1996 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1996.

Events

Christopher Koch won the Miles Franklin Award for Highways to a War
David Malouf won the International Dublin Literary Award for Remembering Babylon
The Ned Kelly Awards, honouring excellence in Australian crime writing, are presented for the first time

Major publications

Novels

Thea Astley — The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow
James Cowan — A Mapmaker's Dream
Robert Dessaix — Night Letters: A Journey Through Switzerland and Italy Edited and Annotated by Igor Miazmov^[1]
Garry Disher — The Sunken Road^[2]
Robert Drewe — The Drowner
David Foster — The Glade Within the Grove
Clive James — The Silver Castle^[3]
David Malouf — The Conversations at Curlow Creek
John A. Scott — Before I Wake
Janette Turner Hospital — Oyster
Morris West — Vanishing Point
Sue Woolfe — Leaning Towards Infinity^[4]

Short story anthologies

Kerryn Goldsworthy — Australian Love Stories (edited)^[5]

Children's and young adult fiction

Fat Chance
Sonya Hartnett — Black Foxes^[6]
Kerry Greenwood — The Broken Wheel
John Marsden — Checkers
James Moloney — A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove

Poetry

Eric Beach — Weeping for Lost Babylon
Lisa Bellear — Dreaming Ii Urban Areas
Judith Beveridge — Accidental Grace
Dorothy Hewett — Collected Poems 1940–1995
John Kinsella — The Undertow: New and Selected Poems
Anthony Lawrence — The Viewfinder
Les Murray — Subhuman Redneck Poems
Dorothy Porter — Crete
Morgan Yasbincek — Night Reversing

Crime

Non-fiction

Bronwyn Donaghy — Anna's Story
Doris Pilkington Garimara — Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence
Helen Garner — True Stories: Selected Non-Fiction

Awards and honours

AM "for service to the arts as the author of children's literature and as an active member of the writer's organisations in Australia"^[7]

AM "for service to art as an author and lecturer in Australian and European art history and history"^[8]

AM "for service to literature, particularly children's literature, and for community service through her commitment to social and cultural issues"^[9]

Lifetime achievement

Award	Author
Christopher Brennan Award^[10]	Dorothy Hewett
Patrick White Award^[11]	Elizabeth Harrower

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award^[12]	Thea Astley	The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow	Viking
ALS Gold Medal^[13]	Amanda Lohrey	Camille's Bread	Angus and Robertson
Colin Roderick Award^[14]	Tim Flannery, Roger Martin and Alexandra Szalay, Illustrator Peter Schouten	Tree Kangaroos	Reed Publications
Nita Kibble Literary Award^[15]	Judy Cassab	Judy Cassab: Diaries	Random House

Fiction

International

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Commonwealth Writers' Prize^[16]	Best Novel, SE Asia and South Pacific region	Gillian Mears	The Grass Sister	Random House

National

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award^[17]	Thea Astley	The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow	Viking Press
The Australian/Vogel Literary Award^[18]	Bernard Cohen	The Blindman's Hat	Allen and Unwin
Miles Franklin Award^[19]	Christopher Koch	Highways to a War	Heinemann

Crime and Mystery

National

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Ned Kelly Award^[20]	Novel	Barry Maitland	The Malcontenta	Hamish Hamilton
	Novel	Paul Thomas	Inside Dope	Mandarin Publishing
	First novel	John Dale	Dark Angel	Serpent's Tail
	Lifetime Achievement	Jon Cleary

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Anne Elder Award^[21]	Marcella Polain	Dumbstruck	Five Islands Press
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry^[22]	John Kinsella	The Undertow : New and Selected Poems	Arc Publications
Mary Gilmore Award^[23]	Jordie Albiston	Nervous Arcs	Spinfex Press

Non-fiction

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
National Biography Award^[24]	Biography	Abraham Biderman	The World of My Past	AHB Publications

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1996 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

12 February — Betty Roland, writer of plays, screenplays, novels, children's books and comics (born 1903)^[25]
26 March —Godfrey Blunden, journalist and author (died in Paris)(born 1906)^[26]
23 April — P. L. Travers, children's writer, best known for the Mary Poppins (book series) (born 1899)^[27]
28 April —Mena Calthorpe, writer (born 1905)^[28]
27 October — Charlotte Jay, mystery writer and novelist who also wrote under her married name, Geraldine Halls (born 1919)^[29]
28 November — Hugh V. Clarke, soldier, public servant and author, specialising in military history (born 1919)^[30]
31 December — John Rowland, public servant, diplomat and poet (born 1925)^[31]

