A collection of diaries has won the prestigious Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction for the first time.
How to End a Story: Collected Diaries by Helen Garner charts the Australian writer's life from the early stages of her career in bohemian Melbourne, to raising her daughter in the 1970s, and her experience of a disintegrating marriage in the 1990s.
Garner's previous work includes 2014's The House of Grief, which told the story of Robert Farquharson on trial for the murder of his three sons.
Famous fans of her work include fellow writer David Nicholls, and singer Dua Lipa, who described Garner's writing as a thrilling discovery.
Chair of judges, Robbie Millen, praised How to End a Story as a remarkable, addictive book that mixes the intimate, the intellectual, and the everyday.
Millen noted, Garner is a brilliant observer and listener - every page has a surprising, sharp, or amusing thought. Her collected diaries will surely be mentioned alongside The Diary of Virginia Woolf. This statement reflects the elevated status of her work in literary circles.
This win signifies a major breakthrough for Garner in the UK market, following the publication of three of her books last year that introduced her to a wider audience.
The Baillie Gifford Prize, open to authors of any nationality, rewards exceptional non-fiction works and carries a prize of £50,000 for the winner, with each shortlisted author receiving £5,000 from a total of over 350 submissions published in the qualifying year.
Additionally, the shortlist included notable titles such as The Revolutionists by Jason Burke and Captives and Companions by Justin Marozzi, showcasing a diverse range of subjects tackled by contemporary authors.
