{{Short description|Australian author (born 1978)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}{{Use Australian English|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox person | name = Fiona McFarlane | image = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1978}} | birth_place = Sydney, Australia | death_date = | death_place = | resting_place = | other_names = | spouse = | occupation = Author | years_active = | known_for = | notable_works = ''The Night Guest'' (2013)<br />''The High Places'' (2016)<br />''Highway 13'' (2024) }}
'''Fiona McFarlane''' (born 1978) is an Australian author, best known for her novel ''The Night Guest'' (2013) and her collections of short stories ''The High Places'' (2016) and ''Highway 13'' (2024). She is a recipient of the Voss Literary Prize, the UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing at the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, the Dylan Thomas Prize, and the Nita Kibble Literary Award.
==Life and career==
McFarlane was born in Sydney, Australia in 1978.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fiona McFarlane|url=http://www.swansea.ac.uk/dylan-thomas-prize/archive/2017-shortlist/fiona-mcfarlane/|website=www.swansea.ac.uk|access-date=26 February 2018|archive-date=26 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226212115/http://www.swansea.ac.uk/dylan-thomas-prize/archive/2017-shortlist/fiona-mcfarlane/|url-status=dead}}</ref> She studied English at the University of Sydney, the University of Cambridge and the University of Texas at Austin.<ref name=bio>{{cite web|title=Fiona McFarlane|url=http://www.milesfranklin.com.au/2014/bios/mcfarlane|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150301005047/http://www.milesfranklin.com.au/2014/bios/mcfarlane|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 March 2015|website=milesfranklin.com.au|access-date=26 February 2018|date=1 March 2015}}</ref>
Her debut novel, ''The Night Guest'', was published in 2013 and is about a retired widow with dementia who lives alone.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Maier|first1=Heidi|title=Fiona McFarlane: 'I wanted to explore dementia from the inside'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/australia-culture-blog/2014/may/21/fiona-mcfarlane-i-wanted-to-explore-dementia-from-the-inside|website=the Guardian|access-date=26 February 2018|language=en|date=21 May 2014}}</ref> It won the Voss Literary Prize and the UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing at the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards.<ref name=smh>{{cite web|last1=Morris|first1=Linda|title=Australia's Fiona McFarlane wins $50,000 Dylan Thomas prize|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/australias-fiona-mcfarlane-wins-50000-dylan-thomas-prize-20170511-gw2nem.html|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=26 February 2018|language=en|date=11 May 2017}}</ref> It was also shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award,<ref name="MF">{{cite web|title=Miles Franklin Award 2014 Short|url=http://www.milesfranklin.com.au/2014/2014_shortlist|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215082615/http://www.milesfranklin.com.au/2014/2014_shortlist|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 February 2015|website=milesfranklin.com.au|access-date=26 February 2018|date=15 February 2015}}</ref> the Stella Prize<ref name=smh /> and the Guardian First Book Award.<ref name="GF">{{cite web|last1=Flood|first1=Alison|title=Guardian first book award 2014 shortlist covers neurosurgery, China, rural Ireland and more|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/nov/14/guardian-first-book-award-2014-shortlist|website=the Guardian|access-date=26 February 2018|language=en|date=14 November 2014}}</ref>
In 2017, McFarlane won the Dylan Thomas Prize for her collection of short stories, ''The High Places''.<ref name=smh />
