1981 in Australian literature

none June 2019 June 2019 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 Sumner Locke Elliott — Signs of Life David Foster — Moonlite Moonlite by David Foster National Library of Australia https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1607397 23 June 2026 Miles Franklin — On Dearborn Street On Dearborn Street by Miles Franklin National Library of Australia https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1627348 23 June 2026 David Ireland — City of Women City of Women by David Ireland National Library of Australia https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/28368 23 June 2026 Elizabeth Jolley — The Newspaper of Claremont Street The Newspaper of Claremont Street by Elizabeth Jolley National Library of Australia https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/4247873 23 June 2026 David Malouf — Child's Play Colleen McCullough — An Indecent Obsession Morris West — The Clowns of God Crime and mystery Marshall Browne — Dragon Strike Austlit — Dragon Strike by Marshall Browne Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C379269 6 September 2023 Peter Corris — White Meat Science fiction and fantasy John Brosnan — Skyship Skyship by John Brosnan ISFDB https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?20666 19 April 2024 A. Bertram Chandler — The Anarch Lords David Lake — The Man Who Loved Morlocks The Man Who Loved Morlocks by David Lake ISFDB https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?8317 19 April 2024 Keith Taylor — Bard Bard by Keith Taylor ISFDB https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?8319 19 April 2024 George Turner — Vaneglory Vaneglory by George Turner ISFDB https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?7634 19 April 2024 Children's and young adult fiction Jan Ormerod — Sunshine Austlit — Sunshine by Jan Ormerod Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C317932 6 September 2023 Ruth Park — The Muddle-Headed Wombat is Very Bad Eleanor Spence – The Seventh Pebble The Seventh Pebble by Eleanor Spence National Library of Australia https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2810225 19 April 2024 Colin Thiele — The Valley Between The Valley Between by Colin Thiele National Library of Australia https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/29120 19 April 2024 Poetry Alan Gould — Astral Sea Gwen Harwood — The Lion's Bride Austlit — The Lion's Bride by Gwen Harwood Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C199648 6 September 2023 Geoffrey Lehmann — Nero's Poems: Translations of the Public and Private Poems of the Emperor Nero Austlit — Nero's Poems: Translations of the Public and Private Poems of the Emperor Nero by Geoffrey Lehmann Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C161808 6 September 2023 Drama Louis Nowra Inside The Island Austlit — Inside The Island by Louis Nowra Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C183283 6 September 2023 The Precious Woman Austlit — The Precious Woman by Louis Nowra Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C9144 6 September 2023 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 Austlit — A Company of Heralds by Gavin Souter Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C234040 6 September 2023 Patrick White — Flaws in the Glass Awards and honours Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) A. D. Hopehttp://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article125649151 The Awards and Recipients 1981-01-26 Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) 2019-09-18 6 Member of the Order of Australia (AM) Dymphna Cusack Beatrice Deloitte Davis David Irelandhttp://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article125640658 The Queen's Birthday Honours Lists Commonwealth 1981-06-13 Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) 2019-06-25 11 Jack Lindsay Alan Marshall Stephen Murray-Smith Leslie Rees Ivan Southall Joan Woodberry Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) Walter W. Stone Lifetime achievement award Award Author Christopher Brennan Award Austlit — FAW Christopher Brennan Award 1980-87 Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/v539?mainTabTemplate=awardWorksAndAgents&from=18&count=3 13 September 2023 Not awarded Patrick White Award Austlit — Patrick White Award - Past Winners Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/v617?mainTabTemplate=awardWorksAndAgents 22 August 2023 22 August 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230822040912/https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/v617?mainTabTemplate=awardWorksAndAgents dead Dal Stivens Literary Award Author Title Publisher The Age Book of the Year Award"NSW man wins 'Age' book award" The Age, 5 December 1981, p3 https://www.proquest.com/docview/2676337338 20 May 2024 2676337338 Eric Charles Rolls A Million Wild Acres Nelson ALS Gold Medal ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners Association for the Study of Australian Literature https://www.asal.org.au/awards/als-gold-medal/ 22 August 2023 Not awarded Colin Roderick Award Colin Roderick Award - Other Winners James Cook University https://www.jcu.edu.au/foundation-for-australian-literary-studies/roderick-award/previous-winners2 26 June 2023 Gavin Souter A Company of Heralds Melbourne University Press Fiction Award Author Title Publisher The Age Book of the Year Award Blanche