1987 in Australian literature

none December 2019 December 2019 This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1987. Events Glenda Adams won the 1987 Miles Franklin Award for Dancing on Coral Major publications Novels Glenda Adams — Dancing on Coral Murray Bail — Holden's Performance Sumner Locke Elliott — Waiting for Childhood Barbara Hanrahan — Kewpie Doll Austlit — Kewpie Doll by Barbara Hanrahan Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C198961 22 November 2023 Nicholas Hasluck — Truant State Truant State by Nicholas Hasluck National Library of Australia https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1504496 10 January 2025 David Ireland — Bloodfather Bloodfather by David Ireland National Library of Australia https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/240170 10 January 2025 Nicholas Jose — Paper Nautilus Austlit — Paper Nautilus by Nicholas Jose Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C191728 22 November 2023 Thomas Keneally — The Playmaker Olga Masters — Amy's Children Austlit — Amy's Children by Olga Masters Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C203919 22 November 2023 Colleen McCullough — The Ladies of Missalonghi Boyd Oxlade — Death in Brunswick Nancy Phelan — Home is the Sailor Home is the Sailor by Nancy Phelan National Library of Australia https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1613613 10 January 2025 Eric Willmot — Pemulwuy, the Rainbow Warrior Austlit — Pemulwuy, the Rainbow Warrior by Eric Wilmot Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C205076 22 November 2023 Short stories Jessica Anderson — Stories from the Warm Zone Thea Astley — It's Raining in Mango Julie Lewis — The Walls of Jericho: Storieshttps://trove.nla.gov.au/version/14090221 The Walls of Jericho Lewis Julie 1987 Fremantle, W.A : Fremantle Arts Centre Press 978-0-949206-16-9 en John Sligo — Final Things Patrick White — Three Uneasy Pieces Children's and young adult fiction John Marsden — So Much to Tell You Science fiction and fantasy Greg Egan – "Neighbourhood Watch" Isobelle Carmody — Obernewtyn George Turner — The Sea and Summer Crime and mystery Jon Cleary — Dragons at the Party Peter Corris — The January Zone Jennifer Rowe — Grim Pickings Austlit — Grim Pickings by Jennifer Rowe Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C191574 9 December 2023 Poetry Judith Beveridge — The Domesticity of Giraffes Dorothy Hewett — Alice in Wormland Austlit — Alice in Wormland by Dorothy Hewett Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C181855 9 December 2023 Les Murray— The Daylight Moon Elizabeth Riddell — Occasions of Birds and Other Poems Drama Dorothy Hewett — Me and the Man in the Moon Austlit — Me and the Man in the Moon by Dorothy Hewtt Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C396320 9 December 2023 David Malouf — Blood Relations Wendy Richardson — Windy Gully Austlit — Windy Gully by Wendy Richardson Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C159198 9 December 2023 David Williamson — Emerald City Non-fiction Brian Matthews — Louisa Sally Morgan — My Place Awards and honours Rosemary Dobson AUS AO, for "service to literature, particularly in the field of poetry"https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870242 Rosemary de Brissac Dobson honours.pmc.gov.au 2019-12-20 David Malouf AUS AO, for "service to literature"https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870335 David George Joseph Malouf honours.pmc.gov.au 2019-12-20 Peter Cowan (writer) AUS AM, for "service to Australian literature"https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870158 Peter Walkinshaw Cowan honours.pmc.gov.au 2019-12-20 Ruth Park AUS AM, for "service to literature"https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870077 Ruth Park (Mrs Niland) honours.pmc.gov.au 2019-12-20 Rica Erickson AUS AM, for "service to the arts, particularly as an author and illustratorhttps://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/869802 Dr Frederica Lucy Erickson honours.pmc.gov.au 2019-12-20 Lifetime achievement 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 19 September 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230919074005/https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/v539?mainTabTemplate=awardWorksAndAgents&from=18&count=3 dead 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 William Hart-Smith Literary Award Author Title Publisher The Age Book of the Year Award"Book judges find winners in warm zones and on fatal shores" The Age, 5 December 1987, p5 https://www.proquest.com/docview/2521294318 28 May 2024 2521294318 Jessica Anderson Stories from the Warm Zone Penguin ALS Gold Medal ALS Gold Medal - Previous Winners Association for the Study of Australian Literature https://www.asal.org.au/awards/als-gold-medal/ 10 November 2023 Alan Wearne The Nightmarkets Penguin 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 10 November 2023 Nancy Phelan Home is the Sailor and the Best of Intentions Hyland House Fiction International Award Category Author Title Publisher Commonwealth Writers' Prize Commonwealth Writers' Prize Regional Winners 1987-2007 Commonwealth Foundation http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com/uploads/documents/Regional%20Winners%201987-20071.pdf 17 January 2024 23 October 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20071023223729/http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com/uploads/documents/Regional%20Winners%201987-20071.pdf dead Best Novel, SE Asia and South Pacific region Blanche d'Alpuget Winter in Jerusalem Heinemann National Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for LiteratureState Library of South Australia https://stories.slsa.sa.gov.au/south-australian-literary-awards/ Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature – Past Literary Award Winners 7 August 2026 Not awarded The Age Book of the Year Award Jessica Anderson Stories