Shankari Chandran, an accomplished Australian Tamil lawyer, has been awarded the prestigious 2023 Miles Franklin $60,000 award during a ceremony held in Sydney on Tuesday night.
Chandran’s remarkable achievement places her among the esteemed ranks of renowned Australian authors, including Melissa Lucashenko, Amanda Lohrey, Kim Scott, and Tim Winton, tracing back to the inaugural winner, Patrick White, in 1957.
The accolade comes as a well-deserved recognition of Chandran’s literary contributions, which have captured the attention and hearts of readers worldwide. Her notable works, including “Song of the Sun God” and “The Barrier,” have garnered widespread acclaim, with “Song of the Sun God” receiving a long-list nomination for the International Dublin Literary Award in 2019 and a short-list nomination for Sri Lankaās Fairway National Literary Award in 2018. “The Barrier” was also recognized with a short-list nomination for the Norma K Hemming Award for Speculative Fiction in 2018.
Beyond her success in the literary world, Chandran’s impact extends to television, as “Song of the Sun God” is being adapted for the small screen, with Bridgertonās Charithra Chandran set to star in the series. Audiences eagerly anticipate her upcoming works, including an untitled novel scheduled for publication by Ultimo Press in 2024 and “Unfinished Business,” a political thriller from her Ellie Harper thriller series, to be published as an Audible Original in the same year.
In addition to her writing achievements, Chandran has been recognised for her short stories published in acclaimed anthologies, Another Australia and Sweatshop Women (Vol 2), both by Affirm Press/Sweatshop. Furthermore, she serves as the deputy chair of Writing NSW, contributing to the promotion and growth of Australian literature.
Chandran’s journey to literary excellence has been supported by generous grants from the Blake-Beckett Scholarship Trust, Create NSW, and the Australia Council for the Arts, which have enabled her to pursue her passion for storytelling.
Drawing on her two-decade-long career as a lawyer in the social justice field, both on national and international platforms, Chandran continues to make a difference in the world of social impact while working for an Australian national retailer.
Based in Sydney, she resides with her husband and four children, using her fiction to explore themes of dispossession and community creation.
Shankari Chandran’s remarkable talent and dedication to her craft have undoubtedly earned her a well-deserved place among Australia’s literary luminaries, and her future endeavors are eagerly awaited by readers and fans alike.
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