d'Alpuget Turtle Beach PenguinThe Australian/Vogel Literary Award Austlit — The Australian/VogelNational Literary Award 1981 Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/v385?mainTabTemplate=awardWorksAndAgents&from=36&count=3 11 October 2023 Chris Matthews Al Jazzar Allen & Unwin Tim Winton An Open Swimmer Allen & Unwin Miles Franklin Awardhttp://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article126898608 Miles Franklin Prize 1981 The Canberra Times 56 17,043 Australian Capital Territory, Australia 27 May 1982 19 June 2023 7 National Library of Australia Peter Carey Bliss Faber and Faber New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Book award goes to 86-year-old The Age, 8 September 1981,p16 https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/september-8-1981-page-16-48/docview/2520980395/se-2 18 April 2024 Jessica Anderson The Impersonators Macmillan Children and Young Adult Award Category Author Title PublisherChildren's Book of the Year Award"No Picture Book of Year prize" The Canberra Times, 11 July 1981, p9 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article127050989 11 October 2023 Older Readers Ruth Park Playing Beatie Bow Nelson Books Picture Book Not awarded New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Children's Book Award Ruth Park and Deborah Niland When the Wind Changed William Collins Special Children's Book Award Eleanor Spence The Seventh Pebble Oxford University Press Science fiction and fantasy Award Category Author Title Publisher Australian SF Achievement Award "Ditmar Awards 1981" SFADB https://www.sfadb.com/Ditmar_Awards_1981 28 May 2025 Best Australian Science Fiction Damien Broderick The Dreaming Dragons Norstrilia Press Poetry Award Author Title PublisherAnne Elder Award Austlit — Anne Elder Award 1979-81 Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/v148?mainTabTemplate=awardWorksAndAgents&from=39&count=3 8 February 2024 Gig Ryan The Division of Anger Transit Press Jenny Boult The Hotel Anonymous Bent Enterprises Grace Leven Prize for Poetry Austlit — Nero's Poems: Translations of the Public and Private Poems of the Emperor Nero by Geoffrey Lehmann Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C161808 3 September 2023 Geoffrey Lehmann Nero's Poems: Translations of the Public and PrivatePoems of the Emperor Nero Angus & Robertson New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Alan Gould Astral Sea Angus & Robertson Non-fiction Award Author Title Publisher The Age Book of the Year Award Eric Charles Rolls A Million Wild Acres Nelson New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards 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 Lili Wilkinson Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A98275 26 June 2023 Unknown date Zana Fraillon, novelist for children and young adultsZana Fraillon https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A127710 2025-12-08 AustLit en Alice Pung, novelist and memoir writer, editor and lawyer Alice Pung Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A98119 26 June 2023 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)White Richard O'Grady, John (Patrick) (1907–1981) https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ogrady-john-patrick-15404 Australian Dictionary of Biography National Centre of Biography, Australian National University 2019-06-25 29 March — Clive Sansom, poet and playwright (born 1910)Spaulding Ralph Sansom, Clive Henry (1910–1981) https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/sansom-clive-henry-15760 Australian Dictionary of Biography National Centre of Biography, Australian National University 2019-06-25 19 April — Louis Kaye, novelist and short story writer (born 1901)Pierce Peter Norman, Noel Wilson ('Louis Kaye') (1901–1981) https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/norman-noel-wilson-louis-kaye-15094 Australian Dictionary of Biography National Centre of Biography, Australian National University 2019-06-25 29 April — Leonard Mann, poet and novelist (born 1895)Lacy Gavin De Mann, Leonard (1895–1981) https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mann-leonard-14907 Australian Dictionary of Biography National Centre of Biography, Australian National University 2019-06-25 29 August — Wal Stone, book publisher, collector and supporter of Australian literature (born 1910)Stone, Jean (1988). The Passionate Bibliophile: The Story of Walter Stone, Australian Bookman Extraordinaire. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. 0207153949. 19 October — Dymphna Cusack, novelist and playwright (born 1902)North Marilla Cusack, Ellen Dymphna (Nell) (1902–1981) https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cusack-ellen-dymphna-nell-12385 Australian Dictionary of Biography National Centre of Biography, Australian National University 2019-06-25 Unknown date Edith Mary England, novelist and poet (born 1899) Edith Mary England (1899-1981) Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A2514 26 June 2023 Ada Verdun Howell, author and poet (born 1902)Ada Verdun Howell (1902-1981) https://www.poetrysoup.com/ada_verdun_howell 2023-07-06 PoetrySoup en See also 1981 in Australia 1981 in literature 1981 in poetry List of years in literature List of years in Australian literature References Category:1981 in Australia Category:Australian literature by year Category:20th-century Australian literature Category:1981 in literature