1972 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1972.

Events

• Thomas Keneally becomes the first Australian to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction for The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith . ^[1]

Major publications

Books

• Thea Astley – The Acolyte
• Russell Braddon – End Play ^[2]
• Jon Cleary – Man's Estate
• Sumner Locke Elliott – The Man Who Got Away ^[3]
• Catherine Gaskin – A Falcon for a Queen ^[4]
• David Ireland – The Flesheaters ^[5]
• Thomas Keneally – The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
• Peter Mathers – The Wort Papers ^[6]

Short stories

• Peter Carey
  • "Crabs" ^[7]
  • "Peeling" ^[8]
• Frank Hardy – It's Moments Like These ^[9]
• Elizabeth Jolley – "Dingle the Fool" ^[10]
• Frank Moorhouse – The Americans, Baby ^[11]

Children's and Young Adult fiction

• Hesba Brinsmead – Echo in the Wilderness ^[12]
• Alan Marshall – Fight for Life ^[13]
• Mary Elwyn Patchett – Rebel Brumby ^[14]
• Ivan Southall – Head in the Clouds ^[15]
• Eleanor Spence – The Nothing Place ^[16]
• Patricia Wrightson – An Older Kind of Magic ^[17]

Science fiction and fantasy

• A. Bertram Chandler – The Hard Way Up ^[18]

Poetry

Main article: 1972 in poetry

• Michael Dransfield
  • Drug Poems ^[19]
  • The Inspector of Tides ^[20]
• Harry Payne Heseltine – The Penguin Book of Australian Verse (edited) ^[21]
• Les Murray – Poems Against Economics ^[22]
• Peter Porter
  • After Martial ^[23]
  • Preaching to the Converted ^[24]
• Thomas Shapcott – Begin With Walking ^[25]
• Peter Skrzynecki – Head-Waters

Drama

• Dorothy Hewett – Bonbons and Roses for Dolly
• David Williamson – Jugglers Three

Awards and honours

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal [26]	Alex Buzo	Macquarie : A Play	Currency Press
	Alex Buzo	Tom	Angus and Robertson
Colin Roderick Award [27]	Keith Hancock	Discovering Monaro	Cambridge University Press
Miles Franklin Award [28]	Thea Astley	The Acolyte	Angus and Robertson

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award	Older Readers [29]	H. F. Brinsmead	Longtime Passing	Angus and Robertson
Picture Book [29]	No award

Science fiction and fantasy

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Australian SF Achievement Award [30]	Best Australian Science Fiction	Lee Harding	"Fallen Spaceman"	If : Worlds of Science Fiction

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry [31]	Peter Skrzynecki	Head-Waters	Lyre Bird Writers

Drama

Award	Author	Title
AWGIE Award for Stage [32]	David Williamson	The Removalists

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1972 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

Unknown date

• Louis Armand, poet and critic ^[33]
• Steve Toltz, novelist ^[34]
• Samuel Wagan Watson, poet ^[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 1972 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 3 June – Martin Boyd, novelist (born 1893) ^[36]
• 16 August – Dulcie Deamer, poet (born 1890) ^[37]
• 16 October – Eunice Hanger, playwright and educator (born 1911) ^[38]

See also

• 1972 in Australia
• 1972 in literature
• 1972 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

References

1. Cain, Sian (17 October 2022). "Booker prize: it has been six years since an Australian was nominated. What gives?". Guardian Australia. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
2. "End Play by Russell Braddon". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
3. "The Man Who Got Away by Sumner Locke Elliott". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
4. "A Falcon for a Queen by Catherine Gaskin". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
5. "The Flesheaters by David Ireland". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
6. "The Wort Papers by Peter Mathers". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
7. ""Crabs" by Peter Carey". Austlit. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
8. ""Peeling" by Peter Carey". Austlit. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
9. "It's Moments Like These by Frank Hardy". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
10. ""Dingle the Fool" by Elizabeth Jolley". Austlit. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
11. "The Americans, Baby by Frank Moorhouse". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
12. "Echo in the Wilderness by Hesba Brinsmead". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
13. "Fight for Life by Alan Marshall". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
14. "Rebel Brumby by Mary Elwyn Patchett". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
15. "Head in the Clouds by Ivan Southall". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
16. "The Nothing Place by Eleanor Spence". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
17. "An Older Kind of Magic by Patricia Wrightson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
18. "The Hard Way Up by A. Bertram Chandler". ISFDB. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
19. "Drug Poems by Michael Dransfield". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
20. "The Inspector of Tides by Michael Dransfield". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
21. "The Penguin Book of Australian Verse edited by Harry Payne Heseltine". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
22. "Poems Against Economics by Les Murray". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
23. "After Martial by Peter Porter". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
24. "Preaching to the Converted by Peter Porter". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
25. "Begin With Walking by Thomas Shapcott". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
26. "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
27. "Colin Roderick Award - Previous Winners", James Cook University
28. "Sydney Writer Wins Award for Novel", The Canberra Times, 11 April 1973, p3
29. ""Children's Book Week"". The Canberra Times, 8 July 1972, p15. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
30. ""Ditmar Awards 1972"". SFADB. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
31. Austlit - Head-Waters by Peter Skrzynecki
32. "AWGIE Award Winners 1968-2016" (PDF). Australian Writers' Guild. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
33. "Louis Armand". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
34. "Steve Toltz". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
35. "Samuel Wagan Watson". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
36. "Boyd, Guy Martin à Beckett (1923–1988) by Brenda Niall". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
37. "Deamer, Mary Elizabeth Kathleen Dulcie (1890–1972) by Martha Rutledge". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
38. "Hanger, Eunice (1911–1972) by Richard Fotheringham". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 24 June 2023.