Dual-language memoir wins Hungerford Award

Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes has won the 2024 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award for የተስፋ ፈተና / Trials of Hope.

Written in English and Amharic poetry and prose, this fascinating autobiographic work shares Yirga's journey from boy shepherd in Ethiopia to human rights academic at Curtin University.

Yirga is a writer, researcher and poet from Lalibela, Ethiopia, who now lives with his wife, writer Rebecca Higgie, in Bentley.

Yirga said the manuscript's English narrative was written over two years but the Amharic poems were written across decades, using Ethiopia’s indigenous script (Ge’ez Fidel).

"I love crossing multiple worlds and languages with a heart that bleeds with despair and rejoices with love. Hope is a poetic force that carries me across these boundaries.

"The thrill that comes with writing in my native language is immense. The Hungerford Award means an opening of hope, a realisation that stories and languages like mine could have places in a world where they are rarely heard.

"People who live carrying multiple worlds shouldn't have to hide or sacrifice one world to exist in the other world. This too is our home; our stories can be heard," Yirga said.

Fremantle Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge announced the win on Thursday evening at the Fremantle Arts Centre.

Mayor Fitzhardinge recognised the impact of the Award for writers, and for Fremantle, revealing that the City will continue its sponsorship for a further six years.

"The City is proud to welcome another passionate and gifted writer into the Hungerford Award alumni and its 33-year heritage of identifying talented new storytellers.

"We love to provide emerging artists access to initiatives like this Award, which incubates, supports and grows their creative output," Mayor Fitzhardinge said.

Judged anonymously, the City of Fremantle Hungerford Award is a biennial prize for an unpublished manuscript by a Western Australian author. The winner receives a cash prize of $15,000, a publishing contract with Fremantle Press, and a residency fellowship with the Centre for Stories.

Fremantle Press CEO Alex Allan said "Yirga's story is extraordinary. It is a love song to his homeland that will inspire other Western Australians with a story to share."

This year, more than 80 writers entered the award. The other manuscripts shortlisted were Far From Wonderful by Howard McKenzie-Murray (fiction), Screech by Jodie Tes (fiction) and I Remember Everything by Fiona Wilkes (fiction).

The 2024 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award was judged by Seth Malacari, Marcella Polain and Richard Rossiter, alongside Fremantle Press publishers Georgia Richter and Cate Sutherland.

The Award is sponsored by the City of Fremantle, Fremantle Press and the Centre for Stories. During its 33-year history it has identified and published the works of award-winning and bestselling writers Gail Jones, Kim Scott, Brenda Walker, Natasha Lester, Holden Sheppard and last year’s winner Molly Schmidt.

It has identified and published the works of award-winning and bestselling writers Gail Jones, Kim Scott, Brenda Walker, Natasha Lester, Holden Sheppard and last year's winner Molly Schmidt.

For more information contact Claire Miller, Head of Sales and Marketing, Fremantle Press, [email protected]