1961 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1961.

Events

The Australian Book Review was founded in 1961 by Max Harris and Rosemary Wighton. ^[1]

Major publications

Books

• James Aldridge – The Last Exile
• Mena Calthorpe – The Dyehouse
• A. Bertram Chandler – The Rim of Space
• Kenneth Cook – Wake in Fright
• Dymphna Cusack – Heatwave in Berlin
• Nene Gare – The Fringe Dwellers
• Xavier Herbert – Soldiers' Women ^[2]
• Elizabeth Kata – Be Ready with Bells and Drums ^[3]
• John O'Grady – No Kava for Johnny ^[4]
• Ruth Park – The Good Looking Women (aka Serpent's Delight) ^[5]
• Hal Porter – The Tilted Cross
• F. J. Thwaites – Beyond the Rainbow
• George Turner – A Stranger and Afraid ^[6]
• Judah Waten – Time of Conflict ^[7]
• Patrick White – Riders in the Chariot

Short stories

• Thea Astley – "Cubby" ^[8]
• A. Bertram Chandler – "All Laced Up"
• Shirley Hazzard – "Woollahra Road" ^[9]
• Ray Mathew – A Bohemian Affair : Short Stories ^[10]
• D'Arcy Niland
  • The Ballad of the Fat Bushranger : And Other Stories ^[11]
  • Dadda Jumped Over Two Elephants ^[12]
  • Logan's Girl and Other Stories ^[13]
• Desmond O'Grady – "Barbecue" ^[14]
• Charles Osborne – Australian Stories of Today (edited) ^[15]
• Hal Porter – "Say to Me Ronald!" ^[16]

Crime and mystery

• Mark McShane – Seance on a Wet Afternoon ^[17]
• Arthur Upfield – The White Savage ^[18]
• Morris West – Daughter of Silence

Children's and Young Adult fiction

• L. H. Evers – The Racketty Street Gang
• John Gunn – Dangerous Enemies ^[19]
• Ruth Park – The Hole in the Hill ^[20]
• Betty Roland – Forbidden Bridge ^[21]
• Colin Thiele – Sun on the Stubble
• Joan Woodberry – Rafferty Rides a Winner

Poetry

Main article: 1961 in poetry

• Vincent Buckley – Masters in Israel
• Emily Bulcock – From Australia to Britain ^[22]
• Gwen Harwood – "Nightfall" ^[23]
• A. D. Hope – "The Double Looking Glass" ^[24]
• David Malouf – "At My Grandmother's" ^[25]
• Peter Porter – Once Bitten, Twice Bitten ^[26]
• Elizabeth Riddell – Forbears ^[27]
• Thomas Shapcott – Time on Fire
• Randolph Stow
  • "Dust" ^[28]
  • "Ruins of the City of Hay" ^[29]
• Chris Wallace-Crabbe – "Melbourne" ^[30]
• Francis Webb – Socrates and Other Poems ^[31]

Biography

• Frank Hardy – The Hard Way : The Story Behind Power Without Glory ^[32]

Drama

• Ray Lawler – The Piccadilly Bushman

Awards and honours

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal [33]	Not awarded
Miles Franklin Award [34]	Patrick White	Riders in the Chariot	Eyre & Spottiswoode

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award	Older Readers [35]	Nan Chauncy, illustrated by Brian Wildsmith	Tangara	Oxford University Press
Picture Book [35]	No award

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry [36]	Thomas Shapcott	Time on Fire	Jacaranda Press

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1961 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 29 June — Peter FitzSimons, writer ^[37]
• 20 August – Greg Egan, novelist and short story writer ^[38]
• 3 September — Andy Griffiths, writer for children ^[39]
• 30 September — Jordie Albiston, poet and academic (died 2022) ^[40]
• 29 October — Michael Gurr, playwright, author, speech writer and screenwriter (died 2017) ^[41]

