A Google user
The Australian/Vogel's Literary Award is awarded for an unpublished manuscript by a writer under the age of thirty-five. The winner receives up to $20,000 in prize money and is published by Allen & Unwin. This years winner, Paul D Carter, is a high school teacher who admits it took him almost 9 years to write Eleven Seasons. Eleven Seasons is essentially a coming of age story, Jason Dalton is thirteen years old in 1985 when the book opens, and since this book is set in Melbourne, it is VFL (now known as the AFL), that is his obsession. Jason lives with his mother, a hardworking nurse who is largely absent from his life, in a tiny shabby flat finding solace in music, television and his beloved football team, Hawthorn. As he navigates the trials of adolescence - friendships, girls, drugs and alcohol, Jason dreams of becoming a professional football player and nurtures his talent for the sport with single minded dedication. His mother's lack of support cuts deeply though and on the day of his biggest success, his mother reveals a shocking secret that blows his world apart. The Australian male obsession with sports, football of one type or another in particular, is well known and Cart