Heat and Light

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Heat and Light
AuthorEllen van Neerven
GenreFiction
PublisherUniversity of Queensland Press
Publication date
27 August 2014
Publication placeAustralia
Pages232
ISBN9780702253218

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]

Reception

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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

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Awards for Heat and Light
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]

References

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  1. ^ "Heat and Light by Ellen van Neerven". University of Queensland Press. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Heat and Light – Ellen Van Neerven". Stella Prize. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Indigenous Writers' Prize". State Library of New South Wales. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  4. ^ Gildersleeve, Jessica (June 2015). "Ellen van Neerven, 'Heat and Light'". Queensland Review. 22 (1): 102–103. doi:10.1017/qre.2015.12.
  5. ^ Livett, Kate (2016). "Heat and Light". Southerly. Vol. 76, no. 1. p. 229-232. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  6. ^ Patrić, Alec (September 2014). "Heat and Light by Ellen Van Neerven". Australian Book Review. No. 364. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing 2016 shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. 2 September 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  8. ^ Wyndham, Susan (15 July 2015). "Joan London's The Golden Age hits gold at last". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  9. ^ Morris, Linda (22 May 2015). "Maxine Beneba Clarke, Alice Pung, Ellen Van Neervan, Omar Musa, Michael Mohammed Ahmad are 2015 Best Young Australian Novelists". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  10. ^ "History of the awards". State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  11. ^ "Meet the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction shortlist 2015". Readings. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  12. ^ Wyndham, Susan (24 April 2015). "NSW Premier's Literary Awards 2015 shortlist gives voice to long-silent authors, new talent and animals". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  13. ^ Bochenski, Natalie (3 September 2013). "Women dominate Queensland Literary Awards". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 June 2025.