1976 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1976.

Events

Major publications

Books

Robert Drewe – The Savage Crows
David Ireland – The Glass Canoe
Thomas Keneally – Season in Purgatory
Frank Moorhouse – Conference-Ville
Gerald Murnane – A Lifetime on Clouds
Christina Stead – Miss Herbert (The Suburban Wife)
Morris West – The Navigator
Patrick White – A Fringe of Leaves

Short stories

Elizabeth Jolley – Five Acre Virgin and Other Stories
Dal Stivens – The Unicorn and Other Tales

Science Fiction and Fantasy

A. Bertram Chandler – The Way Back^[1]
Lee Harding
- The Altered I : An Encounter with Science Fiction (edited)^[2]
- Beyond Tomorrow (edited)^[3]
- Future Sanctuary^[4]
David Lake – Walkers on the Sky^[5]

Children's and Young Adult fiction

Hesba Brinsmead
– Under the Silkwood
Elyne Mitchell – Son of the Whirlwind
Eleanor Spence – The October Child

Poetry

John Blight – Selected Poems, 1939-1975
Geoffrey Lehmann – Selected Poems
Les Murray
- "The Buladelah-Taree Holiday Song Cycle"
- Selected Poems: The Vernacular Republic
Judith Wright – Fourth Quarter

Drama

Dorothy Hewett – The Tatty Hollow Story
Steve J. Spears – The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin
Ric Throssell – For Valour (first performed 1960)
David Williamson
- The Club
- A Handful of Friends

Non-fiction

Donald Horne – Death of the Lucky Country
Gavin Souter – Lion and Kangaroo

Awards and honours

Lifetime achievement

Award	Author
Christopher Brennan Award^[6]	A. D. Hope
Patrick White Award^[7]	John Blight

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award^[8]	A. D. Hope	A Late Picking : Poems 1965-1974	Angus & Robertson
ALS Gold Medal^[9]	No award
Colin Roderick Award^[10]	Gavin Souter	Lion and Kangaroo	Collins

Fiction

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award^[8]	A. D. Hope	A Late Picking : Poems 1965-1974	Angus & Robertson
Miles Franklin Award^[11]	David Ireland	The Glass Canoe	Macmillan

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award	Older Readers^[12]	Ivan Southall	Fly West	Angus and Robertson
Children's Book of the Year Award	Picture Book^[12]	Dick Roughsey	The Rainbow Serpent	Collins

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry^[13]	John Blight	Selected Poems 1939–1975	Nelson

Non-fiction

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award^[14]	Hugh Stretton	Capitalism, Socialism and the Environment	Cambridge University Press

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1976 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

26 May — Marieke Hardy, writer^[15]

Unknown date

Kate Morton, novelist^[16]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1976 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

18 February — Catherine Shepherd, playwright (born 1901)^[17]
16 April – Nina Murdoch, poet and biographer (born 1890)^[18]
2 June – Lyndall Hadow, short story writer and journalist (born 1903)^[19]
6 August — George Farwell, novelist (born 1911)^[20]
14 August — James Devaney, novelist (born 1890)^[21]
22 August – Ella McFadyen, poet (born 1887)^[22]
15 October – James McAuley, poet (born 1917)^[23]
23 October – Ian Mudie, poet (born 1911)^[24]

References

^ "The Way Back by A. Bertam Chandler". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
^ "The Altered I edited by Lee Harding". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
^ "Beyond Tomorrow edited by Lee Harding". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
^ "Future Sanctuary by Lee Harding". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
^ "Walkers on the Sky by David Lake". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
^ ""Poetry prize"". The Canberra Times, 4 March 1976, p3. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
^ "Austlit — Patrick White Award - Past Winners". Austlit. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Austlit — A Late Picking by A. D. Hope". Austlit. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
^ "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
^ "Colin Roderick Award - Previous Winners", James Cook University
^ "Author's third Miles Franklin", The Canberra Times, 3 June 1980, p3
^ ^a ^b "1976 children's book awards announced", The Canberra Times, 10 July 1976, p3
^ Austlit - Selected Poems 1939–1975 by John Blight
^ ""The Age Book of the Year Award"". Austlit. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
^ "Austlit — Marieke Hardy". Austlit. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
^ "Austlit — Kate Morton". Austlit. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
^ "Shepherd, Catherine (1901–1976) by Gillian Winter". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
^ "Murdoch, Madoline (Nina) (1890–1976) by Suzanne Edgar". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
^ "Lyndall Hadow". Austlit. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
^ "George Michell Farwell (1911–1976) by Stuart Inder". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
^ "Devaney, James Martin (1890–1976) by M. D. O'Hagan". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
^ "McFadyen, Ella May (1887–1976) by Emily Gallagher". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
^ "McAuley, James Phillip (1917–1976) by Peter Pierce". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
^ "Mudie, Ian Mayelston (1911–1976) by Philip Butterss". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 25 June 2023.

[1] "The Way Back by A. Bertam Chandler". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 April 2024.

[2] "The Altered I edited by Lee Harding". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 April 2024.

[3] "Beyond Tomorrow edited by Lee Harding". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 April 2024.

[4] "Future Sanctuary by Lee Harding". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 April 2024.

[5] "Walkers on the Sky by David Lake". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 April 2024.

[CB1976-6] ""Poetry prize"". The Canberra Times, 4 March 1976, p3. Retrieved 13 September 2023.

[AustlitPWA-7] "Austlit — Patrick White Award - Past Winners". Austlit. Retrieved 22 August 2023.

[Age76-8] "Austlit — A Late Picking by A. D. Hope". Austlit. Retrieved 4 September 2023.

[ALS-9] "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 22 August 2023.

[10] "Colin Roderick Award - Previous Winners", James Cook University

[11] "Author's third Miles Franklin", The Canberra Times, 3 June 1980, p3

[ct1976-12] "1976 children's book awards announced", The Canberra Times, 10 July 1976, p3

[13] Austlit - Selected Poems 1939–1975 by John Blight

[AgeAw-14] ""The Age Book of the Year Award"". Austlit. Retrieved 27 September 2023.

[AustlitB1-15] "Austlit — Marieke Hardy". Austlit. Retrieved 27 September 2023.

[Austlit-16] "Austlit — Kate Morton". Austlit. Retrieved 27 September 2023.

[ADBD0-17] "Shepherd, Catherine (1901–1976) by Gillian Winter". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 23 September 2023.

[ADBD1-18] "Murdoch, Madoline (Nina) (1890–1976) by Suzanne Edgar". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 25 June 2023.

[AustlitD1-19] "Lyndall Hadow". Austlit. Retrieved 25 June 2023.

[20] "George Michell Farwell (1911–1976) by Stuart Inder". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 23 November 2023.

[ADBD2-21] "Devaney, James Martin (1890–1976) by M. D. O'Hagan". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 26 August 2023.

[ADBD3-22] "McFadyen, Ella May (1887–1976) by Emily Gallagher". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 25 June 2023.

[ADBD4-23] "McAuley, James Phillip (1917–1976) by Peter Pierce". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 25 June 2023.

[ADBD5-24] "Mudie, Ian Mayelston (1911–1976) by Philip Butterss". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 25 June 2023.

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v t e Years in Australian literature (1855–present)
19th century	1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900
20th century	1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
21st century	2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

Events

Major publications

Books

Short stories

Science Fiction and Fantasy

Children's and Young Adult fiction

Poetry

Drama

Non-fiction

Awards and honours

Lifetime achievement

Literary

Fiction

Children and Young Adult

Poetry

Non-fiction

Births

Deaths

See also

References