person, interact with them online and share their thoughts with other readers’, she said.
The Summer Read collected votes from 20 November 2007 to 1 February 2008 and incorporated a number of author events in suburban Melbourne and regional Victoria.
The Summer Read’s fascinating author blogs and discussions will remain online through 2008.
Interviews and images are available upon request.
The Summer Read Top 5
Joint Winners
Company - Max Barry
Well Done, Those Men - Barry Heard
Runners Up (in order of votes)
Unpolished Gem - Alice Pung
Broken - Ilsa Evans
Delinquent Angel - Diana Georgeff
In My Skin - Kate Holden
Media inquiries
Paul Bateman
State Library of Victoria
Ph: 03 8664 7278
Email: pbateman@slv.vic.gov.au
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