1978 in Australian literature
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1978.
Events[edit]
- Jessica Anderson won the 1978 Miles Franklin Award for Tirra Lirra by the River
- The Anne Elder Award for poetry is awarded for the first time
Major publications[edit]
Books[edit]
- Jessica Anderson – Tirra Lirra by the River
- Nancy Cato – All the Rivers Run
- David Malouf – An Imaginary Life
- Christopher Koch – The Year of Living Dangerously
- George Turner – Transit of Cassidy[1]
Science fiction and fantasy[edit]
- A. Bertram Chandler — To Keep the Ship[2]
- David Lake — The Gods of Xuma, or, Barsoom Revisited[3]
- George Turner – Beloved Son[4]
Crime and mystery[edit]
- Nicholas Hasluck — Quarantine[5]
Children's and young adult fiction[edit]
- Peter Pavey – One Dragon's Dream[6]
- Joan Phipson – Keep Calm[7]
- Patricia Wrightson – The Dark Bright Water[8]
Poetry[edit]
- David Campbell — "Lizard and Stone"[9]
- Lee Cataldi — Invitation to a Marxist Lesbian Party[10]
- Bruce Dawe — Sometimes Gladness: Collected Poems 1954–1978[11]
- Jennifer Maiden — Birthstones[12]
Non-fiction[edit]
- Patsy Adam-Smith – The ANZACS[13]
- Mary Durack – The End of Dreaming[14]
- Wendy Lowenstein – Weevils in the Flour[15]
- Elyne Mitchell – Light Horse: The Story of Australia's Mounted Troops[16]
Awards and honours[edit]
Order of Australia[edit]
- Margaret Hasluck appointed Dame of the Order of Australia (AD) for "pre-eminent achievement in the fields of literature and history and for extraordinary and meritorious public service to Australia".[17]
Lifetime achievement[edit]
| Award | Author |
|---|---|
| Christopher Brennan Award[18] | Rosemary Dobson |
| Patrick White Award[19] | Gwen Harwood |
Literary[edit]
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Age Book of the Year Award[20] | Christopher Koch | The Year of Living Dangerously | Nelson |
| ALS Gold Medal[21] | No award | ||
| Colin Roderick Award[22] | Leslie Rees | History of Australian Drama | Angus & Robertson |
Fiction[edit]
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Age Book of the Year Award[20] | Christopher Koch | The Year of Living Dangerously | Nelson |
| Miles Franklin Award[23] | Jessica Anderson | Tirra Lirra by the River | Macmillan |
Children and Young Adult[edit]
| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Book of the Year Award[24] | Older Readers | Patricia Wrightson | The Ice is Coming | Hutchinson |
| Picture Book | Jenny Wagner, illustrated by Ron Brooks | John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat | Viking Kestrel |
Poetry[edit]
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anne Elder Award[25] | Lee Cataldi | Invitation to a Marxist Lesbian Party | Wild & Woolley |
| Grace Leven Prize for Poetry[26] | Bruce Dawe | Sometimes Gladness: Collected Poems 1954–1978 | Longman Cheshire |
Non-fiction[edit]
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Age Book of the Year Award[27] | Patsy Adam-Smith | The ANZACS | Nelson |
Births[edit]
A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1978 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.
- 28 December — Holly Throsby, novelist and musician[28]
Unknown date
- Brett McBean, horror, thriller and speculative fiction writer[29]
- Fiona McFarlane, novelist and short story writer[30]
- Andrew O'Connor, novelist[31]
Deaths[edit]
A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1978 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.
- 9 March – John K. Ewers, novelist, poet, schoolteacher and short story writer (born 1904)[32]
- 16 April – Barbara Vernon, playwright, screenwriter and radio announcer (born 1916)[33]
- 23 May – Rose Lindsay, artist's model, author, and printmaker (born 1885)[34]
- 15 June – Paul McGuire, author, public servant and diplomat (born 1903)[35]
- 23 July – T. Inglis Moore, writer, anthologist and academic (born 1901)[36]
- 24 July – Annie Rattray Rentoul, children's poet and story writer (born 1882)[37]
- 27 September – Margaret Horder, artist and children's book illustrator (born 1903)[38]
- 7 December – Helen Haenke, poet, playwright and artist (born 1916)[39]
See also[edit]
- 1978 in Australia
- 1978 in literature
- 1978 in poetry
- List of years in Australian literature
- List of years in literature
References[edit]
- ^ "Transit of Cassidy by George Turner". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "To Keep the Ship by A. Bertram Chandler". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ "The Gods of Xuma, or, Barsoom Revisited by David Lake". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ "Beloved Son by George Turner". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ "Quarantine by Nicholas Hasluck". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "One Dragon's Dream by Peter Pavey". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Keep Calm by Joan Phipson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "The Dark Bright Water by Patricia Wrightson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Austlit — "Lizard and Stone" by David Campbell". Austlit. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ "Austlit — Invitation to a Marxist Lesbian Party by Lee Cataldi". Austlit. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ "Sometimes Gladness: Collected Poems 1954–1978 by Bruce Dawe". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Austlit — Birthstones by Jennifer Maiden". Austlit. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ "The ANZACS by Patsy Adam-Smith". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "The End of Dreaming by Mary Durack". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Weevils in the Flour by Wendy Lowenstein". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Light Horse: The Story of Australia's Mounted Troops by Elyne Mitchell". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Australian Government Gazette – Special" (PDF). Government House of The Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
- ^ ""Dobson, Rosemary de Brissac (1920 - 2012)"". The Australian Women's Register. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ "Gwen Harwood". PoemHunter.com. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
- ^ a b "Austlit — The Age Book of the Year Award". Austlit. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ^ "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Other Winners". www.jcu.edu.au. 15 November 2017. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- ^ "Miles Franklin Literary Award – Every Winner Since 1957". Better Reading. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
- ^ "Winners and Commended Books 1970 - 1979 - CBCA". 12 November 2009. Archived from the original on 12 November 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
- ^ "Austlit — Anne Elder Award 1977-78". Austlit. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Brisbane Writers Festival - Bruce Dawe". 6 August 2007. Archived from the original on 6 August 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
- ^ "Austlit — The Age Book of the Year Award -Non-Fiction". Austlit. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ "Austlit - Holly Throsby". Austlit. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Austlit - Brett McBean". Austlit. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Austlit - Fiona McFarlane". Austlit. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Austlit - Andrew O'Connor". Austlit. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Ewers, John Keith (1904–1978) by Jenny Gregory and Rebecca Shepherd". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Vernon, Barbara Mary (1916–1978) by Jane Connors". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Lindsay, Rose (1885–1978) by Ana Carden-Coyne". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "McGuire, Dominic Mary Paul (1903–1978) by Katharine Massam". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "Austlit – T. Inglis Moore (1901-1978)". Austlit. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ^ "Rentoul, Annie Rattray (1882–1978) by Diane Langmore". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Austlit - Margaret Horder (1903-1978)". Austlit. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Haenke, Helen Joyce (1916–1978) by Delyse Anthony". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
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