1978 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1978.

Events

• Jessica Anderson won the 1978 Miles Franklin Award for Tirra Lirra by the River
• The Anne Elder Award for poetry is awarded for the first time

Major publications

Books

• Jessica Anderson – Tirra Lirra by the River
• Nancy Cato – All the Rivers Run
• David Malouf – An Imaginary Life
• Christopher Koch – The Year of Living Dangerously
• George Turner – Transit of Cassidy ^[1]

Science fiction and fantasy

• A. Bertram Chandler — To Keep the Ship ^[2]
• David Lake — The Gods of Xuma, or, Barsoom Revisited ^[3]
• George Turner – Beloved Son ^[4]

Crime and mystery

• Nicholas Hasluck — Quarantine ^[5]

Children's and young adult fiction

• Peter Pavey – One Dragon's Dream ^[6]
• Joan Phipson – Keep Calm ^[7]
• Patricia Wrightson – The Dark Bright Water ^[8]

Poetry

• David Campbell — "Lizard and Stone" ^[9]
• Lee Cataldi — Invitation to a Marxist Lesbian Party ^[10]
• Bruce Dawe — Sometimes Gladness: Collected Poems 1954–1978 ^[11]
• Rosemary Dobson – "The Three Fates"
• Jennifer Maiden — Birthstones ^[12]

Drama

• Ron Blair – Marx ^[13]

Non-fiction

• Patsy Adam-Smith – The ANZACS ^[14]
• Mary Durack – The End of Dreaming ^[15]
• Wendy Lowenstein – Weevils in the Flour ^[16]
• Elyne Mitchell – Light Horse: The Story of Australia's Mounted Troops ^[17]

Awards and honours

Order of Australia

• Margaret Hasluck appointed Dame of the Order of Australia (AD) for "pre-eminent achievement in the fields of literature and history and for extraordinary and meritorious public service to Australia". ^[18]

Lifetime achievement

Award	Author
Christopher Brennan Award [19]	Rosemary Dobson
Patrick White Award [20]	Gwen Harwood

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award [21]	Christopher Koch	The Year of Living Dangerously	Nelson
ALS Gold Medal [22]	No award
Colin Roderick Award [23]	Leslie Rees	History of Australian Drama	Angus & Robertson

Fiction

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award [21]	Christopher Koch	The Year of Living Dangerously	Nelson
Miles Franklin Award [24]	Jessica Anderson	Tirra Lirra by the River	Macmillan

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award [25]	Older Readers	Patricia Wrightson	The Ice is Coming	Hutchinson
Picture Book	Jenny Wagner, illustrated by Ron Brooks	John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat	Viking Kestrel

Science fiction and fantasy

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Australian SF Achievement Award [26]	Best Australian Science Fiction	Cherry Wilder	The Luck of Brin's Five	Atheneum

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Anne Elder Award [27]	Lee Cataldi	Invitation to a Marxist Lesbian Party	Wild & Woolley
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry [28]	Bruce Dawe	Sometimes Gladness: Collected Poems 1954–1978	Longman Cheshire

Drama

Award	Author	Title
AWGIE Award for Stage [29]	David Williamson	The Club

Non-fiction

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award [21]	Patsy Adam-Smith	The ANZACS	Nelson

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1978 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 28 December — Holly Throsby, novelist and musician ^[30]

Unknown date

• Brett McBean, horror, thriller and speculative fiction writer ^[31]
• Fiona McFarlane, novelist and short story writer ^[32]
• Andrew O'Connor, novelist ^[33]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1978 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 9 March – John K. Ewers, novelist, poet, schoolteacher and short story writer (born 1904) ^[34]
• 16 April – Barbara Vernon, playwright, screenwriter and radio announcer (born 1916) ^[35]
• 23 May – Rose Lindsay, artist's model, author, and printmaker (born 1885) ^[36]
• 15 June – Paul McGuire, author, public servant and diplomat (born 1903) ^[37]
• 20 July – Velia Ercole, short story writer and novelist (born 1903) ^[38]
• 23 July – T. Inglis Moore, writer, anthologist and academic (born 1901) ^[39]
• 24 July – Annie Rattray Rentoul, children's poet and story writer (born 1882) ^[40]
• 27 September – Margaret Horder, artist and children's book illustrator (born 1903) ^[41]
• 7 December – Helen Haenke, poet, playwright and artist (born 1916) ^[42]

See also

• 1978 in Australia
• 1978 in literature
• 1978 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

References

1. "Transit of Cassidy by George Turner". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
2. "To Keep the Ship by A. Bertram Chandler". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
3. "The Gods of Xuma, or, Barsoom Revisited by David Lake". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
4. "Beloved Son by George Turner". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
5. "Quarantine by Nicholas Hasluck". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
6. "One Dragon's Dream by Peter Pavey". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
7. "Keep Calm by Joan Phipson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
8. "The Dark Bright Water by Patricia Wrightson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
9. ""Lizard and Stone" by David Campbell". Austlit. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
10. "Invitation to a Marxist Lesbian Party by Lee Cataldi". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
11. "Sometimes Gladness: Collected Poems 1954–1978 by Bruce Dawe". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
12. "Birthstones by Jennifer Maiden". Austlit. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
13. "Marx by Ron Blair". Austlit. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
14. "The ANZACS by Patsy Adam-Smith". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
15. "The End of Dreaming by Mary Durack". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
16. "Weevils in the Flour by Wendy Lowenstein". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
17. "Light Horse: The Story of Australia's Mounted Troops by Elyne Mitchell". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
18. "Australian Government Gazette – Special" (PDF). Government House of The Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
19. ""Dobson, Rosemary de Brissac (1920 - 2012)"". The Australian Women's Register. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
20. "Gwen Harwood". PoemHunter.com. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
21. ""Novel in a slice of history"". The Age, 2 December 1978. ProQuest   2520821566 . Retrieved 12 May 2024.
22. "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
23. "Other Winners". www.jcu.edu.au. 15 November 2017. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
24. "Miles Franklin Literary Award – Every Winner Since 1957". Better Reading. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
25. "Winners and Commended Books 1970 - 1979 - CBCA". 12 November 2009. Archived from the original on 12 November 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
26. ""Ditmar Awards 1978"". SFADB. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
27. "Austlit — Anne Elder Award 1977-78". Austlit. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
28. "Brisbane Writers Festival - Bruce Dawe". 6 August 2007. Archived from the original on 6 August 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
29. "AWGIE Award Winners 1968-2016" (PDF). Australian Writers' Guild. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
30. "Austlit - Holly Throsby". Austlit. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
31. "Austlit - Brett McBean". Austlit. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
32. "Austlit - Fiona McFarlane". Austlit. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
33. "Austlit - Andrew O'Connor". Austlit. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
34. "Ewers, John Keith (1904–1978) by Jenny Gregory and Rebecca Shepherd". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
35. Jane Connors. "Vernon, Barbara Mary (1916–1978)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
36. "Lindsay, Rose (1885–1978) by Ana Carden-Coyne". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
37. "McGuire, Dominic Mary Paul (1903–1978) by Katharine Massam". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
38. "Velia Ercole (1903–1978)". AustLit. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
39. "Austlit – T. Inglis Moore (1901-1978)". Austlit. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
40. "Rentoul, Annie Rattray (1882–1978) by Diane Langmore". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
41. "Austlit - Margaret Horder (1903-1978)". Austlit. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
42. "Haenke, Helen Joyce (1916–1978) by Delyse Anthony". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 6 July 2023.