In mid-November the winner of the 2013 ‘Most Underrated Book Award’ was announced at a wonderful prize-giving evening organised by the Small Press Network. It is the only award on our literary calendar which seeks to acknowledge special books that, for whatever reason, did not receive their fair dues when first released. As the judges remarked: ‘That we have such a thriving small press scene capable of and willing to provide a platform for these exciting voices is thrilling, and the passion invested in each of the titles is palpable.’

We heartily congratulate the shortlistees, and overall winner, Merlinda Bobis, for the Fish-Hair Woman.

This month includes several fantastic books which may fly a little under the radar amid the Christmas maelstrom, but are worthy of our attention nonetheless. From beloved Norwegian author Per Petterson (of Out Stealing Horses fame) comes the first publication in English of his debut novel, Ashes in My Mouth, Sand in My Shoes, a release which already signaled the arrival of a major talent. And from Italian author Diego Marani, who burst on to the scene with New Finnish Grammar a few years ago, there is God’s Dog (available in January), a most unusual literary detective novel.

Speaking of strange, 2003 Booker-winner DBC Pierre returns with Petit Mal. Drawing on Pierre’s life ‘living in pursuit of sensation’ – as he puts it – it’s ‘a collection of flash fictions, philosophical musings and prose poems interspersed with cartoons, drawings and photographs’. Browsing through these ‘is as disorientating a process as it is entertaining’, according to our reviewer. Clearly one for the fans, or the lover of the surreal!

In terms of Oz lit, there is a very exciting publication arriving on our shores from the US – the third issue of Music & Literature, partly dedicated to the life and work of our own Gerald Murnane. The issue features a wonderful autobiographical piece in the form of correspondence with the Nigerian author Teju Cole, and includes a glimpse of Murnane’s legendary archive. This volume also offers numerous essays, including contributions from local Murnanians Wayne Macauley and Emmett Stinson.

On the non-fiction front, notable is a collection of essays by Australia’s leading female voices on Julia Gillard’s prime ministership: Bewitched & Bedeviled: Women Write the Gillard Years. There are also two new music biographies – one on the recently departed rock legend Lou Reed, Lou Reed: The Life, by the well-regarded Mick Wall; the other We Are Alive: A Portrait of Bruce Springsteen, by the New Yorker editor David Remnick.

Finally, last Friday we announced our ‘Best Of’ lists for the year. You can view a a summary of our lists here.

I’m delighted to see that some of my personal favourites have made the cut: Barracuda, A History of Silence, Boomer & Me and The Death of Bees. To round out my personal Top 5 I would perhaps join the chorus of acclaim for Karl Ove Knausgård – his A Man in Love is a book I’ve seldom stopped thinking about this year.

Martin Shaw