1958 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1957.

Books

• Thea Astley – Girl with a Monkey
• Nancy Cato – All the Rivers Run
• Catherine Gaskin – Blake's Reach
• Frank Hardy – The Four-Legged Lottery
• Dorothy Hewett - Bobbin Up
• Elizabeth Harrower – The Long Prospect
• Christopher Koch – The Boys in the Island
• Eric Lambert – The Dark Backward
• Hal Porter – A Handful of Pennies
• Olaf Ruhen – Naked Under Capricorn
• Nevil Shute – The Rainbow and the Rose
• Dal Stivens – The Wide Arch
• Randolph Stow – To the Islands
• E. V. Timms – Robina
• Morris West – The Backlash (aka The Second Victory)

Short stories

• A. Bertram Chandler – "Planet of Ill Repute"
• Peter Cowan – The Unploughed Land : Stories
• Frank Hardy – "The Crookest Raffle Ever Run in Australia"
• Roland Robertson – Black-Feller, White-Feller
• Judith Wright
  • "The Colour of Death"
  • "The Lame Duck"

Children's and Young Adult fiction

• Nan Chauncy – Devil's Hill
• John Gunn – Sea Menace
• Elyne Mitchell – The Silver Brumby
• Mary Elwyn Patchett
  • The Brumby
  • The Mysterious Pool
• Eleanor Spence – Patterson's Track
• Judith Wright – Kings of the Dingoes

Poetry

Main article: 1958 in poetry

• Bruce Beaver – "White Cat and Brown Girl"
• David Campbell
  • "Hear the Bird of Day"
  • "On the Birth of a Son"
  • "Prayer for Rain"
• Geoffrey Dutton – Antipodes in Shoes
• R. D. Fitzgerald – "The Wind at Your Door"
• Max Harris – "A Window at Night"
• James McAuley – "In a Late Hour"
• David Martin – Poems of David Martin, 1938-1958
• Ian Mudie – "The North-Bound Rider"
• David Rowbotham – Inland : Poems
• Randolph Stow
  • "The Embarkation"
  • "In Praise of Hillbillies"
• Francis Webb
  • "Five Days Old"
  • "The Sea"
• The Penguin Book of Australian Verse, edited by John Thompson, Kenneth Slessor and R. G. Howarth

Biography

• Russell Braddon – End of a Hate
• Ion Idriess – Back o' Cairns
• Elizabeth O'Conner – Steak for Breakfast
• Arthur Mailey – 10 for 66 and All That

Awards and honours

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal [1]	Not awarded
Miles Franklin Award [2]	Randolph Stow	To the Islands	Macdonald

Children's and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award [3]	Older Readers	Nan Chauncy	Tiger in the Bush	Oxford University Press
	Picture Book	Axel Poignant	Piccaninny Walkabout	Angus and Robertson

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry [4]	Geoffrey Dutton	Antipodes in Shoes	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 1958 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 6 March – Paul Hetherington, poet ^[5]
• 6 April – Graeme Base, artist and writer for children ^[6]
• 16 June – Isobelle Carmody, novelist ^[7]
• 11 November – Kathy Lette, novelist ^[8]
• 17 December – Christopher Kelen, novelist and poet ^[9]

Unknown date

• Debra Adelaide, novelist ^[10]
• Sarah Day, poet ^[11]
• Lionel Fogarty, poet ^[12]
• Steven Herrick, poet ^[13]
• Kathleen Stewart, novelist and poet ^[14]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1958 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 4 January – Philip Lindsay, historical novelist (died in England) (born 1906) ^[15]
• 17 February – Hugh McCrae, poet (born 1876) ^[16]
• 8 April – Ethel Turner, novelist (born 1870) ^[17]
• 2 July – Mary Grant Bruce, novelist (born 1878) ^[18]
• 4 August — Ethel Anderson, poet (born 1883) ^[19]
• 26 September – Arthur Bayldon, poet (born 1865) ^[20]

See also

• 1958 in Australia
• 1958 in literature
• 1958 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

References

1. "ALS Gold Medal - Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
2. "Let's look again at Randolph Stow's achievement", Woroni, 1 May 1962, p2
3. "Colourful Display for Children's Book Week", The Canberra Times, 8 July 1958, p4
4. Austlit - Antipodes in Shoes by Geoffrey Dutton
5. "Austlit - Paul Hetherington". Austlit. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
6. "Austlit - Graeme Base". Austlit. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
7. "Austlit - Isobelle Carmody". Austlit. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
8. "Austlit - Kathy Lette". Austlit. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
9. "Austlit - Christopher Kelen". Austlit. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
10. "Austlit - Debra Adelaide". Austlit. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
11. "Austlit - Sarah Day". Austlit. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
12. "Austlit - Lionel Fogarty". Austlit. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
13. "Austlit - Steven Herrick". Austlit. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
14. "Austlit - Kathleen Stewart". Austlit. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
15. "Lindsay, Philip (1906–1958) by Bernard Smith". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
16. "McCrae, Hugh Raymond (1876–1958) by Martha Rutledge and Norman Cowper". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
17. "Turner, Ethel Mary (1870–1958) by Brenda Niall". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
18. "Bruce, Minnie Grant (Mary) (1878–1958) by Lynne Strahan". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
19. "Anderson, Ethel Campbell Louise (1883–1958) by Martha Rutledge". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
20. "Bayldon, Arthur Albert Dawson (1865–1958) by Ken Stewart". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 10 July 2023.