Unknown date

• Richard Flanagan, novelist ^[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 1961 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 6 February — Rupert Atkinson, poet (born 1881) ^[43]
• 22 May — Lionel Lindsay, artist and essayist (born 1874) ^[44]
• 9 June – Jeannie Gunn, novelist (born 1870) ^[45]
• 27 June – Harry Hooton, poet and social commentator (born 1908) ^[46]
• 24 July – William Fleming, novelist and poet (born 1874) ^[47]
• 26 July — Alice Gore-Jones, poet (born 1887) ^[48]
• 30 July — James Robert Tyrrell, bookseller, art dealer, publisher and author (born 1875) ^[49]
• 20 August — Alice Grant Rosman, novelist (born 1882) ^[50]
• 6 October – Mary Montgomerie Bennett, biographer and nonfiction author (born 1881) ^[51]

See also

• 1961 in Australia
• 1961 in literature
• 1961 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

References

1. "Rosemary Wighton". AustLit, The University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
2. "Soldiers' Women by Xavier Herbert". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
3. "Be Ready with Bells and Drums by Elizabeth Kata". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
4. "No Kava for Johnny by John O'Grady". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
5. "The Good Looking Women by Ruth Park". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
6. "A Stranger and Afraid by George Turner". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
7. "Time of Conflict by Judah Waten". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
8. "Austlit — "Cubby" by Thea Astley". Austlit. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
9. "Austlit — "Woollahra Road" by Shirley Hazzard". Austlit. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
10. "A Bohemian Affair : Short Stories by Ray Mathew". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
11. "The Ballad of the Fat Bushranger : And Other Stories by Darcy Niland". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
12. "Dadda Jumped Over Two Elephants by Darcy Niland". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
13. "Logan's Girl and Other Stories by Darcy Niland". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
14. "Austlit — "Barbecue" by Desmond O'Grady". Austlit. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
15. "Australian Stories of Today edited by Charles Osborne". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
16. "Austlit — "Say to Me Ronald!" by Hal Porter". Austlit. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
17. "Seance on a Wet Afternoon by Mark McShane". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
18. "The White Savage by Arthur Upfield". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
19. "Dangerous Enemies by John Gunn". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
20. "The Hole in the Hill by Ruth Park". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
21. "Forbidden Bridge by Betty Roland". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
22. "From Australia to Britain by Emily Bulcock". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
23. "Austlit — "Nightfall" by Gwen Harwood". Austlit. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
24. "Austlit — "The Double Looking Glass" by A. D. Hope". Austlit. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
25. "Austlit — "At My Grandmother's" by David Malouf". Austlit. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
26. "Once Bitten, Twice Bitten by Peter Porter". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
27. "Forbears by Elizabeth Riddell". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
28. "Austlit — "Dust" by Randolph Stow". Austlit. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
29. "Austlit — "Ruins of the City of Hay" by Randolph Stow". Austlit. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
30. "Austlit — "Melbourne" by Chris Wallace-Crabbe". Austlit. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
31. "Socrates and Other Poems by Francis Webb". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
32. "The Hard Way : The Story Behind Power Without Glory by Frank Hardy". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
33. "ALS Gold Medal - Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
34. "Judges' Warm Praise of Award Winner". The Canberra Times, 21 April 1962. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
35. ""Old Favourite Wins 'Book of the Year' Title"". The Canberra Times, 8 July 1961, p14. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
36. "Reading by Ipswich Poet" The Canberra Times, 7 June 1968, p14
37. "Peter FitzSimons". Austlit. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
38. "Greg Egan". Austlit. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
39. "Andy Griffiths". Austlit. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
40. On, Thuy (2 March 2022). "Vale Jordie Albiston". ArtsHub Australia. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
41. "Michael Gurr (1961-2017)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
42. "Richard Flanagan". Austlit. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
43. "Atkinson, Evelyn John Rupert (1881–1961)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
44. "Lindsay, Sir Lionel Arthur (1874–1961) by Bernard Smith". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
45. "Gunn, Jeannie (1870–1961) by Sally O'Neill". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
46. "Hooton, Henry Arthur (Harry) (1908–1961) by Sasha Soldatow". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
47. "Fleming, William Montgomerie (1874–1961) by Stuart Piggin". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
48. "Alice Gore-Jones (1887-1961)". Austlit. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
49. "Tyrrell, James Robert (1875–1961) by W. S. Ramson". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
50. "Rosman, Alice Trevenen (1882–1961) by Suzanne Edgar". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
51. "Bennett, Mary Montgomerie (1881–1961) by G. C. Bolton and H. J. Gibbney". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 11 July 2023.