1947 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1947.

Events

• The Grace Leven Prize for Poetry, worth £50, is awarded for the first time to Pacific Sea by Nan McDonald. ^[1]

Books

• Jon Cleary – You Can't See 'Round Corners
• Erle Cox – The Missing Angel ^[2]
• M. Barnard Eldershaw – Tomorrow and Tomorrow ^[3]
• Miles Franklin – The Thorny Rose ^[4]
• Arthur Gask – The Dark Mill Stream ^[5]
• Catherine Gaskin – With Every Year ^[6]
• Ion L. Idriess – Isles of Despair
• Norman Lindsay – Halfway to Anywhere
• Vance Palmer – Cyclone ^[7]
• Nevil Shute – The Chequer Board

Short stories

• Myra Morris – The Township ^[8]
• Judah Waten – "To a Country Town" ^[9]

Children's and Young Adult fiction

• Ruth C. Williams – Timothy Tatters ^[10]

Poetry

Main article: 1947 in poetry

• David Campbell – "Small-Town Gladys" ^[11]
• Victor Daley – Creeve Roe : Poetry ^[12]
• Rosemary Dobson – "Country Press" ^[13]
• R. D. Fitzgerald – "Fifth Day" ^[14]
• A. D. Hope – "Conquistador" ^[15]
• Nancy Keesing – "Detective Story" ^[16]
• Nan McDonald – Pacific Sea
• John Shaw Neilson – Unpublished Poems of John Shaw Neilson ^[17]
• Will H. Ogilvie – "Harry Morant" ^[18]
• Elizabeth Riddell – "The Train in the Night" ^[19]
• Roland Robinson – "Drifting Dug-Out" ^[20]
• Douglas Stewart — Glencoe
• Judith Wright
  • "The Bull" ^[21]
  • "The Cycads" ^[22]

Drama

Radio

• John Appleton – Hester's Diary
• Sumner Locke Elliott – Wicked is the Vine

Theatre

• Vance Palmer – Hail Tomorrow
• Douglas Stewart – Shipwreck ^[23]
• Patrick White – The Ham Funeral ^[24]

Awards and honours

Note: these awards were presented in the year in question.

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal [25]	Not awarded

Children's and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award [26]	Older Readers	No award

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry [27]	Nan McDonald	Pacific Sea	Angus and Robertson

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1947 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 10 January – Arnold Zable, novelist (in Wellington, New Zealand) ^[28]
• 15 January – Richard Harland, novelist ^[29]
• 22 January – Geoffrey Bewley, journalist and short story writer (died 2006) ^[30]
• 21 March – Terry Dowling, novelist and short story writer ^[31]
• 13 April – Amanda Lohrey, novelist ^[32]
• 4 May
  • Marele Day, novelist ^[33]
  • Peter Kocan, author and poet ^[34]
• 13 July – David Marr, journalist and biographer ^[35]
• 23 September – Gary Crew, novelist ^[36]
• 9 October – Michael Dugan, poet (died 2006) ^[37]
• 30 October – Gary Catalano, poet and art critic (died 2002) ^[38]
• 12 November – Martin Johnston, novelist and poet (died 1990) ^[39]

Unknown date

• Eric Beach, poet and playwright (in New Zealand)(died 2024) ^[40]
• Jacqueline Kent, writer and biographer ^[41]
• Rhyll McMaster, novelist ^[42]
• Bruce Pascoe, novelist ^[43]
• Graham Rowlands, poet ^[44]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1947 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 25 January — Pinchas Goldhar, writer and translator (born 1901) ^[45]
• 12 February – Douglas Sladen, poet and biographer (born 1856) ^[46]
• 19 July – Lennie Lower, journalist and novelist (born 1903) ^[47]
• 18 October – R. H. Croll, poet and writer (born 1869) ^[48]
• 1 November – Tilly Aston, blind writer and teacher (born 1873) ^[49]

See also

• 1947 in Australia
• 1947 in literature
• 1947 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

References

1. ""Strength and Sunshine"". The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 February 1948, p6. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
2. "The Missing Angel by Erle Cox". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
3. "Tomorrow and Tomorrow by M. Barnard Eldershaw". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
4. "Austlit — The Thorny Rose by Miles Franklin". Austlit. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
5. "The Dark Mill Stream by Arthur Gask". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
6. "With Every Year by Catherine Gaskin". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
7. "Cyclone by Vance Palmer". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
8. "The Township by Myra Morris". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
9. ""To a Country Town" by Judah Waten". Austlit. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
10. "Timothy Tatters by Ruth C. Williams". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
11. ""Small-Town Gladys" by David Campbell". Austlit. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
12. "Creeve Roe : Poetry by Victor Daley". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
13. ""Country Press" by Rosemary Dobson". Austlit. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
14. ""Fifth Day" by R. D. Fitzgerald". Austlit. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
15. ""Conquistador" by A. D. Hope". Austlit. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
16. ""Detective Story" by Nancy Keesing". Austlit. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
17. "Unpublished Poems of John Shaw Neilson by John Shaw Neilson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
18. ""Harry Morant" by Will H. Ogilvie". Austlit. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
19. ""The Train in the Night" by Elizabeth Riddell". Austlit. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
20. ""Drifting Dug-Out" by Roland Robinson". Austlit. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
21. ""The Bull" by Judith Wright". Austlit. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
22. ""The Cycads" by Judith Wright". Austlit. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
23. "Shipwreck by Douglas Stewart". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
24. "Austlit — The Ham Funeral by Patrick White". Austlit. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
25. "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
26. "No Book Award by Society", The Age, 29 September 1947, p4
27. ""Strength and Sunshine"". The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 February 1948, p6. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
28. "Arnold Zable". Austlit. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
29. "Richard Harland". Austlit. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
30. "Geoffrey Bewley (1947-2006)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
31. "Terry Dowling". Austlit. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
32. "Amanda Lohrey". Austlit. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
33. "Marele Day". Austlit. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
34. "Peter Kocan". Austlit. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
35. "David Marr". Austlit. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
36. "Gary Crew". Austlit. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
37. "Michael Dugan (1947-2006)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
38. "Gary Catalano (1947-2002)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
39. "Martin Johnston (1947-1990)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
40. "Eric Beach". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
41. "Jacqueline Kent". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
42. "Rhyll McMaster". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
43. "Bruce Pascoe". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
44. "Graham Rowlands". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
45. "Goldhar, Pinchas (1901–1947) by Judah Waten". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
46. "Sladen, Douglas Brooke (1856–1947) by K. J. Cable". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
47. "Lower, Leonard Waldemere (Lennie) (1903–1947) by Julian Croft and Keith Willey". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
48. "Croll, Robert Henderson (Bob) (1869–1947) by Geoffrey Serle". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
49. "Aston, Matilda Ann (Tilly) (1873–1947) by O. S. Green". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 29 July 2023.