A Piece of Red Cloth
Leonie Norrington, Djawundil Maymuru, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs and Djawa Burarrwanga
WINNER, PRIME MINISTER’S LITERARY AWARD FOR FICTION 2026
WINNER, AUSTRALIAN BOOK INDUSTRY AWARD FOR SOCIAL IMPACT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2026
WINNER, NT BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2026
SHORTLISTED, VICTORIAN PREMIER’S LITERARY AWARD FOR FICTION 2026
SHORTLISTED, THE AGE BOOK OF THE YEAR FICTION AWARD 2026
SHORTLISTED, BARBARA JEFFERIS AWARD 2026
SHORTLISTED, MUD LITERARY PRIZE 2026
LONGLISTED, MARGARET AND COLIN RODERICK LITERARY AWARD 2026
It’s early in the wet season. A flock of crested terns sweeps into the bay and dives towards Batjani. The birds are saying the foreigners are coming, as they do every year, but why are they so full of menace?
Batjani’s beloved granddaughter Garritji is on the cusp of womanhood, about to go through the rituals preparing her for marriage. Batjani uses all means at her disposal to protect her granddaughter from the visiting Macassan trepang fishers, but she is betrayed. Can Garritji be saved?
This powerful and unique novel is based on oral history and told through Yolngu eyes, with ancestors as the Yolngu remember them: proud, strong, resilient people in control of their world and interacting with foreigners on their own terms.
A rich and transportive novel in the vein of Hannah Kent or Tara June Winch.'
It is a profound work of remembrance and re-imagination, fusing oral history, novelistic technique and deep cultural knowledge.'
- Release
- Feb-2025
- ISBN
- 9781761471315
- RRP (AUD)
- $34.99
- Pages
- 384
- Format
- Paperback
- Category
- Indigenous Fiction
Leonie Norrington, Djawundil Maymuru, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs and Djawa Burarrwanga
Leonie Norrington is a multi-award-winning north Australian author who grew up in the Barunga community in Arnhem Land. She writes for children and adults in both fiction and non-fiction. Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, Djawa Burarrwanga and Djawundil Maymuru are Yolŋu cultural custodians. Merrkiyawuy and Djawundil are co-authors of Welcome to My Country and Songspirals.
Allen & Unwin
Allen & Unwin is Australia’s leading independent publisher and is the 2023 Publisher of the Year, a title we’ve now held fifteen times. Our lists are unrivalled in scope and quality, our focus on original ideas and voices, and our acclaimed authors and titles amongst Australia’s best.
- Contact
-
Sandra Buol
- Website