Queensland literary awards: ‘stunning’ debut inspired by segregated shantytown wins top prize
Summary
Lenora Thaker won the top prize at the Queensland Literary Awards for her debut novel, The Pearl of Tagai Town. The book tells the story of a historic shantytown in Queensland that was home to Indigenous and diverse immigrant communities separated from white residents.Key Facts
- The Pearl of Tagai Town won the $30,000 Queensland Premier’s Award for state significance.
- The novel is based on an unmapped shantytown called Cairns-Malay Town, inhabited from the late 1800s to the 1950s.
- Communities in the town included Indigenous Australians and people from China, India, Japan, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.
- The judges praised the book for its vivid setting, warm characters, and use of local languages.
- Other winners at the awards included Claire Thomas (fiction), Micaela Sahhar (nonfiction), Zeno Sworder (children’s), Julianne Negri (young adult), Helena Pantsis (short story), Eunice Andrada (poetry), and Sita Walker (people’s choice).
- The awards ceremony took place at Brisbane Powerhouse during the Brisbane Writers Festival.
- The Queensland Literary Awards have a complex history, including a recent controversy involving arts minister John-Paul Langbroek and a First Nations author that delayed the awards in 2025.
- Management of the awards was transferred to the Brisbane Writers Festival starting this year.
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