Margaret River author wins $100,000 prize for witchcraft novel
Bernice Barry, 73, won the $100,000 ARA Historical Novel Prize for The Names of a Hare, set in 17th-century Cornwall.
Margaret River author Bernice Barry has won one of Australia's richest literary prizes for her novel about a woman accused of witchcraft in 17th-century Cornwall. The book follows an unnamed protagonist, daughter of a priest, who learns natural cures and healing magic and later flees when her secret is revealed.
Barry, born in Cornwall and living in Western Australia for 25 years, spent 15 years writing stories of forgotten women and history before this win. The judges described her work as building slowly like a spell, with careful descriptions of the natural world.
The prize also awarded $30,000 for a young adult novel and $5,000 for a readers' choice award.
- 100,000 dollars
- Prize amount
- 73
- Author age
- 15
- Years writing
- 17th-century Cornwall
- Setting
Why it mattersThe award gives Barry's niche story of women's history and resilience a chance to reach far beyond her mostly Western Australian base.
AustraliaA Western Australian author's work gets major recognition and funding boost, raising the profile of Australian literary fiction both locally and nationally.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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