from the Warm Zone Penguin The Australian/Vogel Literary Award Austlit — The Australian/Vogel National Literary Award 1987 Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/v385?mainTabTemplate=awardWorksAndAgents&from=33&count=3 9 December 2023 Jim Sakkas Ilias Allen and Unwin Miles Franklin Award "Literary win" The Age, 11 May 1088, p3 https://www.proquest.com/docview/2521286110 16 January 2025 2521286110 Glenda Adams Dancing on Coral Viking Press New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards No prize for coming first, say literary judges Sydney Morning Herald, 3 September 1987, p4 https://www.proquest.com/docview/2526227339 3 May 2024 2526227339 Glenda Adams Dancing on Coral Viking Press Victorian Premier's Literary AwardsThe Premier's Literary Awards Winners The Age, 19 September 1987, p13 https://www.proquest.com/docview/2676210045/se-2 26 April 2024 2676210045 Janine Burke Second Sight Greenhouse Publications Western Australian Premier's Book Awards"Australian Literary Awards: Western Australian Premier's" University Libraries https://guides.lib.uw.edu/c.php?g=341672&p=2299464 4 April 2025 Joan London Sister Ships Fremantle Arts Centre Press Children and Young Adult Award Category Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Children's Not awarded Children's Book of the Year AwardThe Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards 1946– The Children's Book Council of Australia https://cbca.blob.core.windows.net/documents/National/CBCA%20Awards%201946%20on.pdf 26 July 2026 Older Readers Simon French All We Know Angus and Robertson Picture Book Junko Morimoto, translated by Isao Morimoto Kojuro and the Bears Random House New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Young People's Literature Nan Hunt and Betina Ogden A Rabbit Named Harris William Collins Science fiction and fantasy Award Category Author Title Publisher Australian SF Achievement Award "Ditmar Awards 1987" SFADB https://www.sfadb.com/Ditmar_Awards_1987 28 June 2025 Best Australian Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel Keith Taylor Bard III: The Wild Sea Berkley Publishing Best Australian Science Fiction or Fantasy Short Fiction Terry Dowling "The Man Who Lost Red" MirrorDanse Books Poetry Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Not awarded Anne Elder Award Austlit — Anne Elder Award 1985-88 Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/v148?mainTabTemplate=awardWorksAndAgents&from=33&count=3 9 February 2024 Sarah Day A Hunger to be Less Serious Angus & Robertson Grace Leven Prize for Poetry"Booknotes" The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 August 1990 https://www.proquest.com/docview/3179756809 27 April 2026 3179756809 Elizabeth Riddell Occasions of Birds and Other Poems Brindabella Press Mary Gilmore AwardMary Gilmore Award Association for the Study of Australian Literature https://www.asal.org.au/awards/mary-gilmore-award/ 8 February 2024 Jan Owen Boy with Telescope Angus & Robertson New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Philip Hodgins Blood and Bone Angus & Robertson Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Lily Brett The Auschwitz Poems Scribe Drama Award Category Author TitleNew South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Film Script David Parker Malcolm Television Script Helen Garner Two Friends Play David Malouf Blood Relations Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Drama Ben Lewin A Matter of Convenience Non-fiction Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Not awarded The Age Book of the Year Award Robert Hughes The Fatal Shore Knopf New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Patrick O'Farrell The Irish In Australia University of New South Wales Press Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Hugh Stretton Political Essays Deaths A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1987 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth. 3 March — Cyril Pearl, Australian journalist, editor, author, social historian, wit and television personality (born 1904) Cyril Altson Pearl (1904–1987) by Patrick Buckridge Australian Dictionary of Biography https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/pearl-cyril-altson-15048 9 November 2023 18 April — Kenneth Cook, Australian journalist, television documentary maker and novelist (born 1929)Kent Jacqueline Kenneth Bernard Cook (1929–1987) https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cook-kenneth-bernard-12344 Australian Dictionary of Biography 2023-10-19 Canberra National Centre of Biography, Australian National University en 8 May — Marjorie Barnard, Australia novelist and short story writer, critic, historian and librarian (born 1897) Barnard, Marjorie Faith (Marjory) (1897–1987) by Jill Roe Australian Dictionary of Biography https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/barnard-marjorie-faith-marjory-12176 7 July 2023 24 May — Robert D. Fitzgerald, poet (born 1902) FitzGerald, Robert David (Bob) (1902–1987) by Stuart Lee Australian Dictionary of Biography https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/fitzgerald-robert-david-bob-12498 29 June 2023 3 July — Grace Perry, poet, playwright, and founder and editor of the South Head Press (born 1927)Perry, Grace Amelia (1927-1987) https://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE6128b.htm 2023-10-01 The Australian Women's Register en-gb 17 December — Lucy Walker, romance novelist (born 1907) Dorothy Lucy Sanders (1907–1987) by Lisa MacKinney and Jenny Gregory Australian Dictionary of Biography https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/sanders-dorothy-lucy-15758 9 November 2023 See also 1987 in Australia 1987 in literature 1987 in poetry List of years in literature List of years in Australian literature References Category:1987 in Australia Category:Australian literature by year Category:20th-century Australian literature Category:1987 in literature