1991 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1991.

Events

• David Malouf won the Miles Franklin Award for The Great World

Major publications

Novels

• Peter Carey — The Tax Inspector
• Brian Castro — Double-Wolf
• Bryce Courtenay — Tandia
• Robert Drewe — Our Sunshine
• David Foster — Mates of Mars ^[1]
• Alan Gould — To the Burning City ^[2]
• Rodney Hall — The Second Bridegroom
• Thomas Keneally
  • Chief of Staff (as by "William Coyle")
  • Flying Hero Class
• Simon Leys — The Death of Napoleon
• Colleen McCullough — The Grass Crown
• Gillian Mears — The Mint Lawn ^[3]
• Morris West — The Ringmaster
• Tim Winton — Cloudstreet

Short stories

• Lily Brett – What God Wants ^[4]
• Suzanne Edgar — Counting Backwards and Other Stories ^[5]

Crime and mystery

• Jon Cleary — Pride's Harvest
• Peter Corris
  • Aftershock
  • Wet Graves
• Garry Disher — Kickback ^[6]
• Kerry Greenwood — Murder on the Ballarat Train ^[7]
• Brenda Walker — Crush ^[8]

Science fiction and fantasy

• Greg Egan – "Appropriate Love"
• Keith Taylor – Felimid's Homecoming ^[9]
• George Turner – Brain Child ^[10]

Children's and young adult fiction

• Margaret Barbalet — The Wolf
• Anna Fienberg — The Magnificent Nose and Other Marvels
• Jackie French — Rain Stones (for children)
• Robin Klein — Came Back to Show You I Could Fly
• John Marsden — Letters from the Inside

Poetry

• Alison Croggon — This is the Stone ^[11]
• A. D. Hope — Orpheus ^[12]
• Jean Kent — Practising Breathing ^[13]

Drama

• Michael Gow — Furious

Non-fiction

• Bruce Bennett — Spirit in Exile, Peter Porter and His Poetry ^[14]
• Barry Hill — Sitting In ^[15]
• Julie Lewis — Olga Masters, A Lot of Living ^[16]
• David Marr — Patrick White: A Life ^[17]

Awards and honours

• Robert Hughes AO , for "service to art and to the promotion of Australian culture" ^[18]
• Bruce Beaver AM , for "service to literature, particularly in the field of poetry" ^[19]
• David Rowbotham AM , for "service to literature" ^[20]
• Patricia Scott AM , for "service to children's literature" ^[21]

Lifetime achievement

Award	Author
Christopher Brennan Award [22]	Elizabeth Riddell
Patrick White Award [23]	David Martin

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award [24]	David Marr	Patrick White : A Life	Jonathan Cape
ALS Gold Medal [25]	Elizabeth Jolley	Cabin Fever	Viking
Colin Roderick Award [26]	Joan Dugdale	Struggle of Memory	University of Queensland Press

Fiction

International

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Commonwealth Writers' Prize [27]	Best Novel, SE Asia and South Pacific region	David Malouf	The Great World	Chatto & Windus
	Best Overall Novel	David Malouf	The Great World	Chatto & Windus

National

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature [28]	Not awarded
The Age Book of the Year Award [24]	Brian Castro	Double-Wolf	Allen & Unwin
The Australian/Vogel Literary Award [29]	Andrew McGahan	Praise	Allen and Unwin
Miles Franklin Award [30]	David Malouf	The Great World	Chatto & Windus
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [31]	Nigel Krauth	JF Was Here	Allen and Unwin
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [32]	Finola Moorhead	Still Murder	Penguin
Western Australian Premier's Book Awards [33]	Nicholas Hasluck	The Country Without Music	Penguin Books
	Tim Winton	Cloudstreet	McPhee Gribble

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature [28]	Not awarded
Anne Elder Award [34]	Alison Croggon	This is the Stone	Penguin
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry [35]	Les Murray	Dog Fox Field: Poems	Angus & Robertson
Mary Gilmore Award [36]	Jean Kent	Vernadahs	Hale & Iremonger
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [31]	Jennifer Maiden	The Winter Baby	Angus & Robertson
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [32]	Jennifer Maiden	The Winter Baby	Angus & Robertson

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award [37]	Older Readers	Gary Crew	Strange Objects	Heinemann
Picture Book	Bob Graham	Greetings from Sandy Beach	Lothian
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [31]	Young People's Literature	Gary Crew	Strange Objects	Heinemann
Victorian Premier's Prize for Young Adult Fiction [32]		Gary Crew	Strange Objects	Heinemann

