1955 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1955.

Books

• Martin Boyd – A Difficult Young Man
• Jon Cleary – Justin Bayard
• Charmian Clift & George Johnston – The Sponge Divers
• Dymphna Cusack – The Sun in Exile
• Mary Durack – Keep Him My Country ^[1]
• Barbara Jefferis – Beloved Lady
• D'Arcy Niland – The Shiralee
• Ruth Park – Pink Flannel ^[2]
• Colin Roderick – The Lady and the Lawyer ^[3]
• Nevil Shute – Requiem for a Wren , (aka The Breaking Wave)
• E. V. Timms – They Came from the Sea
• Arthur Upfield – The Battling Prophet ^[4]
• F. B. Vickers – The Mirage ^[5]
• Patrick White – The Tree of Man

Short stories

• A. Bertram Chandler – "Late" ^[6]
• John Morrison – Black Cargo and Other Stories ^[7]
• Vance Palmer – Let the Birds Fly ^[8]
• Dal Stivens – Ironbark Bill ^[9]

Children's and Young Adult fiction

• Patricia Wrightson – The Crooked Snake , illustrated by Margaret Horder

Poetry

Main article: 1955 in poetry

• Lex Banning – "Apocalypse in Springtime" ^[10]
• David Campbell – "Here, Under Pear-Trees" ^[11]
• Rosemary Dobson – Child with a Cockatoo, and Other Poems ^[12]
• Max Harris – The Coorong and Other Poems ^[13]
• A. D. Hope – The Wandering Islands
• Nancy Keesing & Douglas Stewart – Australian Bush Ballads (edited) ^[14]
• Nancy Keesing – Three Men and Sydney ^[15]
• James McAuley – Australian Poetry 1955 (edited) ^[16]
• Roland Robinson
  • "Altjeringa" ^[17]
  • "Passage of the Swans" ^[18]
• Vivian Smith – "Portuguese Laurel Flowering" ^[19]
• Douglas Stewart – The Birdsville Track and Other Poems ^[20]
• Randolph Stow – "Sea Children" ^[21]
• Judith Wright – The Two Fires ^[22]

Drama

• Dymphna Cusack – The Golden Girls : A Play in Three Acts ^[23]
• Ray Lawler – Summer of the Seventeenth Doll

Biography

• Frank Clune – Martin Cash
• Leonie Kramer – Henry Kingsley : Some Novels of Australian Life ^[24]
• Alan Marshall – I Can Jump Puddles

Awards and honours

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal [25]	Patrick White	The Tree of Man	Viking Press

Children's and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award [26]	Older Readers	Norman B. Tindale & Harold Arthur Lindsay, illustrated by Madeleine Boyce	The First Walkabout	Longmans Green

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry [27]	A. D. Hope	The Wandering Islands	Edwards and Shaw

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1955 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 27 March – Linda Jaivin, novelist ^[28]
• 28 March – Tony Shillitoe, novelist ^[29]
• 8 June – Peter Rose, poet and editor ^[30]
• 15 June – Les Wicks, poet and editor ^[31]
• 5 August – Christine Harris, writer for children ^[32]
• 14 September – Geraldine Brooks, novelist ^[33]

Unknown date

• Candida Baker, novelist and anthologist ^[34]
• Michael Gerard Bauer, children's and young adult author ^[35]
• Adrian Caesar, poet ^[36]
• Martin Flanagan, journalist ^[37]
• Michael Gow, playwright ^[38]
• Jennifer Harrison, poet ^[39]
• Gail Jones, novelist ^[40]
• Steven Paulsen, sf writer ^[41]
• Cory Taylor, writer (died 2016) ^[42]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1955 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 19 January – Kenneth Mackenzie, poet and novelist (born 1913) ^[43]
• 10 March – Brian Vrepont, poet (born 1882) ^[44]
• 1 August – Charles Shaw, journalist and novelist (born 1900) ^[45]
• 30 December – Rex Ingamells, poet (born 1913) ^[46]

See also

• 1955 in Australia
• 1955 in literature
• 1955 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

References

1. "Keep Him My Country by Mary Durack". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
2. "Pink Flannel by Ruth Park". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
3. "The Lady and the Lawyer by Colin Roderick". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
4. "The Battling Prophet by Arthur Upfield". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
5. "The Mirage by F. B. Vickers". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
6. ""Late" by A. Bertram Chandler". ISFDB. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
7. "Black Cargo and Other Stories by John Morrison". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
8. "Let the Birds Fly by Vance Palmer". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
9. "Ironbark Bill by Dal Stivens". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
10. ""Apocalypse in Springtime" by Lex Banning". Austlit. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
11. ""Here, Under Pear-Trees" by David Campbell". Austlit. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
12. "Child with a Cockatoo, and Other Poems by Rosemary Dobson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
13. "The Coorong and Other Poems by Max Harris". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
14. "Australian Bush Ballads edited by Nancy Keesing & Douglas Stewart". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
15. "Three Men and Sydney by Nancy Keesing". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
16. "Australian Poetry 1955 edited by James McAuley". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
17. ""Altjeringa" by Roland Robinson". Austlit. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
18. ""Passage of the Swans" by Roland Robinson". Austlit. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
19. ""Portuguese Laurel Flowering" by Vivian Smith". Austlit. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
20. "The Birdsville Track and Other Poems by Douglas Stewart". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
21. ""Sea Children" by Randolph Stow". Austlit. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
22. "The Two Fires by Judith Wright". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
23. "The Golden Girls : A Play in Three Acts by Dymphna Cusack". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
24. "Henry Kingsley : Some Novels of Australian Life by Leonie Kramer". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
25. "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
26. "Austlit — The First Walkabout by Norman B. Tindale & Harold Arthur Lindsay". Austlit. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
27. "Austlit — The Wandering Islands by A.D. Hope". Austlit. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
28. "Austlit — Linda Jaivin". Austlit. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
29. "Austlit — Tony Shillitoe". Austlit. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
30. "Austlit — Peter Rose". Austlit. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
31. "Austlit — Les Wicks". Austlit. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
32. "Austlit — Christine Harris". Austlit. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
33. "Austlit — Geraldine Brooks". Austlit. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
34. "Austlit — Candida Baker". Austlit. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
35. "Austlit — Michael Gerard Bauer". Austlit. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
36. "Austlit — Adrian Caesar". Austlit. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
37. "Austlit — Martin Flanagan". Austlit. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
38. "Austlit — Michael Gow". Austlit. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
39. "Austlit — Jennifer Harrison". Austlit. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
40. "Austlit — Gail Jones". Austlit. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
41. "Austlit — Steven Paulsen". Austlit. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
42. "Cory Taylor (1955-2016)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
43. "Kenneth Ivo (Seaforth) Mackenzie (1913–1955) by Veronica Brady". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
44. "Truebridge, Benjamin Arthur (1882–1955) by Patrick Buckridge". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
45. "Austlit — Charles Shaw (1900-1955)". Austlit. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
46. "Reginald Charles (Rex) Ingamells (1913–1955) by John Dally". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 1 December 2023.