1964 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1964.

Events

• The Australian newspaper published its first issue on 14 July 1964, becoming Australia's first national daily newspaper. It is published by Rupert Murdoch's News Limited. ^[1]

Major publications

Books

• Raymond Aitchison – The Illegitimates ^[2]
• Patricia Carlon – The Price of an Orphan ^[3]
• Alan Chester – Brother Captain ^[4]
• Jon Cleary
  • The Fall of an Eagle
  • A Flight of Chariots
• Charmian Clift – Honour's Mimic ^[5]
• Peter Cowan – Summer ^[6]
• Dymphna Cusack – Black Lightning
• Lola Irish – Shadow Mountain ^[7]
• George Johnston
  • The Far Face of the Moon ^[8]
  • My Brother Jack
• Thomas Keneally – The Place at Whitton
• John McGhee – Sundry Debtors ^[9]
• Frank O'Grady – The Sun Breaks Through ^[10]
• John Patrick – Weave a Circle ^[11]
• Dan Reidy – It's This Way ^[12]
• David Rowbotham – The Man in the Jungle ^[13]
• F. J. Thwaites – A Mountain for Monique
• John Tranter – The Livin' is Easy ^[14]
• Judah Waten – Distant Land ^[15]

Short stories

• Nancy Cato – The Sea Ants and Other Stories ^[16]
• Peter Cowan – "The Tractor" ^[17]
• Frank Dalby Davison – The Road to Yesterday : Collected Short Stories ^[18]
• Patrick White – The Burnt Ones

Science fiction and fantasy

• Russell Braddon – The Year of the Angry Rabbit
• Damien Broderick – "All My Yesterdays" ^[19]
• A. Bertram Chandler
  • The Deep Reaches of Space ^[20]
  • The Coils of Time / Into the Alternative Universe ^[21]

Children's and Young Adult fiction

• Hesba Brinsmead – Pastures of the Blue Crane
• Nan Chauncy – High and Haunted Island ^[22]
• Ruth Park
  • Airlift for Grandee ^[23]
  • The Muddle-Headed Wombat on Holiday ^[24]

Poetry

Main article: 1964 in poetry

• Bruce Dawe – "How to Go On Not Looking" ^[25]
• A. D. Hope – "An Epistle : Edward Sackville to Venetia Digby" ^[26]
• T. Inglis Moore – From the Ballads to Brennan (edited) ^[27]
• Oodgeroo Noonuccal – We Are Going : Poems
• Peter Porter – "Sydney Cove, 1788" ^[28]
• David Rowbotham – All the Room
• Thomas Shapcott – The Mankind Thing ^[29]
• Vivian Smith – "Late April : Hobart" ^[30]
• Douglas Stewart – Modern Australian Verse (edited) ^[31]
• Randolph Stow – "Ishmael" ^[32]
• Francis Webb – The Ghost of the Cock : Poems ^[33]

Non-fiction

• Donald Horne – The Lucky Country
• Douglas Lockwood – Up the Track ^[34]

Drama

• Frank Hardy – The Ringbolter ^[35]
• David Ireland – Image in the Clay ^[36]
• Patrick White – Night on Bald Mountain ^[37]

Awards and honours

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal [38]	Geoffrey Blainey	The Rush that Never Ended	Melbourne University Press
Miles Franklin Award [39]	George Johnston	My Brother Jack	Collins

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award	Older Readers [40]	Eleanor Spence	The Green Laurel	Oxford University Press
Picture Book	No award

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry [41]	David Rowbotham	All the Room	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 1964 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 7 May – Elliot Perlman, novelist ^[42]
• 21 July – Gillian Mears, novelist (died 2016) ^[43]
• 7 August – John Birmingham, novelist and journalist ^[44]
• 10 August – Heather Rose, novelist ^[45]
• 28 August – Traci Harding, science fiction and fantasy novelist ^[46]
• 12 December – Georgia Blain, novelist, journalist and biographer (died 2016) ^{[47] [48]}

