University of Tasmania alumnus and inaugural Hedberg Writer-in-Residence Robbie Arnott has been awarded one of Australia’s most significant history-writing prizes for his much-loved novel Limberlost.
Mr Arnott’s third novel, written during his Hedberg residency, has won the Dick and Joan Green Family Award for Tasmanian History.
The $25,000 biennial award recognises works that make a significant contribution to our understanding of Tasmania's past. Limberlost (Text Publishing, August 2022) is the first work of fiction to win the award.
Judging panel member Rachel Edwards said choosing a winner across genres had been a challenge but that Limberlost was a deserved winner.
“Based on a true story from his own family, and set on the banks of the Tamar, it interweaves stories of love, of war and loss, and of Tasmania’s apple history,” Ms Edwards said.
“Tasmanian history writing is vital to an understanding of both our past and present, and this state is fortunate to have the audience to read these books, as well as exceptional writers.”
Limberlost is based on the life of Arnott’s grandfather and tells the story of teenager Ned on his family’s orchard during World War II.
In 2023 it was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and won the Age Book of the Year for fiction.
“I’m deeply honoured to receive this award, and extremely grateful to the Green family and the University of Tasmania,” Mr Arnott said.
“To be honest, I didn’t set out to write about our history specifically; I just wanted to capture what life was like for people in the 20th century on this island, and how the Tasmanian environment shaped their lives.
“I’d also encourage everyone to seek out the other books on the longlist and shortlist — all of them explore vital aspects of Tasmanian life, history and culture in rich and rewarding ways."
The biennial award was established in 2016, commemorating the important contributions of the late Dick Green AM and Joan Green OAM to Tasmanian culture and history.
It seeks to celebrate and promote books on Tasmanian history and cultural heritage, including historical fiction based on research.
Speaking on behalf of the Green family, Caroline Johnston OAM, one of Dick and Joan's daughters, said her parents would be delighted to know the award continues in partnership with the University.
“It is exciting to hear that Limberlost has won the 2024 Award for Tasmanian History and we would like to congratulate Robbie Arnott for his very interesting and evocative book of an earlier era set in the apple-growing river valley,” Ms Johnston said.
“Congratulations also to the authors of the books shortlisted this year – the family was thrilled by the quality of these books and the breadth of topics covered.”
Ms Johnston thanked the judging panel of publisher and ABC Mornings radio producer Ms Edwards, historian Professor Kate Darian-Smith and Head of School, Humanities Associate Professor Emmett Stinson.
Also shortlisted were:
- Ann Cripps, Gardeners, Plant Collectors, Friends: Hobart Town and Beyond (Fullers Bookshop, September 2022)
- Ron Radford, John Glover: Patterdale Farm and the Revelation of the Australian Landscape (Ovata Press, August 2022)
- Henry Reynolds and Nicholas Clements, Tongerlongeter: First Nations Leader and Tasmanian War Hero (NewSouth Books, August 2021)
The award’s previous winners are Rebe Taylor (2018), Tim Bonyhady and Greg Lehman (2020), and Alison Alexander (2022).
Mr Arnott will discuss his work in the 2025 Dick and Joan Green Family Award for Tasmanian History Lecture.
More information about the award is available on the University of Tasmania and Green Family Award websites.