Greek-Australian Journalist Shortlisted for Literary Awards

Greek-Australian journalist, political commentator and author George Megalogenis was shortlisted in the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards for his work on Australia’s Second Chance.

The shortlist was announced by the Australian Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley and it includes 21 of the most notable literary works published in Australia over the last year.

“The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards showcase the strength and diversity of Australian literature. These stories do what great literature does best: they allow us to reflect on the past, or explore an imagined future,” said Foley.

Each winning author will receive a prize of 25,000 dollars, and go on to participate in the Victorian Prize for Literature. Winners will be announced on Thursday 28 January, 2016 at an official ceremony.

In Australia’s Second Chance Megalogenis argues that while most nations do not get a first chance to prosper, Australia is on its second. He examines how Australia, one of the world’s richest countries through the nineteenth century, moved from being a booming pioneer for democracy and a magnet for migrants to a subsequent fifty-year bust. He claims that Australia is back on top, in the position where history suggests its biggest mistakes have been made and he asks: “can Australia’s leaders learn from the past and cement its place as one of the world’s great nations?”