UWA Publishing title Hopeless Kingdom by Kgshak Akec, which took just two months to write, has been shortlisted for this year’s Miles Franklin Literary Award, the most significant fiction-writing prize in Australia.

The prize is awarded to an Australian novel of the highest literary merit that presents Australian life in any of its phases.

Hopeless Kingdom, written by Sudanese-Australian debut author Akec is inspired by her own experience of migration from Africa to Australia and was awarded the Dorothy Hewett Award in 2021.

Kgshak Akec is the youngest author and only debut novelist in this year’s prestigious shortlist, and UWA Publishing is the only Western Australian publisher to be named.

The six books up for the $60,000 prize include Jessica Au’s Cold Enough for Snow, Robbie Arnott’s Limberlost, Yumna Kassab’s The Lovers, Fiona Kelly McGregor’s Iris, Shankari Chandran’s Chai Time at the Cinnamon Gardens and Hopeless Kingdom.

All the shortlisted authors receive $5000.

The judges of this year’s award – Richard Neville, Bernadette Brennan, Mridula Nath Chakraborty, James Ley, and Elfie Shiosaki – described Hopeless Kingdom as “a novel of national significance which gives voice to silent memories of migration and ultimately transforms the Australian literary landscape”.

The Miles Franklin award will be announced on July 25.

Hopeless Kingdom is available to purchase directly from UWA Publishing.

Photographer credit for photograph of Kgshak Akec: Ashot Valentino