A. S. Patrić

A. S. Patrić is an Australian author of Bosnian origin who won the Miles Franklin Award in 2016 for Black Rock White City. Born in Sarajevo and having survived the Bosnian War, Patrić emigrated to Australia, and his novel draws on themes of displacement, trauma, and the difficulty of rebuilding identity after war. Black Rock White City is set in Melbourne's bayside suburb of Black Rock and follows Jovan and Suzana, Bosnian refugees who work as a hospital cleaner and a hairdresser respectively. The novel is punctuated by mysterious acts of graffiti vandalism that become a narrative thread through the story of their attempt to survive grief. Patrić has published several other works of fiction and is a significant figure in Australian literary culture, particularly among writers from immigrant backgrounds.