1984 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1984.

Events

• Tim Winton’s Shallows won the 1984 Miles Franklin Award

Major publications

Novels

• Helen Garner — The Children's Bach
• Nicholas Hasluck — The Bellarmine Jug
• David Ireland — Archimedes and the Seagle
• Peter Kocan — The Treatment; and, the Cure[1]
• Elizabeth Jolley — Milk and Honey
• Amanda Lohrey — The Morality of Gentlemen[2]
• David Malouf — Harland's Half Acre[3]
• Jill Neville — Last Ferry to Manly[4]
• Randolph Stow — The Suburbs of Hell[5]
• Tim Winton — Shallows

Crime and mystery

• Marshall Browne — Dark Harbour[6]
• Evan Green — Alice to Nowhere[7]
• Tony Kenrick — Blast[8]
• William Marshall — The Far Away Man[9]

Science fiction and fantasy

• A. Bertram Chandler — The Wild Ones[10]
• Victor Kelleher — The Beast of Heaven[11]
• Keith Taylor — Bard II[12]
• Cherry Wilder
  • A Princess of the Chameln[13]
  • Yorath the Wolf[14]

Short story anthologies

• John Morrison — Stories of the Waterfront[15]

Children's and young adult fiction

• James Aldridge — The True Story of Lilli Stubeck[16]
• Robin Klein — Hating Alison Ashley
• Emily Rodda — Something Special[17]
• Nadia Wheatley — Dancing in the Anzac Deli[18]

Poetry

• Doris Brett — The Truth about Unicorns[19]
• Rosemary Dobson — The Three Fates & Other Poems[20]
• Robert Gray — The Skylight[21]
• Syd Harrex — Atlantis and Other Poems[22]
• Kevin Hart — Your Shadow[23]
• Dorothy Porter — The Night Parrot[24]

Awards and honours

• Nancy Cato AM, for "service to Australian literature"[25]
• John Manifold AM, for "service literature as a poet and musician[26]
• Dorothy Auchterlonie Green OAM, for "service to Australian literature"[27]

Lifetime achievement

Award	Author
Christopher Brennan Award[28]	Not awarded
NSW Premier's Special Award[29]	Marjorie Barnard
Patrick White Award[30]	Rosemary Dobson

Literary awards

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award[31]	Nicholas Hasluck	The Bellarmine Jug	Penguin
ALS Gold Medal[32]	Les Murray	The People's Otherworld : Poems	Angus and Robertson
Colin Roderick Award[33]	Alan Gould	The Man Who Stayed Below	Angus and Robertson

Fiction awards

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award[31]	Nicholas Hasluck	The Bellarmine Jug	Penguin
The Australian/Vogel Literary Award[34]	Kate Grenville	Lilian's Story	Allen and Unwin
Miles Franklin Award[35]	Tim Winton	Shallows	Allen and Unwin
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[29]	Beverley Farmer	Milk	McPhee Gribble

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Anne Elder Award[36]	Doris Brett	The Truth About Unicorns	Jacaranda Press
	Max Richards	Under Mount Egmont and Other Poems	Neptune Press
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry[37]	Rosemary Dobson	The Three Fates and Other Poems	Hale and Iremonger
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[29]	Les Murray	The People's Otherworld : Poems	Angus & Robertson

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award	Older Readers[38]	Patricia Wrightson	A Little Fear	Hutchinson
	Picture Book[39]	Pamela Allen	Bertie and the Bear	Nelson Books
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[29]	Young People's Literature	Mem Fox and Julie Vivas	Possum Magic	Omnibus Books

Drama

Award	Category	Author	Title
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[29]	Script	Michael Jenkins	Careful, He Might Hear You
		Robert Caswell	Scales of Justice
	Play	Warwick Moss	Down an Alley Filled with Cats

Non-fiction

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award[31]	John Rickard	H.B. Higgins: The Rebel and Judge	Allen and Unwin
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[29]	Sylvia Lawson	The Archibald Paradox	Allen Lane

