1986 in Australian literature

none December 2019 December 2019 This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1986. Events Elizabeth Jolley won the 1986 Miles Franklin Award for The Well The Melbourne Writers Festival is held for the first time Major publications Novels Margaret Barbalet — Blood in the Rain Blood in the Rain by National Library of Australia https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1947070 8 January 2025 Janine Burke — Second Sight Blanche d'Alpuget — Winter in Jerusalem Winter in Jerusalem by National Library of Australia https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record//40276 8 January 2025 Elizabeth Jolley — The Well Rod Jones — Julia Paradise Julia Paradise by Rod Jones National Library of Australia https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/839651 8 January 2025 John Macgregor — Propinquity Christina Stead — I'm Dying Laughing: The Humourist Alan Wearne — The Nightmarkets Morris West — Cassidy Tim Winton — That Eye, the Sky Patrick White — Memoirs of Many in One Crime and mystery Peter Corris Deal Me Out The Greenwich Apartments Tony Kenrick — China White Austlit — China White by Tony Kenrick Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C545005 29 November 2023 Science fiction and fantasy George Turner — "Shut the Door When You Go Out" "Shut the Door When You Go Out" by George Turner ISFDB https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?86280 26 February 2024 Cherry Wilder — The Summer's King Austlit — The Summer's King by Cherry Wilder Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C205931 26 February 2024 Short stories Janette Turner Hospital — Dislocations Austlit — Dislocations by Janette Turner Hospital Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C182147 26 November 2023 Joan London — Sister Ships and Other Stories Sally Morgan — "The Letter" Austlit — "The Letter" by Sally Morgan Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C134098 26 November 2023 Archie Weller — Going Home Austlit — Going Home by Archie Weller Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C192326 26 November 2023 Tim Winton — "Swimming to Salvation" Austlit — "Swimming to Salvation" by Tim Winton Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C72781 26 November 2023 Children's and young adult fiction Graeme Base — Animalia Hesba Fay Brinsmead — Someplace Beautiful Austlit — Someplace Beautiful by Hesba Fay Brinsmead Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C397713 15 November 2023 Victor Kelleher — Taronga Doug MacLeod — Sister Madge's Book of Nuns Austlit — Sister Madge's Book of Nuns By Doug MacLeod Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C397722 15 November 2023 Emily Rodda — Pigs Might Fly Austlit — Pigs Might Fly by Jennifer Rowe Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C389583 15 November 2023 Gillian Rubinstein — Space Demons Austlit — Space Demons by Gillian Rubinstein Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C123894 29 November 2023 Poetry Lily Brett — The Auschwitz Poems Robert Harris — The Cloud Passes Over The Cloud Passes Over by Robert Harris National Library of Australia https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/248923 25 February 2026 Susan Hampton and Kate Llewellyn – The Penguin Book of Australian Women Poets (edited) Philip Hodgins — Blood and Bone Rhyll McMaster — Washing the Money : Poems with Photographs Philip Neilson — The Penguin Book of Australian Satirical Verse (edited) Jan Owen — Boy with a Telescope Boy with a Telescope by Jan Owen National Library of Australia https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/307920 25 February 2026 John A. Scott — St. Clair: Three Narratives Drama Michael Gow — Away Non-fiction Gillian Bouras — A Foreign Wife Austlit — A Foreign Wife by Gillian Bouras Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C99647 15 November 2023 Robert Hughes — The Fatal Shore Kylie Tennant — The Missing Heir Austlit — The Missing Heir by Kylie Tennant Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C203765 15 November 2023 Awards and honours Geoffrey Serle AUS AO, for "service to scholarship and literature, particularly in the field of Australian history"https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/872561 Dr Alan Geoffrey Serle honours.pmc.gov.au live https://web.archive.org/web/20191219023834/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/872561 19 December 2019 2019-12-19 Nicholas Hasluck AUS AM, for "service to literature"https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/869695 Nicholas Paul Hasluck honours.pmc.gov.au live https://web.archive.org/web/20191219023835/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/869695 19 December 2019 2019-12-19 Dorothy Hewett AUS AM, for "service to literature"https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870127 Dorothy Coade Hewett honours.pmc.gov.au live https://web.archive.org/web/20190905141638/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870127 5 September 2019 2019-12-19 Barbara Jefferis AUS AM, for "service to literature"https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870228 Barbara Tarlton Jefferis (Mrs Hinde) honours.pmc.gov.au live https://web.archive.org/web/20191211194552/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870228 11 December 2019 2019-12-19 Grace Perry AUS AM, for "service to Australian literature, particularly as editor of Poetry Australia"https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870271 Dr Grace Amelia Perry honours.pmc.gov.au live https://web.archive.org/web/20190418034601/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870271 18 April 2019 2019-12-19 Russel Ward AUS AM, for "service to literature, particularly in the field of Australian history"https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/869782 Professor Russell Braddock Ward honours.pmc.gov.au live https://web.archive.org/web/20191211194233/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/869782 11 December 2019 2019-12-19 