References

^ "Austlit — Night Letters by Robert Dessaix". Austlit. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
^ "Austlit — The Sunken Road by Garry Disher". Austlit. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
^ "Austlit — The Silver Castle by Clive James". Austlit. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
^ "Austlit — Leaning Towards Infinity by Sue Woolfe". Austlit. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
^ "Austlit — Australian Love Stories edited by Kerryn Goldsworthy". Austlit. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
^ "Austlit — Black Foxes by Sonya Hartnett". Austlit. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
^ "Mavis Thorpe Clark". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
^ "Susanna Mary de Vries-Evans". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
^ "Christobel Rosemary Mattingley". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
^ "Austlit — FAW Christopher Brennan Award". Austlit. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
^ "Austlit — Patrick White Award - Past Winners". Austlit. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
^ "Austlit — The Age Book of the Year Award — 1996-1998". Austlit. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
^ "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
^ "Colin Roderick Award - Other Winners". James Cook University. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
^ "Kibble Literary Award". Australian National University. 9 June 2009. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
^ "Commonwealth Writers' Prize Regional Winners 1987-2007" (PDF). Commonwealth Foundation. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
^ "Austlit — Age Book of the Year — Imaginative Writing Prize 1995-97". Austlit. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
^ "Austlit — The Australian/Vogel National Literary Award 1996". Austlit. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
^ "Austlit — Highways to a War - Awards". Austlit. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
^ "1996 Ned Kelly Award Winners". Australian Crime Writers. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
^ "Austlit — Anne Elder Award 1995-97". Austlit. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
^ "Austlit — Grace Leven Poetry Prize 1994-2001". Austlit. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
^ "Mary Gilmore Award". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
^ ""National Biography Award – Past Winners"". State Library of NSW. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
^ "Roland, Betty (1903–1996) by Jayne Regan". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
^ Anderson, Fay, "Godfrey Verge (Geof) Blunden (1906–1996)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 13 February 2024
^ "P. L. Travers". Austlit. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
^ "Mena Calthorpe". Local History - Sutherland Shire Libraries. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
^ "Geraldine Halls". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
^ "Obituary - Hugh Vincent Clarke - Obituaries Australia". oa.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
^ "J. R. Rowland". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 26 September 2023.

[1] "Austlit — Night Letters by Robert Dessaix". Austlit. Retrieved 14 January 2024.

[2] "Austlit — The Sunken Road by Garry Disher". Austlit. Retrieved 14 January 2024.

[3] "Austlit — The Silver Castle by Clive James". Austlit. Retrieved 14 January 2024.

[4] "Austlit — Leaning Towards Infinity by Sue Woolfe". Austlit. Retrieved 14 January 2024.

[5] "Austlit — Australian Love Stories edited by Kerryn Goldsworthy". Austlit. Retrieved 14 January 2024.

[6] "Austlit — Black Foxes by Sonya Hartnett". Austlit. Retrieved 14 January 2024.

[7] "Mavis Thorpe Clark". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.

[8] "Susanna Mary de Vries-Evans". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.

[9] "Christobel Rosemary Mattingley". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.

[CB1996-10] "Austlit — FAW Christopher Brennan Award". Austlit. Retrieved 12 September 2023.

[AustlitPWA-11] "Austlit — Patrick White Award - Past Winners". Austlit. Retrieved 8 September 2023.

[AgeBoY1996-98-12] "Austlit — The Age Book of the Year Award — 1996-1998". Austlit. Retrieved 25 February 2024.

[ALS-13] "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 10 January 2024.

[CRA-14] "Colin Roderick Award - Other Winners". James Cook University. Retrieved 16 January 2024.

[NitaK1996-15] "Kibble Literary Award". Australian National University. 9 June 2009. Retrieved 4 February 2024.

[CWP-16] "Commonwealth Writers' Prize Regional Winners 1987-2007" (PDF). Commonwealth Foundation. Retrieved 17 January 2024.

[Age95-97F-17] "Austlit — Age Book of the Year — Imaginative Writing Prize 1995-97". Austlit. Retrieved 14 February 2024.

[Vogel96-18] "Austlit — The Australian/Vogel National Literary Award 1996". Austlit. Retrieved 16 February 2023.

[MFA1996-19] "Austlit — Highways to a War - Awards". Austlit. Retrieved 15 September 2023.

[20] "1996 Ned Kelly Award Winners". Australian Crime Writers. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2024.

[AEA1995-97-21] "Austlit — Anne Elder Award 1995-97". Austlit. Retrieved 12 February 2024.

[GLP1994-2001-22] "Austlit — Grace Leven Poetry Prize 1994-2001". Austlit. Retrieved 12 February 2024.

[MGA-23] "Mary Gilmore Award". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 10 February 2024.

[NBAward-24] ""National Biography Award – Past Winners"". State Library of NSW. Retrieved 22 March 2024.

[ADBD1-25] "Roland, Betty (1903–1996) by Jayne Regan". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 30 June 2023.

[26] Anderson, Fay, "Godfrey Verge (Geof) Blunden (1906–1996)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 13 February 2024

[AustlitD2-27] "P. L. Travers". Austlit. Retrieved 26 June 2023.

[28] "Mena Calthorpe". Local History - Sutherland Shire Libraries. Retrieved 13 February 2024.

[29] "Geraldine Halls". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 19 September 2023.

[30] "Obituary - Hugh Vincent Clarke - Obituaries Australia". oa.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 23 September 2023.

[31] "J. R. Rowland". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 26 September 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

Novels

Short story anthologies

Children's and young adult fiction

Poetry

Drama

Science fiction

Fantasy

Crime

Non-fiction

Awards and honours

Lifetime achievement

Literary

Fiction

International

National

Crime and Mystery

National

Poetry

Non-fiction

Deaths

See also

References