1970 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1970.

Major publications

Books

• Jessica Anderson – The Last Man's Head ^[1]
• Jon Cleary – Helga's Web
• Geoffrey Dutton – Tamara ^[2]
• Catherine Gaskin – Fiona ^[3]
• Shirley Hazzard – The Bay of Noon
• Barry Oakley – A Salute to the Great McCarthy ^[4]
• Dal Stivens – A Horse of Air
• Colin Thiele – Labourers in the Vineyard ^[5]
• Patrick White – The Vivisector

Short stories

• Murray Bail – "Paradise" ^[6]
• Alexandra Hasluck – Of Ladies Dead : Stories Not in the Modern Manner ^[7]
• Frank Moorhouse – "The Coca-Cola Kid" ^[8]
• Hal Porter – Mr Butterfry and Other Tales of New Japan ^[9]

Children's and Young Adult fiction

• Hesba Brinsmead – Listen to the Wind ^[10]
• Mavis Thorpe Clark – Iron Mountain ^[11]
• Max Fatchen – Conquest of the River ^[12]
• Lilith Norman – Climb a Lonely Hill ^[13]
• Ruth Park
  • The Muddle-Headed Wombat in the Springtime ^[14]
  • The Muddle-Headed Wombat on the River ^[15]
• Joan Phipson – The Haunted Night ^[16]
• Ivan Southall
  • Bread and Honey
  • Chinaman's Reef is Ours ^[17]

Science fiction and fantasy

• Damien Broderick – Sorcerer's World ^[18]
• A. Bertram Chandler – "The Bitter Pill"
• Michael Wilding – "The Man of Slow Feeling" ^[19]

Poetry

Main article: 1970 in poetry

• Jack Davis – The First-Born and Other Poems ^[20]
• Bruce Dawe – "Weapons Training"
• Michael Dransfield – "Fix" ^[21]
• Robert Gray – "Journey : The North Coast" ^[22]
• Rodney Hall – Heaven, in a Way ^[23]
• A. D. Hope – Dunciad Minor ^[24]
• David Malouf – Bicycle and Other Poems
• Peter Porter – The Last of England ^[25]
• David Rowbotham – The Makers of the Ark : Poems ^[26]
• Kath Walker – My People : A Kath Walker Collection ^[27]

Drama

• David Williamson
  • The Coming of Stork
  • You've Got to Get on Jack

Non-fiction

• Germaine Greer – The Female Eunuch

Awards and honours

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal [28]	Manning Clark
Colin Roderick Award [29]	Margaret Lawrie	Myths and Legends of Torres Strait	University of Queensland Press
Miles Franklin Award [30]	Dal Stivens	A Horse of Air	Angus and Robertson

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award	Older Readers [31]	Annette Macarthur-Onslow	Uhu	Ure Smith
Picture Book [31]	No award

Science fiction and fantasy

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Australian SF Achievement Award [32]	Best Australian Science Fiction	Lee Harding	"Dancing Gerontius"

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry [33]	Bruce Beaver	Letters to Live Poets	South Head 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 1970 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 8 June – Paul Haines, short story writer (born in New Zealand)(died 2012) ^[34]

Unknown date

• Lee Battersby, novelist and short story writer (born in Nottingham, England) ^[35]
• Julia Leigh, novelist and script writer ^[36]
• Martin Livings, short story writer ^[37]
• Caroline Overington, novelist and journalist ^[38]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1970 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 20 April — Ronald Campbell, novelist and short story writer (born 1896) ^[39]
• 1 May – Nan Chauncy, writer for children (born 1900) ^[40]
• 24 May – Frank Dalby Davison, novelist and short story writer (born 1893) ^[41]
• 22 July – George Johnston, novelist (born 1912) ^[42]
• 30 July – Walter Murdoch, academic and essayist (born 1874) ^[43]

See also

• 1970 in Australia
• 1970 in literature
• 1970 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

References

1. "The Last Man's Head by Jessica Anderson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
2. "Tamara by Geoffrey Dutton". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
3. "Fiona by Catherine Gaskin". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
4. "A Salute to the Great McCarthy by Barry Oakley". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
5. "Labourers in the Vineyard by Colin Thiele". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
6. ""Paradise" by Murray Bail". Austlit. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
7. "Of Ladies Dead : Stories Not in the Modern Manner by Alexandra Hasluck". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
8. ""The Coca-Cola Kid" by Frank Moorhouse". Austlit. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
9. "Mr Butterfry and Other Tales of New Japan by Hal Porter". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
10. "Listen to the Wind by Hesba Brinsmead". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
11. "Iron Mountain by Mavis Thorpe Clark". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
12. "Conquest of the River by Max Fatchen". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
13. "Climb a Lonely Hill by Lilith Norman". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
14. "The Muddle-Headed Wombat in the Springtime by Ruth Park". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
15. "The Muddle-Headed Wombat on the River by Ruth Park". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
16. "The Haunted Night by Joan Phipson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
17. "Chinaman's Reef is Ours by Ivan Southall". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
18. "Sorcerer's World by Damien Broderick". ISFDB. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
19. ""The Man of Slow Feeling" by Michael Wilding". ISFDB. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
20. "The First-Born and Other Poems by Jack Davis". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
21. ""Fix" by Michael Dransfield". Austlit. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
22. ""Journey : The North Coast" by Robert Gray". Austlit. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
23. "Heaven, in a Way by Rodney Hall". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
24. "Dunciad Minor by A. D. Hope". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
25. "The Last of England by Peter Porter". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
26. "The Makers of the Ark : Poems by David Rowbotham". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
27. "My People : A Kath Walker Collection by Kath Walker". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
28. "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
29. "Colin Roderick Award — Other Winners". James Cook University. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
30. ""Award to Stivens"". The Canberra Times, 25 March 1971, p3. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
31. ""Judges' Awards"". The Canberra Times, 11 July 1970, p16. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
32. ""Ditmar Awards 1970"". SFADB. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
33. "Austlit — Letters to Live Poets by Bruce Beaver". Austlit. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
34. "Paul Haines (1970–2012)". Locus Online. 5 March 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
35. "Lee Battersby". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
36. "Julia Leigh". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
37. "Martin J. Livings". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
38. "Caroline Overington". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
39. "Ronald Campbell (1896-1970)". Austlit. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
40. "Chauncy, Nancen Beryl (Nan) (1900–1970) by Berenice Eastman". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
41. "Davison, Frank Dalby (1893–1970) by Robert Darby". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
42. "George Johnston (1790–1820) by A. T. Yarwood". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
43. "Murdoch, Sir Walter Logie (1874–1970) by Fred Alexander". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 30 July 2023.