1981 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1981.

Events

• Peter Carey won the 1981 Miles Franklin Award for Bliss

Major publications

Literary novels

• Peter Carey — Bliss
• Blanche d'Alpuget — Turtle Beach
• David Foster — Moonlite[1]
• Miles Franklin — On Dearborn Street[2]
• David Ireland — City of Women[3]
• Elizabeth Jolley — The Newspaper of Claremont Street[4]
• Colleen McCullough — An Indecent Obsession
• Morris West — The Clowns of God

Crime and mystery

• Marshall Browne — Dragon Strike[5]
• Peter Corris — White Meat[6]

Science fiction and fantasy

• John Brosnan — Skyship[7]
• David Lake — The Man Who Loved Morlocks[8]
• Keith Taylor — Bard[9]
• George Turner — Vaneglory[10]

Children's and young adult fiction

• Jan Ormerod — Sunshine[11]
• Ruth Park — The Muddle-Headed Wombat is Very Bad
• Eleanor Spence – The Seventh Pebble[12]
• Colin Thiele — The Valley Between[13]

Poetry

• Alan Gould — Astral Sea[14]
• Gwen Harwood — The Lion's Bride[15]
• Geoffrey Lehmann — Nero's Poems: Translations of the Public and Private Poems of the Emperor Nero[16]

Drama

• Louis Nowra
  • Inside The Island[17]
  • The Precious Woman[18]

Non-fiction

• Albert Facey — A Fortunate Life
• Henry Reynolds — The Other Side of the Frontier
• Eric Charles Rolls — A Million Wild Acres
• Gavin Souter — A Company of Heralds[19]
• Patrick White — Flaws in the Glass

Awards and honours

Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)

• A. D. Hope[20]

Member of the Order of Australia (AM)

• Dymphna Cusack[20]
• Beatrice Deloitte Davis[20]
• David Ireland[21]
• Jack Lindsay[20]
• Alan Marshall[20]
• Stephen Murray-Smith[21]
• Leslie Rees[21]
• Ivan Southall[20]
• Joan Woodberry[21]

Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)

• Walter W. Stone[21]

Lifetime achievement award

Award	Author
Christopher Brennan Award[22]	Not awarded
Patrick White Award[23]	Dal Stivens

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award[24]	Eric Charles Rolls	A Million Wild Acres	Nelson
ALS Gold Medal[25]	Not awarded
Colin Roderick Award[26]	Gavin Souter	A Company of Heralds	Melbourne University Press

Fiction

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award[24]	Blanche d'Alpuget	Turtle Beach	Penguin
The Australian/Vogel Literary Award[27]	Chris Matthews	Al Jazzar	Allen & Unwin
	Tim Winton	An Open Swimmer	Allen & Unwin
Miles Franklin Award[28]	Peter Carey	Bliss	Faber and Faber
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[29]	Jessica Anderson	The Impersonators	Macmillan

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award[30]	Older Readers	Ruth Park	Playing Beatie Bow	Nelson Books
	Picture Book	Not awarded
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards	Children's Book Award[29]	Ruth Park and Deborah Niland	When the Wind Changed	William Collins
	Special Children's Book Award[29]	Eleanor Spence	The Seventh Pebble	Oxford University Press

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Anne Elder Award[31]	Gig Ryan	The Division of Anger	Transit Press
	Jenny Boult	The Hotel Anonymous	Bent Enterprises
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry[32]	Geoffrey Lehmann	Nero's Poems: Translations of the Public and Private Poems of the Emperor Nero	Angus & Robertson
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[29]	Alan Gould	Astral Sea	Angus & Robertson

Non-fiction

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award[24]	Eric Charles Rolls	A Million Wild Acres	Nelson
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[29]	A. B. Facey	A Fortunate Life	Manuscript version

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1981 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 7 April — Lili Wilkinson, author of young adult fiction[33]