Science fiction and fantasy

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Australian SF Achievement Award [38]	Best Australian Long Fiction	Terry Dowling	Rynosseros	Aphelion
	Best Australian Short Fiction	Sean McMullen	"While the Gate is Open"	The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction March 1990

Non-fiction

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature [28]	Not awarded
The Age Book of the Year Award [24]	David Marr	Patrick White : A Life	Jonathan Cape

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1991 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 21 February — Dorothy Auchterlonie Green, academic, literary critic and poet (born 1915) ^[39]
• 30 March — Joan Colebrook, journalist and writer (born 1910) ^[40]
• 3 April — Coral Lansbury, writer and academic (born 1929) ^[41]
• 7 April — Bob Brissenden, poet, novelist, critic and academic (born 1928) ^[42]
• 2 May — Ronald McKie, novelist (born 1909) ^[43]
• 23 May — Manning Clark, historian (born 1915) ^[44]
• 24 June — Sumner Locke Elliott, novelist and playwright (born 1917) ^[45]
• 17 November — Pixie O'Harris, children's book author and illustrator (born 1903) ^[46]
• 1 December — Barbara Hanrahan, novelist and artist (born 1939) ^[47]

See also

• 1991 in Australia
• 1991 in literature
• 1991 in poetry
• List of years in literature
• List of years in Australian literature

References

1. "Mates of Mars by David Foster". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
2. "To the Burning City by Alan Gould". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
3. "The Mint Lawn by Gillian Mears". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
4. "What God Wants by Lily Brett". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
5. "Counting Backwards and Other Stories by Suzanne Edgar". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
6. "Kickback by Garry Disher". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
7. "Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
8. "Crush by Brenda Walker". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
9. "Felimid's Homecoming by Keith Taylor". ISFDB. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
10. "Brain Child by George Turner". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
11. "This is the Stone by Alison Croggon". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
12. "Orpheus by A. D. Hope". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
13. "Practising Breathing by Jean Kent". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
14. "Spirit in Exile by Bruce Bennett". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
15. "Sitting In by Barry Hill". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
16. "Olga Masters, A Lot of Living by Julie Lewis". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
17. "Patrick White: A Life by David Marr". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
18. "Robert Studley Forrest Hughes". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
19. "Victor Bruce Beaver". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
20. "David Harold Rowbotham". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
21. "Patricia Scott". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
22. "Austlit — FAW Christopher Brennan Award". Austlit. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
23. "Austlit — Patrick White Award - Past Winners". Austlit. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
24. ""Booknotes"". The Sydney Morning Herald, 7 December 1991, p44. ProQuest   2527558348 . Retrieved 28 May 2024.
25. "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
26. "Colin Roderick Award - Other Winners". James Cook University. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
27. "Commonwealth Writers' Prize Regional Winners 1987-2007" (PDF). Commonwealth Foundation. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
28. "Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature – Past Literary Award Winners". State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
29. "Austlit — The Australian/Vogel National Literary Award 1991". Austlit. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
30. "Malouf's sixth novel wins Miles Franklin award". The Canberra Times, 26 June 1991, p5. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
31. "Literary winner uncovers a purple patch in the mountains". Sydney Morning Herald, 10 September 1991, p3. ProQuest   2527555705 . Retrieved 3 May 2024.
32. "Case of crime paying dividends". The Age, 12 September 1991, p15. ProQuest   2521549387 . Retrieved 27 April 2024.
33. ""Australian Literary Awards: Western Australian Premier's"". University Libraries. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
34. "Austlit — Anne Elder Award 1989-91". Austlit. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
35. "Austlit — Grace Leven poetry prize 1991-93". Austlit. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
36. "Mary Gilmore Award". Association for the Study of Australian Literature . Retrieved 10 February 2024.
37. ""CBCA - Previous Winners - 1946 Onwards"" (PDF). CBCA. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
38. ""Ditmar Awards 1991"". SFADB. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
39. "Dorothy Green (1915-1991)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
40. "Austlit — Joan Colebrook (1910-1991)". Austlit. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
41. "Coral Magnolia Lansbury (1929–1991) by Melanie Nolan". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
42. Brooks, David (2014). "'Brissenden, Robert Francis (Bob) (1928–1991)". Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
43. "Ronald Cecil McKie (1909–1991) by Cheryl Taylor". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
44. McKenna, Mark, "Clark, Charles Manning (1915–1991)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 14 September 2023
45. Roe, Jill, "Elliott, Sumner Locke (1917–1991)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 16 September 2023
46. "O'Harris, Pixie (1903–1991) by Robert Holden". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
47. "Barbara Hanrahan (1939-1991)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 13 February 2024.