Her chance was to make the case for the study of Australian literature,in particular offering a rebuke for the University of Sydney’s decisionnot to appoint a chair of Australian literature.
“Australian literature has never been richer or more diverse,so it was a great shock when our oldest university – Sydney – recently abolished its chair of Australian literature,” Lohrey said in her speech,delivered by her long-time literary agent Lyn Tranter at the ceremony at the Sydney Opera House.
“I look forward to the day when the university reestablishes an institution that any self-respecting nation should be proud to showcase.”
The position of chair – the oldest of its kind in the country – has been vacant since Professor Robert Dixon retired in 2019 with the university saying it was “working to secure funding” for an endowment for the role.
“Australian literature is the story of nationhood. It’s the story of who we are. That’s why I said that any self-respecting nation would want to highlight it,” Lohrey says. “For such a small country,it’s an astonishing and diverse literature. It tells the story of our nation.”
Lohrey’sThe Labyrinthis a spare tale of a woman moving to a coastal town near where her son is incarcerated and gradually coming to terms with the losses,absences,and feelings of guilt in her life. It won Australia’s most significant literary award,the $60,000 Miles Franklin,in July,and more recently the $5000 Voss award.