Unknown date

• Alice Pung, novelist and memoir writer, editor and lawyer[34]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1981 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 14 January — John O'Grady, writer, best known as Nino Culotta, author of They're a Weird Mob (born 1907)[35]
• 29 March — Clive Sansom, poet and playwright (born 1910)[36]
• 19 April — Louis Kaye, novelist and short story writer (born 1901)[37]
• 29 April — Leonard Mann, poet and novelist (born 1895)[38]
• 29 August — Wal Stone, book publisher, collector and supporter of Australian literature (born 1910)[39]
• 19 October — Dymphna Cusack, novelist and playwright (born 1902)[40]

Unknown date

• Edith Mary England, novelist and poet (born 1899)[41]
• Ada Verdun Howell, author and poet (born 1902)[42]

See also

• 1981 in Australia
• 1981 in literature
• 1981 in poetry
• List of years in literature
• List of years in Australian literature

References

1. "Austlit — Moonlite by David Foster". Austlit. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
2. "Austlit — On Dearborn Street by Miles Franklin". Austlit. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
3. "Austlit — City of Women by David Ireland". Austlit. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
4. "Austlit — The Newspaper of Claremont Street by Elizabeth Jolley". Austlit. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
5. "Austlit — Dragon Strike by Marshall Browne". Austlit. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
6. "Austlit — White Meat by Peter Corris". Austlit. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
7. "Skyship by John Brosnan". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
8. "The Man Who Loved Morlocks by David Lake". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
9. "Bard by Keith Taylor". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
10. "Vaneglory by George Turner". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
11. "Austlit — Sunshine by Jan Ormerod". Austlit. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
12. "The Seventh Pebble by Eleanor Spence". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
13. "The Valley Between by Colin Thiele". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
14. "Austlit — Astral Sea by Alan Gould". Austlit. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
15. "Austlit — The Lion's Bride by Gwen Harwood". Austlit. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
16. "Austlit — Nero's Poems: Translations of the Public and Private Poems of the Emperor Nero by Geoffrey Lehmann". Austlit. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
17. "Austlit — Inside The Island by Louis Nowra". Austlit. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
18. "Austlit — The Precious Woman by Louis Nowra". Austlit. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
19. "Austlit — A Company of Heralds by Gavin Souter". Austlit. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
20. "The Awards and Recipients". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). 26 January 1981. p. 6. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
21. "The Queen's Birthday Honours Lists Commonwealth". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). 13 June 1981. p. 11. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
22. "Austlit — FAW Christopher Brennan Award 1980-87". Austlit. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
23. "Austlit — Patrick White Award - Past Winners". Austlit. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
24. ""NSW man wins 'Age' book award"". The Age, 5 December 1981, p3. ProQuest 2676337338. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
25. "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
26. "Colin Roderick Award - Other Winners". James Cook University. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
27. "Austlit — The Australian/VogelNational Literary Award 1981". Austlit. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
28. "Miles Franklin Prize 1981". The Canberra Times. Vol. 56, no. 17, 043. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 27 May 1982. p. 7. Retrieved 19 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
29. "Book award goes to 86-year-old". The Age, 8 September 1981,p16. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
30. ""No Picture Book of Year prize"". The Canberra Times, 11 July 1981, p9. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
31. "Austlit — Anne Elder Award 1979-81". Austlit. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
32. "Austlit — Nero's Poems: Translations of the Public and Private Poems of the Emperor Nero by Geoffrey Lehmann". Austlit. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
33. "Lili Wilkinson". Austlit. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
34. "Alice Pung". Austlit. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
35. White, Richard, "O'Grady, John (Patrick) (1907–1981)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 25 June 2019
36. Spaulding, Ralph, "Sansom, Clive Henry (1910–1981)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 25 June 2019
37. Pierce, Peter, "Norman, Noel Wilson ('Louis Kaye') (1901–1981)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 25 June 2019
38. Lacy, Gavin De, "Mann, Leonard (1895–1981)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 25 June 2019
39. Stone, Jean (1988). The Passionate Bibliophile: The Story of Walter Stone, Australian Bookman Extraordinaire. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. ISBN 0207153949.
40. North, Marilla, "Cusack, Ellen Dymphna (Nell) (1902–1981)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 25 June 2019
41. "Edith Mary England (1899-1981)". Austlit. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
42. "Ada Verdun Howell (1902-1981)". PoetrySoup. Retrieved 6 July 2023.