Hip-Hop Artist Wins Big Literary Award

ABC Arts

Topic: Awards and Prizes

Wednesday, 5 August 2026, at 6:30 pm

Wednesday, 5 August 2026, at 7:26 pm

Ghosts often appear in Fierceland. Omar Musa says, 'My dad loved telling me ghost stories when I was a kid.'

Omar Musa won the $60,000 Miles Franklin Literary Award for his novel Fierceland.

Omar Musa said his win was 'mind-blowing'.

Omar Musa told ABC Arts, 'I'm stoked my work is recognised.'

Omar Musa also thanked the people behind the scenes.

Fierceland, Omar Musa's second novel, also won the 2026 Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction.

The book is about two siblings who grow up in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo.

The Miles Franklin judges described Fierceland as 'a tour de force'.

The judges said Fierceland 'refashions the venerable hikayat traditions of Malay storytelling'.

Omar Musa is taking on the palm oil industry.

Omar Musa grew up in Queanbeyan, near Canberra.

Omar Musa's mother met his father in Malaysia.

Omar Musa's father was in a play.

Omar Musa visited Borneo as a child.

Omar Musa said, 'I went to Borneo every year from my early 20s.'

Omar Musa moved to Kota Kinabalu a few years ago.

Omar Musa said living in Borneo was 'enriching and confronting'.

Omar Musa has a new book, The Vape Lord of Queanbeyan.

Omar Musa's first novel, Here Come the Dogs, was about race in Australia.

Omar Musa wanted to write about his Malaysian heritage.

Omar Musa was drawn to the forests and rivers of Borneo.

Omar Musa thinks the palm oil industry is complex.

Omar Musa's family worked on palm oil plantations.

Omar Musa felt connected to the industry.

Omar Musa wanted to write about logging and oil palm.

Fierceland is about a family of four.

The father, Yusuf, worked hard and made a fortune.

Yusuf's business destroyed rainforests and hurt people.

The children, Roz and Harun, struggle with their father's legacy.

Omar Musa said, 'I was trying to tell a story about colonialism.'

The character Roz first appeared in a short story.

The story starts in 1998, when Yusuf takes the children on a trip.

The journey is magical, but then they see the forest being cut down.

Omar Musa said, 'The forest is a character in the book.'

The novel features many voices, including the forest.

The book takes place in Malaysia and Australia.

Roz and Harun's parents met at university in Adelaide.

Roz and Harun went to school in Sydney.

Harun escaped to LA, while Roz stayed in Sydney.

Omar Musa said, 'Australians don't know much about Malaysia.'

Omar Musa wanted to address this gap in his novel.

Omar Musa said, 'Australia is part of the Asia-Pacific region.'

Omar Musa thinks Australians have become more isolated.

The novel takes on renewed significance amid debates about multiculturalism.

Omar Musa said, 'It shows the debate in a different light.'

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