She was shortlisted for the Fiction Book Award at the 2023 Queensland Literary Awards and for the Fiction Award at the 2023 Prime Minister's Literary Awards for ''The Sun Walks Down'' (2022).<ref name="QL">{{Cite web |date=2023-08-02 |title=Queensland Literary Awards 2023 shortlists |url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2023/08/02/234999/queensland-literary-awards-2023-shortlists/ |access-date=2023-08-02 |publisher=Books+Publishing}}</ref><ref name="PM">{{Cite web |date=2023-10-26 |title=Prime Minister's Literary Awards 2023 shortlists announced |url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2023/10/26/239949/prime-ministers-literary-awards-2023-shortlists-announced/ |access-date=2023-10-26 |publisher=Books+Publishing}}</ref>
In 2025, her short story collection ''Highway 13'' won The Story Prize.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-26 |title=Fiona McFarlane's "Highway Thirteen," Wins The Story Prize |url=https://www.english.berkeley.edu/news/fiona-mcfarlanes-highway-thirteen-wins-story-prize/}}</ref>
McFarlane's writing has also appeared in ''Zoetrope: All-Story'', ''Southerly'' and ''The New Yorker''.<ref name=bio />
==Literary== {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year !! Title !! Award !! Category !! Result !! Ref. |- ! 2013 | rowspan="12" | ''The Night Guest'' | Los Angeles Times Book Prize || Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction || {{sho}} || |- ! rowspan="11" | 2014 | Australian Book Industry Awards || Literary Fiction || {{sho}} || |- | Barbara Jefferis Award || — || {{won}} || |- | Guardian First Book Award || — || {{sho}} || <ref name="GF" /> |- | Indie Book Awards || Debut Fiction || {{sho}} || |- | Miles Franklin Award || — || {{sho}} || <ref name="MF" /> |- | New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards || UTS Glenda Adams Award || {{sho}} || <ref name="smh" /> |- |Nita Kibble Literary Awards |Dobbie Literary Award|| {{sho}} | |- | Prime Minister's Literary Awards || Fiction || {{sho}} || |- | The Readings Prize || — || {{sho}} || |- | Stella Prize || — || {{sho}} || <ref name="smh" /> |- | Voss Literary Prize || — || {{won}} || |- ! 2016 | rowspan="5" | ''The High Places'' | Queensland Literary Awards || Short Story Collection || {{won}} || <ref name="QL" /> |- ! rowspan="3" | 2017 | ALS Gold Medal || — || {{nom|Longlisted}} || |- | Dylan Thomas Prize || — || {{won}} || <ref name="smh" /> |- | Stella Prize || — || {{nom|Longlisted}} || |- ! 2018 | Nita Kibble Literary Awards || Nita B Kibble Literary Award || {{won}} || |- ! rowspan="6" | 2023 | rowspan="8" | ''The Sun Walks Down'' | ''The Age'' Book of the Year Awards || Fiction || {{sho}} || |- | ARA Historical Novel Prize || Adult || {{nom|Longlisted}} || |- | Australian Book Industry Awards || Literary Fiction || {{sho}} || |- | Indie Book Awards || Fiction || {{nom|Longlisted}} || |- | Prime Minister's Literary Awards || Fiction || {{sho}} || <ref name="PM" /> |- | Walter Scott Prize || — || {{sho}} || |- ! rowspan="2" | 2024 | New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards || Christina Stead Prize for Fiction || {{sho}} || |- | New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards || People's Choice Award || {{sho}} || |- ! rowspan="7" |2025 | rowspan="7" |''Highway 13'' |The Story Prize |— |{{Won}} |<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-13 |title=Here are this year’s finalists for The Story Prize. |url=https://lithub.com/here-are-this-years-finalists-for-the-story-prize-5/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=Literary Hub |language=en-US}}</ref> |- |Victorian Premier's Literary Awards |Fiction |{{Won}} |<ref name="ABC2025">{{Cite news |last=Story |first=Hannah |date=2025-03-19 |title=Growing up, Wanda got old dresses for Xmas. Her book about it just won $125k |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-19/wanda-gibson-victorian-prize-for-literature-three-dresses/105053764 |access-date=2025-03-19 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref> |- |New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards |Christina Stead Prize for Fiction | {{Won}} |<ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Story |first=Hannah |date=2025-05-19 |title=Nam Le wins major literary award, 16 years after winning for The Boat |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-19/nsw-literary-awards-nam-le-vietnamese-poem-fiona-mcfarlane/105296940 |access-date=2025-05-19 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref> |- |Miles Franklin Award |— |{{sho}} |<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-25 |title=Miles Franklin Literary Award 2025 shortlist announced |url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2025/06/25/274723/miles-franklin-literary-award-2025-shortlist-announced/ |access-date=2025-06-24 |publisher=Books+Publishing}}</ref> |- |ALS Gold Medal |— |{{Won}} |<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-01 |title=McFarlane wins 2025 ALS Gold Medal |url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2025/07/01/275061/mcfarlane-wins-2025-als-gold-medal/ |access-date=2025-07-01 |publisher=Books+Publishing}}</ref> |- |Prime Minister's Literary Awards |Fiction |{{sho}} |<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-12 |title=Prime Minister’s Literary Awards 2025 shortlists announced |url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2025/08/12/312307/prime-ministers-literary-awards-2025-shortlists-announced/ |access-date=2025-09-29 |publisher=Books+Publishing}}</ref> |- |Voss Literary Prize |— |{{nom|Longlisted}} |<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-15 |title=Voss Literary Prize 2025 longlist announced |url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2025/10/15/316831/voss-literary-prize-2025-longlist-announced/ |access-date=2025-10-19 |publisher=Books+Publishing}}</ref> |}
==Bibliography==
===Novels=== * {{Cite book |author1=McFarlane, Fiona |title=The Night Guest |title-link=The Night Guest (novel) |author-mask=2 |publication-date=2013 |publisher=Penguin Group (Australia) |isbn=9781926428550}} * {{Cite book |author1=McFarlane |first=Fiona |title=The Sun Walks Down |publication-date=2022 |author-mask=2 |publisher=Allen & Unwin |isbn=9781761185427}}
===Collections of short stories=== * {{Cite book |author1=McFarlane |first=Fiona |title=The High Places |year=2016 |language=en |author-mask=2 |publisher=Hamish Hamilton, an imprint of Penguin Books |isbn=9781926428567}} * {{Cite book |author1=McFarlane |first=Fiona |title=Highway 13 | title-link=Highway 13 (story collection)|year=2024 |language=en |author-mask=2 |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |isbn=9780374606268}}
===Short stories in anthologies===
* {{Cite journal |author1= |title=The Movie People |year=2010 |editor-last=Kennedy, Cate |publication-date=2010 |journal=The Best Australian Stories 2010 |publisher=Black Inc |isbn=9781863954952}} * {{Cite journal |author1= |title=Exotic Animal Medicine |date=22 November 2010 |editor-last=Tuffield, Aviva |publication-date=2010 |journal=New Australian Stories 2 |publisher=Scribe |isbn=9781921640865}} * {{Cite journal |title=I Will Tell You Something |date=June 2015 |publication-date=2015 |editor-last=Adelaide |editor-first=Debra |journal=The Simple Act of Reading |publisher=Vintage Books |isbn=9780857986245}} * {{Cite journal |title=Good News for Modern Man |date=7 November 2016 |publication-date=2016 |editor-last=Wood |editor-first=Charlotte |journal=The Best Australian Stories 2016 |publisher=Black Inc |isbn=9781863958868}} * {{Cite journal |author1=Furman, Laura |author2=Bradley, David (writer of supplementary textual content.) |author3=McCracken, Elizabeth (writer of supplementary textual content.) |author4=Watson, Brad (writer of supplementary textual content.) |title=Buttony |date=5 September 2017 |publication-date=2017 |journal=The O. Henry Prize Stories 2017 |publisher=New York Anchor Books |isbn=9780525432500}}
===Online short stories=== * [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/05/13/art-appreciation/ "Art Appreciation"] – published in ''The New Yorker'' on May 6, 2013 * [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/03/07/buttony/ "Buttony"] – published in ''The New Yorker'' on February 29, 2016 * [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/05/25/demolition/ "Demolition"] – published in ''The New Yorker'' on May 25, 2020
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McFarlane, Fiona}} Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century Australian women writers Category:21st-century Australian writers Category:Writers from Sydney Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge Category:University of Sydney alumni Category:Michener Center for Writers alumni Category:O. Henry Award winners