1948 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1948.

Books

• Eleanor Dark – Storm of Time ^[1]
• George Johnston – The Moon at Perigee ^[2]
• Jack Lindsay – Men of Forty-Eight ^[3]
• Alan Moorehead – The Rage of the Vulture
• Vance Palmer – Golconda ^[4]
• Ruth Park – The Harp in the South
• Katharine Susannah Prichard – Golden Miles
• Nevil Shute – No Highway
• Christina Stead – A Little Tea, a Little Chat
• F. J. Thwaites – The Night Closed Down
• E. V. Timms – Forever to Remain
• Patrick White – The Aunt's Story

Short stories

• A. Bertram Chandler – "Dawn of Nothing" ^[5]
• Helen Meggs – "Burning Off" ^[6]
• Judah Waten – "Black Girl in the Street" ^[7]

Crime and mystery

• George Johnston – Death Takes Small Bites ^[8]
• Arthur Upfield
  • An Author Bites the Dust
  • The Mountains Have a Secret
• June Wright – Murder in the Telephone Exchange ^[9]

Children's and Young Adult fiction

• Nan Chauncy – They Found a Cave ^[10]

Poetry

Main article: 1948 in poetry

• David Campbell – "The End of Exploring" ^[11]
• Dulcie Deamer – The Silver Branch : Twenty-Seven Poems ^[12]
• Rosemary Dobson
  • "Carried Away" ^[13]
  • "On a Tapestry" ^[14]
  • The Ship of Ice : With Other Poems ^[15]
• Mary Gilmore – Selected Verse ^[16]
• Nan McDonald – "The Barren Ground" ^[17]
• Kenneth Mackenzie – "The Children Go" ^[18]
• Elizabeth Riddell – Poems ^[19]
• Roland Robinson
  • "Swift" ^[20]
  • "Would I Might Find My Country" ^[21]
• Francis Webb
  • A Drum for Ben Boyd
  • "For My Grandfather" ^[22]
• Judith Wright
  • "Train Journey" ^[23]
  • "Wonga Vine" ^[24]

Drama

• Sumner Locke Elliott – Rusty Bugles
• Musette Morell
  • Three Radio Plays ^[25]
  • Bush Cobbers ^[26]
• Ruth Park – The Uninvited Guest ^[27]

Biography

• Henry Handel Richardson – Myself When Young ^[28]

Children's and Young Adults non-fiction

• Frank Hurley – Shackleton's Argonauts : A Saga of the Antarctic Icepacks

Awards and honours

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal [29]	Herz Bergner	Between Sky and Sea	Dolphin Publications

Children's and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award [30]	Older Readers	Frank Hurley	Shackleton's Argonauts : A Saga of the Antarctic Icepacks	Angus and Robertson

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry [31]	Francis Webb	A Drum for Ben Boyd	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 1948 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 16 February – Jeff Guess, poet ^[32]
• 18 March – Di Morrissey, novelist ^[33]
• 20 March – Dianne Bates, writer for children ^[34]
• 2 April – Jennifer Rowe, novelist ^[35]
• 23 April – John A. Scott, novelist ^[36]
• 20 May – Kate Jennings, novelist and poet (died 2021) ^[37]
• 23 July – Alan Wearne, poet ^[38]
• 24 July — Joan London, novelist ^[39]
• 12 September – Michael Dransfield, poet (died 1973) ^[40]
• 21 September – Sean McMullen, novelist ^[41]
• 25 September – Vicki Viidikas, poet and writer (died 1998) ^[42]
• 2 November – Jenny Pausacker, novelist ^[43]

Unknown date

• Roger Bennett, playwright ^[44]
• Pam Brown, poet ^[45]
• Jimmy Chi, playwright and composer (died 2017) ^[46]
• Martin Duwell, editor ^[47]
• Dennis Haskell, poet ^[48]
• Dorothy Johnston, novelist ^[49]
• Margaret Wild, writer for children (in South Africa) ^[50]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1948 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 20 May – Marie E. J. Pitt, poet (born 1869) ^[51]
• 26 September — R. J. Cassidy, poet (born 1880) ^[52]

See also

• 1948 in Australia
• 1948 in literature
• 1948 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

References

1. "Storm of Time by Eleanor Dark". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
2. "The Moon at Perigee by George Johnston". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
3. "Men of Forty-Eight by Jack Lindsay". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
4. "Golconda by Vance Palmer". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
5. ""Dawn of Nothing" by A. Bertram Chandler". ISFDB. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
6. ""Burning Off" by Helen Meggs". Austlit. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
7. ""Black Girl in the Street" by Judah Waten". Austlit. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
8. "Austlit — Death Takes Small Bites by George Johnston". Austlit. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
9. "Austlit — Murder in the Telephone Exchange by June Wright". Austlit. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
10. "They Found a Cave by Nan Chauncy". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
11. ""The End of Exploring" by David Campbell". Austlit. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
12. "The Silver Branch : Twenty-Seven Poems by Dulcie Deamer". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
13. ""Carried Away" by Rosemary Dobson". Austlit. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
14. ""On a Tapestry" by Rosemary Dobson". Austlit. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
15. "The Ship of Ice : With Other Poems by Rosemary Dobson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
16. "Selected Verse by Mary Gilmore". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
17. ""The Barren Ground" by Nan McDonald". Austlit. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
18. ""The Children Go" by Kenneth Mackenzie". Austlit. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
19. "Poems by Elizabeth Riddell". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
20. ""Swift" by Roland Robinson". Austlit. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
21. ""Would I Might Find My Country" by Roland Robinson". Austlit. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
22. ""For My Grandfather" by Francis Webb". Austlit. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
23. ""Train Journey" by Judith Wright". Austlit. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
24. ""Wonga Vine" by Judith Wright". Austlit. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
25. "Three Radio Plays by Musette Morell". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
26. "Bush Cobbers by Musette Morell". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
27. "The Uninvited Guest by Ruth Park". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
28. "Myself When Young by Henry Handel Richardson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
29. "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
30. ""Book Society Award"". The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 November 1948, p2. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
31. Austlit - A Drum for Ben Boyd by Francis Webb
32. "Austlit — Jeff Guess". Austlit. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
33. "Austlit — Di Morrissey". Austlit. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
34. "Austlit — Dianne Bates". Austlit. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
35. "Austlit — Jennifer Rowe". Austlit. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
36. "Austlit — John A. Scott". Austlit. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
37. "Kate Jennings (1948-2011)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
38. "Austlit — Alan Wearne". Austlit. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
39. "Austlit — Joan London". Austlit. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
40. "Michael Dransfield (1948-1973)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
41. "Austlit — Sean McMullen". Austlit. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
42. "Vicki Viidikas (1948-1998)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
43. "Austlit — Jenny Pausacker". Austlit. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
44. "Roger Bennett". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
45. "Austlit — Pam Brown". Austlit. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
46. "Jimmy Chi (1948-2017)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
47. "Austlit — Martin Duwell". Austlit. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
48. "Austlit — Dennis Haskell". Austlit. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
49. "Austlit — Dorothy Johnston". Austlit. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
50. "Austlit — Margaret Wild". Austlit. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
51. "Pitt, Marie Elizabeth Josephine (1869–1948) by Hugh Anderson". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
52. "Austlit - R. J. Cassidy (1880-1948)". Austlit. Retrieved 8 August 2023.