The writer, critic and poet Fiona Wright has won the Kibble Award for Australian Writers, taking with her 30000 euros for “Small Acts of Disappearance” (in Spanish Small acts of disappearance), a collection of essays dealing with the subject of anorexia. "Small Acts of Disappearance: Essays on Hunger" (in Spanish Small Acts of Disappearance: Essays on Hunger) is the second book by 33-year-old author Fiona Wright, who published her first collection of poems, called “Knuckled,” in 2011. The author was also previously shortlisted for this year's Stella Award and for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards or "NSW Literary Awards."
In her books, Fiona Wright offers a very personal view of anorexia as this was a disease that Wright suffered in high school and haunted her for the next 10 years.
The author commented that, although it is true that she is delighted with the news, she was not expecting it at all.
“I think part of that is because I'm used to being a poet, which is a totally different game. But also for me it has been a rather strange book, it is not narrative, it is essays, which is a difficult subject. I really thought I was going to fly under the radar but I am so glad I was wrong. "
Author's comments on writing about anorexia
Fiona Wright commented that writing about anorexia was never part of his plan work and that it was a subject on which he resisted for a long period of time.
“I resisted for a long time. I didn't know how to do it to begin with, but I wasn't sure what I'd like to achieve with it either. But I was wrong."
“There is something really potential about looking back and observing the horrible events that happened and making something beautiful out of it, or just doing something that makes sense out of it. Because, at that moment, when I got sick, I didn't really understand what was happening ... and I didn't have control over what was happening either "
However, the author is proud to have been introduced to this topic and to have written about it.
"Writing on this topic made me feel very powerful in a very strange way "
Kibble Award Finalists
Wright's work was Shortlisted with Elizabeth Harrowerd's Short Story Collection. The jury awarded the Kibble Prize, which is awarded to fiction or non-fiction classified as "life writing," to Wright and him. praised for his rare take.
“With the skillful use of his language already seen in his award-winning poetry, Wright writes frankly and poignantly about a difficult and highly personal topic. Unlike many memories related to illness and recovery, hers is not a story of triumph over adversity. The essay form allows him to resist closure while also providing insight into his reading, his travels, and his interactions with others. ”
Wright commented that it is more than the honor of receiving the award, although it offers great relief.
“I just finished my PhD and I didn't have any foreseeable income for the next six months, so it's really going to ease the load. «
More information about the Kibble award
The Kibble Award, also known as the "Nita B Kibble Literary Awards," is named after Nita Kibble, the first female librarian at the State Library of New South Wales. This award is, along with the Stella award, among one of the most prestigious awarded to Australian-born writers.
This award recognizes works of fiction or non-fiction classified as "life writing", including novels, autobiographies, biographies, literature and any type of writing that has a fairly strong personal element.
The Kibble Literary Prize recognizes the work of an established author while the Dobbie Literary Prize recognizes a first published work.