1951 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1951.

Events

• 18 June – Frank Hardy is acquitted of criminal libel in the state of Victoria over his self-published 1950 roman à clef on corruption in Melbourne political life, Power Without Glory ^[1]

Books

• Dymphna Cusack – Say No to Death
• Dymphna Cusack and Florence James – Come In Spinner
• Eric Lambert – The Twenty Thousand Thieves ^[2]
• Kenneth Mackenzie – Dead Men Rising ^[3]
• Ruth Park – The Witch's Thorn
• Nevil Shute – Round the Bend
• Dal Stivens – Jimmy Brockett
• F. J. Thwaites – The Dark Abyss
• E. V. Timms – The Valleys Beyond
• Arthur Upfield – The New Shoe ^[4]

Short stories

• Henrietta Drake-Brockman & Walter Murdoch – Australian Short Stories (edited) ^[5]
• Frank Hardy – The Man from Clinkapella and Other Prize-Winning Stories ^[6]
• T. A. G. Hungerford – "The Only One Who Forgot" ^[7]
• David Rowbotham – "A Schoolie and a Ghost" ^[8]
• Judah Waten – "Read Politics, Son" ^[9]
• Judith Wright – "The Ant-Lion" ^[10]

Poetry

Main article: 1951 in poetry

• John Blight – "The Oyster-Eaters" ^[11]
• David Campbell – "Windy Gap"
• Rosemary Dobson – "Detail from an Annunciation by Crivelli" ^[12]
• W. E. Harney – "West of Alice" ^[13]
• A. D. Hope – "The Brides" ^[14]
• Rex Ingamells – The Great South Land : An Epic Poem
• Nancy Keesing – Imminent Summer ^[15]
• Christopher Koch – "Half-Heard" ^[16]
• Eve Langley – "Australia" ^[17]
• Kenneth Mackenzie – "Caesura" ^[18]
• Ray Mathew
  • With Cypress Pine ^[19]
  • "Young Man's Fancy" ^[20]
• Hal Porter – "Sheep" ^[21]
• Elizabeth Riddell – "Forebears : The Map" ^[22]
• Roland Robinson
  • "I Had No Human Speech" ^[23]
  • "Rock-Lily" ^[24]
  • "The Tank" ^[25]
• Douglas Stewart
  • "Mahony's Mountain" ^[26]
  • "The Sunflowers" ^[27]
• Judith Wright – "Inheritor" ^[28]

Biography

• Paul Brickhill
  • The Dam Busters
  • The Great Escape

Drama

• Henry P. Schoenheimer – Wilbur Wasn't Quite Perfect

Awards and honours

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal [29]	Rex Ingamells	The Great South Land : An Epic Poem	Georgian House

Children's and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award [30]	Older Readers	Ruth C. Williams, illustrated by Rhys Williams	Verity of Sydney Town	Angus and Robertson

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry [31]	Rex Ingamells	The Great South Land : An Epic Poem	Georgian House

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1951 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 18 January – Sally Morgan, author and dramatist ^[32]
• 22 January – Steve J. Spears, playwright (died 2007) ^[33]
• 2 May – Valerie Parv, romance novelist (died 2021) ^[34]
• 24 July – Robert Hood, novelist ^[35]
• 29 August – Janeen Webb, writer, critic and editor, mainly in the field of science fiction and fantasy ^[36]
• 12 October – Peter Goldsworthy, novelist ^[37]
• 16 November – Hazel Rowley, biographer (died 2011) ^[38]
• 25 November – Van Ikin, academic and editor ^[39]

Unknown date

• Peter Boyle, poet ^[40]
• Peter Craven, literary critic ^[41]
• Susan Duncan, author and journalist (died 2024) ^[42]
• Stephen Edgar, poet and editor ^[43]
• Robert Harris, poet (died 1993) ^[44]
• Jill Jones, poet ^[45]
• Pi O, poet (in Greece) ^[46]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1951 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 18 April – Daisy Bates, journalist (born 1859) ^[47]
• 25 June – Arthur Gask, novelist (born 1869) ^[48]
• 3 July – Sydney Jephcott, poet (born 1864) ^[49]
• 16 December – Percival Serle, biographer and bibliographer (born 1871) ^[50]

See also

• 1951 in Australia
• 1951 in literature
• 1951 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

References

1. Cusack, Dymphna; James, Florence; Franklin, Miles (2001). Yarn Spinners: A Story in Letters. University of Queensland Press. p. 278. ISBN   978-0-7022-3192-6.
2. "The Twenty Thousand Thieves by Eric Lambert". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
3. "Dead Men Rising by Seaford Mackenzie". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
4. "The New Shoe by Arthur Upfield". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
5. "Australian Short Stories by Henrietta Drake-Brockman & Walter Murdoch". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
6. "The Man from Clinkapella and Other Prize-Winning Stories by Frank Hardy". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
7. "Austlit — "The Only One Who Forgot" by T.A. G. Hungerford". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
8. "Austlit — "A Schoolie and a Ghost" by David Rowbotham". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
9. "Austlit — "Read Politics, Son" by Judah Waten". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
10. "Austlit — "The Ant-Lion" by Judith Wright". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
11. "Austlit — "The Oyster-Eaters" by John Blight". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
12. "Austlit — "Detail from an Annunciation by Crivelli" by Rosemary Dobson". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
13. "Austlit — "West of Alice" by W. E. Harney". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
14. "Austlit — "The Brides" by A. D. Hope". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
15. "Imminent Summer by Nancy Keesing". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
16. "Austlit — "Half-Heard" by Christopher Koch". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
17. "Austlit — "Australia" by Eve Langley". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
18. "Austlit — "Caesura" by Seaforth Mackenzie". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
19. "With Cypress Pine by Ray Mathew". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
20. "Austlit — "Young Man's Fancy" by Ray Mathew". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
21. "Austlit — "Sheep" by Hal Porter". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
22. "Austlit — "Forebears : The Map" by elizabeth Riddell". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
23. "Austlit — "I Had No Human Speech" by Roland Robinson". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
24. "Austlit — "Rock-Lily" by Roland Robinson". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
25. "Austlit — "The Tank" by Roland Robinson". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
26. "Austlit — "Mahony's Mountain" by Douglas Stewart". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
27. "Austlit — "The Sunflowers" by Douglas Stewart". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
28. "Austlit — "Inheritor" by Judith Wright". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
29. "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
30. "Prizewinner for Children", The Sydney Herald, 5 August 1951, p11
31. Austlit - The Great South Land by Rex Ingamells
32. "Sally Morgan". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
33. "Steve J. Spears". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
34. "Valerie Parv (1951-2021)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
35. "Robert Hood". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
36. "Janeen Webb". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
37. "Peter Goldsworthy". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
38. "Hazel Rowley (1951-2011)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
39. "Van Ikin". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
40. "Peter Boyle". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
41. "Peter Craven". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
42. "Susan Duncan (1951-2024)". Austlit. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
43. "Stephen Edgar". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
44. "Robert Harris (1951-1993)". Austlit. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
45. "Jill Jones". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
46. "Pi O". Austlit. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
47. "Bates, Daisy May (1863–1951) by R. V. S. Wright". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
48. "Gask, Arthur Cecil (1869–1951) by Michael J. Tolley". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
49. "Jephcott, Sydney Wheeler (1864–1951) by Ken Stewart". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
50. "Serle, Percival (1871–1951) by Geoffrey Serle". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 26 July 2023.