1960 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1960.

Events

• The first Adelaide Writers' Week was held as part of the Adelaide Festival of Arts.

Major publications

Books

• Thea Astley – A Descant for Gossips
• Russell Braddon – The Proud American Boy ^[1]
• Nancy Cato – Green Grows the Vine
• Jon Cleary – North from Thursday
• Charmian Clift – Walk to the Paradise Gardens ^[2]
• Nino Culotta – Cop this Lot
• Catherine Gaskin – Corporation Wife ^[3]
• Elizabeth Harrower – The Catherine Wheel ^[4]
• George Johnston – Closer to the Sun ^[5]
• Elizabeth O'Conner – The Irishman
• Nevil Shute – Trustee from the Toolroom
• Arthur Upfield – Valley of Smugglers ^[6]

Short stories

• James Aldridge – Gold and Sand : Stories ^[7]
• Ion Idriess – The Wild North
• Hal Porter – "Party 42 and Mrs Brewer" ^[8]

Children's and Young Adult fiction

• Nan Chauncy – Tangara
• John Gunn
  • The Humpy in the Hills ^[9]
  • Peter Kent's Command ^[10]
• Elyne Mitchell – Silver Brumby's Daughter ^[11]
• Eleanor Spence – Lillipilly Hill
• Judith Wright – The Day the Mountains Played ^[12]
• Patricia Wrightson – The Rocks of Honey ^[13]

Poetry

Main article: 1960 in poetry

• Christopher Brennan – The Verse of Christopher Brennan, edited by A. R. Chisholm and John Joseph Quinn ^[14]
• David Campbell
  • "Town Planning" ^[15]
  • "Under the Wattles" ^[16]
  • "Windy Nights" ^[17]
• Rosemary Dobson – "Ghost Town : New England" ^[18]
• Geoffrey Dutton – Night Fishing ^[19]
• R. D. Fitzgerald – "Bog and Candle" ^[20]
• Gwen Harwood
  • "The Glass Jar" ^[21]
  • "Group from Tartarus" ^[22]
• A. D. Hope
  • "The Coasts of Cerigo" ^[23]
  • Poems ^[24]
• Colin Thiele – Man in a Landscape
• Judith Wright – Australian Bird Poems ^[25]

Drama

• Alan Seymour – The One Day of the Year

Non-fiction

• F. J. Thwaites – Press on Regardless (travel book)

Awards and honours

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal [26]	William Hart-Smith	Poems of Discovery	Angus and Robertson
Miles Franklin Award [27]	Elizabeth O'Conner	The Irishman	Angus and Robertson

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award [28]	Older Readers	Kylie Tennant, illustrated by Clem Seale	All the Proud Tribesmen	Macmillan

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry [29]	Colin Thiele	Man in a Landscape	Rigby

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1960 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 25 February – Narelle Oliver, award-winning children's author-illustrator, artist and print maker (died 2016) ^[30]
• 4 August – Tim Winton, novelist ^[31]
• 9 November – Michael Robotham, novelist ^[32]

Unknown date

• Pamela Freeman, novelist ^[33]
• Margo Lanagan, novelist and short story writer ^[34]
• Fiona McIntosh, novelist ^[35]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1960 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 12 January – Nevil Shute, novelist (born 1899) ^[36]
• 14 June – E. V. Timms, novelist (born 1895) ^[37]
• 6 November — John Lavington Bonython, newspaper editor and journalist (born 1875) ^[38]

See also

• 1960 in Australia
• 1960 in literature
• 1960 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

References

1. "The Proud American Boy by Russell Braddon". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
2. "Walk to the Paradise Gardens by Charmian Clift". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
3. "Corporation Wife by Catherine Gaskin". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
4. "The Catherine Wheel by Elizabeth Harrower". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
5. "Closer to the Sun by George Johnston". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
6. "Valley of Smugglers by Arthur Upfield". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
7. "Gold and Sand : Stories by James Aldridge". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
8. ""Party 42 and Mrs Brewer" by Hal Porter". Austlit. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
9. "The Humpy in the Hills by John Gunn". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
10. "Peter Kent's Command by John Gunn". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
11. "Silver Brumby's Daughter by Elyne Mitchell". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
12. "The Day the Mountains Played by Judith Wright". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
13. "The Rocks of Honey by Patricia Wrightson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
14. "The Verse of Christopher Brennan edited by A. R. Chisholm and John Joseph Quinn". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
15. "Austlit — "Town Planning" by David Campbell". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
16. "Austlit — "Under the Wattles" by David Campbell". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
17. "Austlit — "Windy Nights" by David Campbell". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
18. "Austlit — "Ghost Town : New England" by Rosemary Dobson". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
19. "Night Fishing by Geoffrey Dutton". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
20. "Austlit — "Bog and Candle" by R. D. Fitzgerald". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
21. "Austlit — "The Glass Jar" by Gwen Harwood". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
22. "Austlit — "Group from Tartarus" Gwen Harwood". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
23. "Austlit — "The Coasts of Cerigo" by A. D. Hope". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
24. "Austlit — Poems by A. D. Hope". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
25. "Australian Bird Poems by Judith Wright". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
26. Austlit - Poems of Discovery by William Hart-Smith
27. "When 'The Irishman' Came to Town", The Australian Women's Weekly, 29 March 1978, p11
28. "Kylie Tennant Wins Book of the Year Award", The Canberra Times, 11 July 1960, p3
29. Austlit - Man in a Landscape by Colin Thiele
30. "Narelle Oliver (1960-2016)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
31. "Tim Winton". Austlit. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
32. "Michael Robotham". Austlit. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
33. "Pamela Freeman". Austlit. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
34. "Margo Lanagan". Austlit. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
35. "Fiona McIntosh". Austlit. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
36. "Norway, Nevil Shute (1899–1960) by Julian Croft". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
37. "E. V. Timms (1895-1960)". Austlit. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
38. "Bonython, Sir John Lavington (1875–1960) by W. B. Pitcher". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 3 August 2023.