Bill Henson

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Stella Prize finalists reveal the inspiration behind their books

Joan London (right) wanted to write about the 1950s, “the time of her childhood.” Emily Biffojoan-london-584x850 wanted to write about a group of people attempting to separate themselves from mainstream culture. And Elen Van Neervan wanted to ask questions about Indigenous governance in Australia, and issues like land rights, identity and love. Each of the six finalists for the Stella Prize for Fiction, the winner of which will be announced next week, has explained the inspiration behind their shortlisted books in a series of revealing interviews with The Guardian.

Maxine Beneba Clark whose collection of short stories Foreign Soil is published bymaxine-portrait-584x757 Hachette, said she was looking at “people trying to find a place for themselves in the world – about the search for a true place to call home, about the things we gain when we migrate, and the all-consuming heartache of our leaving, even as we find the very things we’re looking for”.

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