1945 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1945.

Events

• June – Ern Malley hoax: Australia's most celebrated literary hoax takes place when Angry Penguins is published with poems by the fictional Ern Malley. Poets James McAuley and Harold Stewart created the poems from lines of other published work and then sent them as the purported work of a recently deceased poet. The hoax is played on Max Harris, at this time a 22-year-old avant garde poet and critic who had started the modernist magazine Angry Penguins. Harris and his circle of literary friends agreed that a hitherto completely unknown modernist poet of great merit had come to light in suburban Australia. The Autumn 1944 edition of the magazine with the poems comes out in mid-1945 due to wartime printing delays with cover illustration by Sidney Nolan. An Australian newspaper uncovers the hoax within weeks. McAuley and Stewart loved early Modernist poets but despise later modernism and especially the well-funded Angry Penguins and are jealous of Harris's precocious success. ^[1]

Books

• Eleanor Dark – The Little Company ^[2]
• Michael Innes – Appleby's End ^[3]
• Will Lawson – The Lady of the Heather ^[4]
• Jack Lindsay – Hullo Stranger ^[5]
• Norman Lindsay – The Cousin from Fiji
• Nevil Shute – Most Secret
• F. J. Thwaites – Out of the Dawn
• Arthur Upfield – Death of a Swagman
• Morris West – Moon in My Pocket

Short stories

• A. Bertram Chandler – "Giant Killer"
• Alan Marshall – "Wild Red Horses" ^[6]
• Dal Stivens – "The Man Who Bowled Victor Trumper" ^[7]

Children's and Young Adult fiction

• Ruth C. Williams
  • Our Friend Rodney ^[8]
  • Pirate's Gold ^[9]

Poetry

Main article: 1945 in poetry

• Emily Bulcock – From Quenchless Springs ^[10]
• Hugh McCrae – Voice of the Forest: Poems ^[11]
• J. S. Manifold – "The Tomb of Lt. John Learmonth, AIF"
• Ian Mudie – Poems: 1934-1944 ^[12]
• Colin Thiele – Splinters and Shards: Poems ^[13]
• David McKee Wright – The Station Ballads and Other Verses ^[14]
• Judith Wright
  • "South of My Days"
  • "The Surfer" ^[15]

Drama

• Dymphna Cusack – Lure of the Inland Sea

Awards and honours

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal [16]	Not awarded

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1945 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 2 January – Diane Fahey, poet ^[17]
• 7 February – Jill Jolliffe, journalist and non-fiction writer (died 2022) ^[18]
• 15 February – Jack Dann, novelist and editor (in USA) ^{[19] [20]}
• 23 February – Robert Gray, poet ^[21]
• 19 March – Mark O'Connor, poet ^[22]
• 6 April – Peter Skrzynecki, poet (in Germany) ^[23]
• 2 June – Michael Leunig, cartoonist and poet (died 2024) ^[24]
• 7 October – Hal Colebatch, poet and novelist (died 2019) ^[25]
• 5 December – Joanne Burns, poet ^[26]

Unknown date

• Hazel Edwards, writer for children ^[27]
• Robert J. Merritt, playwright (died 2011) ^[28]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1945 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 10 March – G. B. Lancaster, novelist (born 1873) ^[29]
• 21 March — William Gosse Hay, author and essayist (born 1875) ^[30]
• 2 July – J. L. Ranken, poet and novelist (born 1878) ^[31]
• 10 July – Jack Moses, poet (born 1861) ^[32]
• 5 November – Norma Davis, poet (born 1905) ^[33]

See also

• 1945 in Australia
• 1945 in literature
• 1945 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

References

1. Heyward, Michael (1993). The Ern Malley Affair. University of Queensland Press.
2. "The Little Company by Eleanor Dark". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
3. "Appleby's End by Michael Innes". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
4. "The Lady of the Heather by Will Lawson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
5. "Hullo Stranger by Jack Lindsay". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
6. ""Wild Red Horses" by Alan Marshall". Austlit. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
7. ""The Man Who Bowled Victor Trumper" by Dal Stivens". Austlit. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
8. " Our Friend Rodney by Ruth C. Williams". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
9. "Pirate's Gold by Ruth C. Williams". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
10. "From Quenchless Springs by Emily Bulcock". Austlit. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
11. "Voice of the Forest: Poems by Hugh McCrae". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
12. "Poems: 1934-1944 by Ian Mudie". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
13. "Splinters and Shards: Poems by Colin Thiele". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
14. "The Station Ballads and Other Verses by David McKee Wright". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
15. ""The Surfer" by Judith Wright". Austlit. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
16. "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
17. "Diane Fahey". Austlit. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
18. "Jill Jolliffe (1945-2022)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
19. "Jack Dann". Austlit. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
20. "Jack Dann". ISFDB. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
21. "Robert Gray". Austlit. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
22. "Mark O'Connor". Austlit. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
23. "Peter Skrzynecki". Austlit. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
24. "Michael Leunig". Austlit. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
25. "Hal Colebatch (1945-2019)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
26. "Joanne Burns". Austlit. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
27. "Hazel Edwards". Austlit. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
28. "Robert J. Merritt (1945-2011)". Austlit. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
29. "G. B. Lancaster (1873-1945)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
30. "Hay, William Gosse (1875–1945) by I. D. Muecke". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
31. "J. L. Ranken (1878-1945)". Austlit. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
32. "Jack Moses (1861-1945)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
33. "Norma L. Davis (1905-1945)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 8 July 2023.