1977 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1977.

Events

• Ruth Park won the 1977 Miles Franklin Award for Swords and Crowns and Rings

Major publications

Books

• Jon Cleary – High Road to China
• Helen Garner – Monkey Grip
• Thomas Keneally – A Victim of the Aurora
• Colleen McCullough – The Thorn Birds
• Ruth Park – Swords and Crowns and Rings

Short stories

• Frank Moorhouse – Tales of Mystery and Romance ^[1]

Science fiction and fantasy

• A. Bertram Chandler
  • The Far Traveller ^[2]
  • Star Courier ^[3]
• Lee Harding — The Weeping Sky ^[4]
• David Lake
  • The Right Hand of Dextra ^[5]
  • The Wildings of Westron ^[6]
• Cherry Wilder — The Luck of Brin's Five ^[7]

Children's and young adult fiction

• Joan Phipson – Fly into Danger ^[8]
• Eleanor Spence – A Candle for Saint Antony ^[9]
• Patricia Wrightson – The Ice is Coming

Poetry

• Robert Adamson – Cross The Border ^[10]
• Nancy Keesing – Hails and Farewells ^[11]
• Jennifer Maiden – Mortal Details ^[12]
• Les Murray – Ethnic Radio ^[13]
• John Tranter – Crying in Early Infancy: 100 Sonnets ^[14]

Drama

• Dorothy Hewett – The Golden Oldies ^[15]
• Louis Nowra – Inner Voices ^[16]
• Patrick White – Big Toys
• David Williamson – The Club

Non-fiction

• Blanche d'Alpuget – Mediator: A Biography of Sir Richard Kirby ^[17]
• Zelda D'Aprano – Zelda: The Becoming of a Woman ^[18]
• Fred Daly – From Curtin to Kerr ^[19]
• John Edwards – Life Wasn't Meant to Be Easy: A Political Profile of Malcolm Fraser ^[20]
• Paul Hasluck – Mucking About: An Autobiography ^[21]

Awards and honours

Order of Australia

• Eleanor Dark appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) ^[22]
• Colin Thiele appointed Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) ^[23]

Lifetime achievement

Award	Author
Christopher Brennan Award [24]	Gwen Harwood
Patrick White Award [25]	Sumner Locke Elliott

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award [26]	No award
ALS Gold Medal [27]	No award
Colin Roderick Award [28]	Alan Marshall	The Complete Stories of Alan Marshall	Thomas Nelson

Fiction

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award [26]	No award
Miles Franklin Award [29]	Ruth Park	Swords and Crowns and Rings	Nelson Books

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award	Older Readers [30]	Eleanor Spence	The October Child	Oxford University Press
Picture Book	No award

Science fiction and fantasy

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Australian SF Achievement Award [31]	Best Australian Science Fiction	David Lake	Walkers on the Sky	DAW Books

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Anne Elder Award [32]	Laurie Duggan	East: Poems 1970-74	R. Kenny
	Graeme Curtis	At Last No Reply	Makar Press
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry [33]	Robert Adamson	Selected Poems	Angus & Robertson

Non-fiction

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award [26]	No award

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1977 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 7 August — Patrick Holland, novelist and short story writer ^[34]

Unknown date

• Jennifer Mills — novelist, short story writer and 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 1977 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 6 June – George Landen Dann, playwright (born 1904) ^[36]
• 10 July – Alec Chisholm, journalist, ornithologist and encyclopaedist (born 1890) ^[37]
• 22 August – Leon Gellert, poet (born 1892) ^[38]
• 2 September – Pat Flower, playwright, television scriptwriter and crime novelist (born 1914) ^[39]
• 12 September – Les Haylen, politician, playwright, novelist and journalist (born 1898) ^[40]

See also

• 1977 in Australia
• 1977 in literature
• 1977 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

References

1. "Tales of Mystery and Romance by Frank Moorhouse". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
2. "The Far Traveller by A. Bertram Chandler". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
3. "Star Courier by A. Bertram Chandler". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
4. "The Weeping Sky by Lee Harding". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
5. "The Right Hand of Dextra by David Lake". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
6. "The Wildings of Westron by David Lake". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
7. "The Luck of Brin's Five by Cherry Wilder". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
8. "Fly into Danger by Joan Phipson". Austlit. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
9. "A Candle for Saint Antony by Eleanor Spence". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
10. "Cross The Border by Robert Adamson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
11. "Hails and Farewells by Nancy Keesing". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
12. "Mortal Details by Jennifer Maiden". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
13. "Ethnic Radio by Les Murray". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
14. "Crying in Early Infancy: 100 Sonnets by John Tranter". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
15. "The Golden Oldies by Dorothy Hewett". Austlit. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
16. "Inner Voices by Louis Nowra". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
17. "Mediator: A Biography of Sir Richard Kirby by Blanche d'Alpuget". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
18. "Zelda: The Becoming of a Woman by Zelda D'Aprano". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
19. "From Curtin to Kerr by Fred Daly". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
20. "Life Wasn't Meant to Be Easy: A Political Profile of Malcolm Fraser by John Edwards". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
21. "Mucking About: An Autobiography by Paul Hasluck". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
22. "Full list for Order of Australia". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). 26 January 1977. p. 12. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
23. "Colin Milton Thiele". honours.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
24. "Harwood, Gwendoline Nessie (Gwen) (1920–1995) by Alison Hoddinott". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
25. "Austlit — Patrick White Award - Past Winners". Austlit. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
26. "Austlit — The Age Book of the Year Award". Austlit. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
27. "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
28. "Other Winners". www.jcu.edu.au. 15 November 2017. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
29. Eccleshare, Julia (7 January 2011). "Ruth Park obituary". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 20 April 2019.
30. Spence, Eleanor; Green, Malcolm (1977). The October child. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780195505474.
31. ""Ditmar Awards 1977"". SFADB. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
32. "Austlit — Anne Elder Award 1977-78". Austlit. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
33. "Adamson, Robert - Poet - Australian Poetry Library". www.poetrylibrary.edu.au. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
34. "Patrick Holland". Austlit. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
35. "Jennifer Mills". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
36. "George Landen Dann (1904–1977) by Richard Fotheringham". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
37. "Chisholm, Alexander Hugh (Alec) (1890-1977)". Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
38. "Gellert, Leon Maxwell (1892–1977) by Gavin Souter". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
39. "Flower, Patricia Mary (Pat) (1914–1977) by Susan Lever". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
40. "Haylen, Leslie Clement (Les) (1898–1977) by R. E. Northey". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 3 July 2023.