Unknown date

• Jonathan Strahan, editor and anthologist (born in Belfast) ^[49]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1964 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 22 January – Zora Cross, poet (born 1890) ^[50]
• 12 February – Arthur Upfield, novelist (born 1890) ^[51]
• 1 May – Ethel Nhill Victoria Stonehouse, novelist and poet (born 1883) ^[52]
• 19 October – Nettie Palmer, critic and journalist (born 1885) ^[53]

See also

• 1964 in Australia
• 1964 in literature
• 1964 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

References

1. "A national newspaper for Australia". The Guardian. 14 July 1964. p. 6. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
2. "The Illegitimates by Raymond Aitchison". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
3. "The Price of an Orphan by Patricia Carlon". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
4. "Brother Captain by Alan Chester". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
5. "Honour's Mimic by Charmian Clift". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
6. "Summer by Peter Cowan". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
7. "Shadow Mountain by Lola Irish". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
8. "The Far Face of the Moon by George Johnston". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
9. "Sundry Debtors by John McGhee". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
10. "The Sun Breaks Through by Frank O'Grady". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
11. "Weave a Circle by John Patrick". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
12. "It's This Way by Dan Reidy". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
13. "The Man in the Jungle by David Robotham". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
14. "The Livin' is Easy by John Tranter". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
15. "Distant Land by Judah Waten". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
16. "The Sea Ants and Other Stories by Nancy Cato". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
17. ""The Tractor" by Peter Cowan". Austlit. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
18. "The Road to Yesterday : Collected Short Stories by Frank Dalby Davison". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
19. ""All My Yesterdays" by Damien Broderick". ISFDB. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
20. "The Deep Reaches of Space by A. Bertram Chandler". ISFDB. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
21. "The Coils of Time / Into the Alternative Universe by A. Bertram Chandler". ISFDB. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
22. "High and Haunted Island by Nan Chauncy". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
23. "Airlift for Grandee by Ruth Park". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
24. "The Muddle-Headed Wombat on Holiday by Ruth Park". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
25. ""How to Go On Not Looking" by Bruce Dawe". Austlit. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
26. ""An Epistle : Edward Sackville to Venetia Digby" by A. D. Hope". Austlit. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
27. "From the Ballads to Brennan edited by T. Inglis Moore". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
28. ""Sydney Cove, 1788" by Peter Porter". Austlit. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
29. "The Mankind Thing by Thomas Shapcott". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
30. ""Late April : Hobart" by Vivian Smith". Austlit. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
31. "Modern Australian Verse edited by Douglas Stewart". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
32. ""Ishmael" by Randolph Stow". Austlit. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
33. "The Ghost of the Cock : Poems by Francis Webb". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
34. "Up the Track by Douglas Lockwood". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
35. "The Ringbolter by Frank Hardy". Austlit. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
36. "Image in the Clay by David Ireland". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
37. "Night on Bald Mountain by Patrick White". Austlit. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
38. "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
39. ""Award to George Johnston"". The Canberra Times, 1 April 1965, p27. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
40. Austlit - The Family Conspiracy by Joan Phipson
41. Austlit - All the Room by David Robotham
42. "Elliot Perlman". Austlit. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
43. "Gillian Mears (1964-2016)". Austlit. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
44. "John Birmingham". Austlit. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
45. "Heather Rose". Austlit. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
46. "Traci Harding". Austlit. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
47. "Georgia Blain Death Notice". Tributes.smh.com.au. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
48. "Georgia Blain". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
49. "Jonathan Strahan". Austlit. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
50. "Cross, Zora Bernice May (1890–1964) by Dorothy Green". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
51. "Upfield, Arthur William (1890–1964) by Stephen Knight". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
52. Edgar, Suzanne, "Stonehouse, Ethel Nhill Victoria (1883–1964)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 29 September 2022
53. "Palmer, Janet Gertrude (Nettie) (1885–1964) by D. J. Jordan". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 12 July 2023.