Jennifer Down (born 1990) is an Australian

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

and

short story writer A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

. She won the 2022 Miles Franklin Award for her novel ''Bodies of Light''.

Biography

Down was in born 1990. She studied arts at

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

before studying professional writing and editing at RMIT. Down has worked as a writer, editor, and a translator.

Awards and recognition

Down won the 2014 Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize for "Aokigahara" and received third prize in ''The Age'' Short Story Award for "A Ticket to Switzerland" in 2010. Down's first novel, ''Our Magic Hour'', was shortlisted for the 2014

Victorian Premier's Unpublished Manuscript Award The Victorian Premier's Unpublished Manuscript Award is a literary award for an unpublished manuscript. It can be entered by any author from the Australian State of Victoria that has not published a project based on fiction. The Award was establis ...

. She was chosen as one of ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' Best Young Australian Novelists in 2017 for ''Pulse Points'' and 2018 for ''Bodies of Light''. She won the Steele Rudd Award at the

Queensland Literary Awards The Queensland Literary Awards is an awards program established in 2012 by the Queensland literary community, funded by sponsors and administered by the State Library of Queensland. Like the former Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, the QLA ...

and the Readings New Australian Fiction Prize in 2018 for ''Pulse Points''. Her 2021 novel, ''Bodies of Light'', won the 2022 Miles Franklin Award and was shortlisted for the 2022

Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction The Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction, formerly known as the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction, is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award. As of 2011 it has an remuneration of 25,000. The winner of this category prize vi ...

, the 2022 Stella Prize, the 2022 fiction

Age Book of the Year ''The Age'' Book of the Year Awards were annual literary awards presented by Melbourne's ''The Age'' newspaper. The awards were first presented in 1974. After 1998, they were presented as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival. Initially, two awar ...

, the 2022

Barbara Jefferis Award The Barbara Jefferis Award is an Australian literary award prize. The award was created in 2007 after being endowed by John Hinde upon his death to commemorate his late wife, author Barbara Jefferis. It is funded by his $1 million bequest. Origi ...

and the 2022

Voss Literary Prize The Voss Literary Prize is an annual award named in honour of historian Vivian Robert de Vaux Voss (1930–1963). It is awarded to the best novel published in the previous year and is managed and judged by the Australian University Heads of Engli ...

Works

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References

External links

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At home with Jennifer Down
The Garret podcast and transcript {{DEFAULTSORT:Down, Jennifer 1990 births Living people 21st-century Australian women writers Miles Franklin Award winners Australian women novelists