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1984 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 21 January — Alan Marshall, writer, story teller, humanist and social documenter (born 1902)[40]
• 12 March — Peg Maltby, artist, book illustrator and children's writer (born 1899 in England)[41]
• 6 June — A. Bertram Chandler, mariner-turned-science fiction writer (born 1912)[42]
• 24 June — Francis Brabazon, poet and member of Meher Baba's mandali (born 1907)[43]
• 29 September — Hal Porter, novelist, playwright, poet and short story writer (1911)[44]
• 10 November — Xavier Herbert, writer (born 1901)[45]
• 10 December — Jean Campbell, novelist (born 1901)[46]
• 23 December — Joan Lindsay, novelist, playwright, essayist and visual artist (born 1896)[47]

See also

• 1984 in Australia
• 1984 in literature
• 1984 in poetry
• List of years in literature
• List of years in Australian literature

References

1. "Austlit — The Treatment; and, the Cure by Peter Kocan". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
2. "Austlit — The Morality of Gentlemen by Amanda Lohrey". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
3. "Austlit — Harland's Half Acre by David Malouf". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
4. "Austlit — Last Ferry to Manly by Jill Neville". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
5. "Austlit — The Suburbs of Hell by Randolph Stowe". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
6. "Austlit — Dark Harbour by Marshall Browne". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
7. "Austlit — Alice to Nowhere by Evan Green". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
8. "Austlit — Blast by Tony Kenrick". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
9. "Austlit — The Far Away Man by William Marshall". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
10. "The Wild Ones by A. Bertram Chandler". ISFDB. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
11. "The Beast of Heaven by Victor Kelleher". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
12. "Bard II by Keith Taylor". ISFDB. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
13. "A Princess of the Chameln by Cherry Wilder". ISFDB. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
14. "Yorath the Wolf by Cherry Wilder". ISFDB. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
15. "Austlit — Stories of the Waterfront by John Morrison". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
16. "Austlit — The True Story of Lilli Stubeck by James Aldridge". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
17. "Austlit — Something Special by Emily Rodda". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
18. "Austlit — Dancing in the Anzac Deli by Nadia Wheatley". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
19. "Austlit — The Truth about Unicorns by Doris Brett". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
20. "Austlit — The Three Fates & Other Poems by Rosemary Dobson". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
21. "Austlit — The Skylight by Robert Gray". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
22. "Atlantis and Other Islands". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
23. "Austlit — Your Shadow by Kevin Hart". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
24. "Austlit — The Night Parrot by Dorothy Porter". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
25. "Nancy Fotheringham Cato". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
26. "John Streeter Manifold". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
27. "Dorothy Green". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
28. "Austlit — FAW Christopher Brennan Award 1980-87". Austlit. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
29. "'Milk' wins Farmer $10,000 NSW award". The Age, 4 September 1984, p14. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
30. "Austlit — Patrick White Award - Past Winners". Austlit. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
31. ""Book council president"". The Canberra Times, 8 December 1984, p3. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
32. "ALS Gold Medal - Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
33. "Colin Roderick Award - Other Winners". James Cook University. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
34. "Austlit — The Australian/Vogel National Literary Award 1984". Austlit. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
35. "Franklin award to Winton". The Canberra Times. Vol. 59, no. 18, 124. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 15 May 1985. p. 24. Retrieved 25 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
36. "Austlit — Anne Elder Award 1982-84". Austlit. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
37. ""Poetry prize to Rosemary Dobson"". The Canberra Times, 30 October 1985, p29. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
38. "Austlit — Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers 1984". Austlit. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
39. "Austlit — Children's Book of the Year Award: Picture Book 1984". Austlit. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
40. "Marshall, Alan (1902–1984) by John McLaren". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
41. "Peg Maltby (1899-1984)". Austlit. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
42. "Chandler, Arthur Bertram (Bert) (1912–1984) by Alf Van Der Poorten". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
43. "Francis Brabazon (1907-1984)". Austlit. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
44. "Porter, Harold Edward (Hal) (1911–1984) by Peter Pierce". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
45. "Herbert, Albert Francis Xavier (1901–1984) by Russell McDougall". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
46. "Campbell, Jean May (1901–1984) by John Arnold". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
47. "Lindsay, Joan à Beckett (1896–1984) by Terence O'Neill". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 24 June 2023.