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 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 John Morrison Literary awards Award Author Title Publisher The Age Book of the Year Award"Short Stories Top the List" The Age, 3 December 1986, p11 https://www.proquest.com/docview/2521170097 28 May 2024 2521170097 Joan London Sister Ships and Other Stories Fremantle Press ALS Gold Medal ALS Gold Medal - Previous Winners Association for the Study of Australian Literature https://www.asal.org.au/awards/als-gold-medal/ 25 June 2023 Thea Astley Beachmasters Penguin Books 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 25 June 2023 Fr Tom Boland James Duhig University of Queensland Press Fiction awards 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 Helen Garner The Children's Bach McPhee Gribble The Age Book of the Year Award Joan London Sister Ships and Other Stories Fremantle Press The Australian/Vogel Literary Award Austlit — The Australian/Vogel National Literary Award 1986 Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/v385?mainTabTemplate=awardWorksAndAgents&from=33&count=3 15 November 2023 Robin Walton Glace Fruits Allen and Unwin Miles Franklin Awardhttp://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article118306285 Literary prize The Canberra Times 61 18,862 Australian Capital Territory, Australia 26 May 1987 27 June 2023 7 National Library of Australia Elizabeth Jolley The Well Viking Press New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Premier's prize giving a sober literary affair Sydney Morning Herald, 17 September 1986, p5 https://www.proquest.com/docview/2526321643 3 May 2024 2526321643 Helen Garner Postcards from Surfers McPhee Gribble Victorian Premier's Literary AwardsWinners of the 1986 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards The Age, 4 October 1986, p13 https://www.proquest.com/docview/2521243460/se-2 26 April 2024 2521243460 Peter Carey Illywhacker University of Queensland Press 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 Peter Cowan The Colour of the Sky Fremantle Arts Centre Press Children and Young Adult Award Category Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Children's Ivan Southall The Long Night Watch Methuen PublishingChildren'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 Thurley Fowler The Green Wind Rigby Picture Book Terry Denton Felix & Alexander Oxford University Press New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Young People's Literature James Aldridge The True Story of Spit MacPhee Viking/Penguin Books Australia Science fiction and fantasy Award Category Author Title Publisher Australian SF Achievement Award "Ditmar Awards 1986" SFADB https://www.sfadb.com/Ditmar_Awards_1986 28 June 2025 Best Australian Science Fiction Peter Carey Illywhacker University of Queensland Press Poetry Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Robert Gray Selected Poems 1963-1983 Angus and Robertson 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 Jan Owen Boy with Telescope Angus and Robertson Grace Leven Prize for Poetry Austlit — Grace Leven Prize for Poetry 1986 Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/v186?mainTabTemplate=awardWorksAndAgents&from=18&count=3 15 November 2023 Rhyll McMaster Washing the Money : Poems with Photographs Angus and Robertson Mary Gilmore AwardMary Gilmore Award Association for the Study of Australian Literature https://www.asal.org.au/awards/mary-gilmore-award/ 8 February 2024 Stephen J. Williams A Crowd of Voices Pariah Press New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Robert Gray Selected Poems 1963-1983 Angus & RobertsonVictorian Premier's Literary Awards Rhyll McMaster Washing the Money : Poems with Photographs Angus & Robertson John A. Scott St. Clair University of Queensland Press Drama Award Category Author TitleNew South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Script Peter Carey & Ray Lawrence Bliss Play Michael Gow Away Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Drama Janis Balodis Too Young for Ghosts Non-fiction Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature R. M. Gibbs A History of Prince Alfred College Peacock Publications The Age Book of the Year Award Garry Kinnane George Johnston: A Biography NelsonNew South Wales Premier's Literary Awards George Munster A Paper Prince Viking Phillip Pepper with Tess De Araugo The Kurnai of Gippsland, Volume One Hyland House Victorian Premier's Literary Awards John Bryson Evil Angels Viking Births A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1986 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death. 23 August — Jack Heath, writer of fiction for children and adults Austlit — Jack Heath Austlit https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A94187 15 November 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 1986 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth. 2 March — Margaret Trist, novelist and short story writer (born 1914) Margaret Bethesda Trist (1914–1986) by Vivienne Muller Australian Dictionary of Biography https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/trist-margaret-bethesda-15566 15 November 2023 27 September — Olga Masters, writer, journalist, novelist and short story writer (born 1919)Olga Masters (1919-1986) https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A11390 2023-09-19 AustLit: Discover Australian Stories The University of Queensland 10 November — Laurence Collinson, British and Australian playwright, actor, poet, journalist, and secondary school teacher (born 1925) Laurence Henry (Laurie) Collinson (1925–1986) by William Hatherell Australian Dictionary of Biography https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/collinson-laurence-henry-laurie-12337 15 November 2023 See also 1986 in Australia 1986 in literature 1986 in poetry List of years in literature List of years in Australian literature References Category:1986 in Australia Category:Australian literature by year Category:20th-century Australian literature Category:1986 in literature