Names of a Hare leaps onto Nib Literary Award shortlist

The Names of a Hare by Bernice Barry has received the Alex Buzo Shortlist Prize ($1,500) and is a finalist for the 2026 Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award ($40,000), and the Nib People’s Choice Prize ($4,000).

Presented by the Waverley Council in Sydney, this 25-year-old national literary prize has become an established and respected part of the literary landscape, with books scrutinised for literary merit, quality research, readability and value to the community.

Bernice said this was so unexpected that the news was still only just sinking in. She said, ‘It’s thrilling to be shortlisted for “the Nib’ and not just because it’s such a special, unique literary award that embraces poetry, fiction and non-fiction. It’s also wonderful to see my novel on this list, because it recognises the importance of research in the craft of writing fiction.’

Set in Cornwall in 1628, Barry’s novel asks us to consider what might happen to a neurodiverse healer at a time when women were routinely persecuted as witches. The author’s extensive research included recipe and household books, books on the deliberate suppression of ancient languages in Ireland and Cornwall as well as vocabularies of regional dialects, ancient herbals, and botanical books from the 16th to 19th centuries. It paints a terrifying picture of Matthew Hopkins, Britain’s real-life witch hunter, while riffing on the classic RD Blackmore novel Lorna Doone.

Publisher Georgia Richter said, ‘There is definite magic in a story well told: Names of a Hare has such resonance and authenticity precisely because of the author’s passionate interest in herbs and history, landscape and literature. A perusal of the sources Bernice Barry consulted in the course of her writing (including John Gerard’s 1597 book, The Herball, or, Generall Historie of Plantes) helps to show why there is such depth within this unforgettable tale.’

The winner will be announced on Thursday 19 November at the Bondi Pavillion in Sydney.