Debut shortlistee Siang Lu has been awarded the 2025 Miles Franklin Literary Award for his novel Ghost Cities – a bold, satirical reimagining of Australian storytelling.
In his acceptance speech, Lu said:
‘I am honoured beyond belief, and beyond words. I didn’t dare dream of this. It didn’t seem possible. My most heartfelt thanks to Perpetual as trustee for the Miles Franklin Literary Award estate, the Copyright Agency, my publisher Aviva Tuffield and the wonderful team at UQP, and my agent Brendan Fredericks.’
Lu receives $60,000 in prize money.
The judges praised Ghost Cities as:
‘At once a grand farce and a haunting meditation on diaspora. Sitting within a tradition of Australian writing that explores failed expatriation and cultural fraud, Lu’s novel is also something strikingly new. In Ghost Cities, the Sino-Australian imaginary appears as a labyrinthine film set, where it is never quite clear who is performing and who is directing. Shimmering with satire and wisdom, and with an absurdist bravura, Ghost Cities is a genuine landmark in Australian literature.’
