1996 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1996.

Events

• Christopher Koch won the Miles Franklin Award for Highways to a War
• David Malouf won the International Dublin Literary Award for Remembering Babylon
• The Ned Kelly Awards, honouring excellence in Australian crime writing, are presented for the first time

Major publications

Novels

• Thea Astley — The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow
• James Cowan — A Mapmaker's Dream
• Robert Dessaix — Night Letters: A Journey Through Switzerland and Italy Edited and Annotated by Igor Miazmov ^[1]
• Garry Disher — The Sunken Road ^[2]
• Robert Drewe — The Drowner
• David Foster — The Glade Within the Grove
• Clive James — The Silver Castle ^[3]
• David Malouf — The Conversations at Curlow Creek
• John A. Scott — Before I Wake
• Janette Turner Hospital — Oyster
• Morris West — Vanishing Point
• Sue Woolfe — Leaning Towards Infinity

Short story anthologies

• Kerryn Goldsworthy — Australian Love Stories (edited) ^[4]

Science fiction and fantasy

• Sara Douglass
  • Enchanter
  • StarMan
• Matthew Reilly — Contest ^[5]
• Jane Routley — Mage Heart ^[6]
• Dirk Strasser — Equinox ^[7]
• Lucy Sussex — The Scarlet Rider ^[8]
• Sean Williams — Metal Fatigue

Crime

• Jon Cleary – Endpeace
• Peter Doyle – Get Rich Quick
• Shane Maloney – The Brush-Off
• Peter Temple – Bad Debts

Children's and young adult fiction

• Margaret Clark — Fat Chance
• Sonya Hartnett — Black Foxes ^[9]
• Kerry Greenwood — The Broken Wheel
• John Marsden — Checkers
• James Moloney — A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove

Poetry

• Eric Beach — Weeping for Lost Babylon ^[10]
• Lisa Bellear — Dreaming in Urban Areas ^[11]
• Judith Beveridge — Accidental Grace ^[12]
• John Kinsella — The Undertow: New and Selected Poems ^[13]
• Anthony Lawrence — The Viewfinder ^[14]
• Les Murray — Subhuman Redneck Poems
• Dorothy Porter — Crete ^[15]
• Morgan Yasbincek — Night Reversing ^[16]

Drama

• Nick Enright — Blackrock
• Jenny Kemp — The Black Sequin Dress
• Debra Oswald — Gary's House ^[17]
• David Williamson — Heretic

Non-fiction

• Bronwyn Donaghy — Anna's Story ^[18]
• Doris Pilkington Garimara — Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence
• Helen Garner — True Stories: Selected Non-Fiction

Awards and honours

• Mavis Thorpe Clark AM "for service to the arts as the author of children's literature and as an active member of the writer's organisations in Australia" ^[19]
• Susanna de Vries AM "for service to art as an author and lecturer in Australian and European art history and history" ^[20]
• Christobel Mattingley AM "for service to literature, particularly children's literature, and for community service through her commitment to social and cultural issues" ^[21]

Lifetime achievement

Award	Author
Christopher Brennan Award [22]	Dorothy Hewett
Patrick White Award [23]	Elizabeth Harrower

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award [24]	Thea Astley	The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow	Viking
ALS Gold Medal [25]	Amanda Lohrey	Camille's Bread	Angus and Robertson
Colin Roderick Award [26]	Tim Flannery, Roger Martin and Alexandra Szalay, Illustrator Peter Schouten	Tree Kangaroos	Reed Publications
Nita Kibble Literary Award [27]	Judy Cassab	Judy Cassab: Diaries	Random House

Fiction

International

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Commonwealth Writers' Prize [28]	Best Novel, SE Asia and South Pacific region	Gillian Mears	The Grass Sister	Random House

National

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature [29]	Richard Flanagan	Death of a River Guide	McPhee Gribble
The Age Book of the Year Award [24]	Thea Astley	The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow	Viking Press
The Australian/Vogel Literary Award [30]	Bernard Cohen	The Blindman's Hat	Allen and Unwin
Miles Franklin Award [31]	Christopher Koch	Highways to a War	Heinemann
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [32]	Sue Woolfe	Leaning Towards Infinity	Random House Australia
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [33]	Amanda Lohrey	Camille's Bread	Angus and Robertson
Western Australian Premier's Book Awards [34]	Heather Grace	The Lighthouse Spark	Fremantle Arts Centre Press
	Dave Warner	City of Light	Fremantle Arts Centre Press

Crime and Mystery

National

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Ned Kelly Award [35]	Novel	Barry Maitland	The Malcontenta	Hamish Hamilton
		Paul Thomas	Inside Dope	Mandarin Publishing
	First novel	John Dale	Dark Angel	Serpent's Tail
	Lifetime Achievement	Jon Cleary

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award [36]	Older Readers	Catherine Jinks	Pagan's Vows	Omnibus Books
	Picture Book	Narelle Oliver	The Hunt	Lothian
Kathleen Mitchell Award [37]		Sonya Hartnett	Sleeping Dogs	Viking Books
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [32]	Young People's Literature	David Metzenthen	Johnny Hart's Heroes	Penguin Books Australia
Victorian Premier's Prize for Young Adult Fiction [33]		Sonya Hartnett	Sleeping Dogs	Viking Books

Science fiction and fantasy

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Aurealis Award [38]	Sf Novel	Greg Egan	Distress	Millenium
	Sf Short Story	Greg Egan	"Luminous"	Isaac Asimov's SF Magazine Sept 1995
	Fantasy Novel	Garth Nix	Sabriel	Moonstone/HarperCollins Publishers
	Fantasy Short Story	Karen Attard	"Harvest Bay"	Eidolon #19 Spring 1995
	Horror Novel	Terry Dowling	An Intimate Knowledge of the Night	Aphelion
	Horror Short Story	Francis Payne	"Olympia"	Bambada Press
	Young Adult Novel	Brian Caswell	Deucalion	University of Queensland Press
		Garth Nix	Sabriel	Moonstone/HarperCollins Publishers
	Young Adult Short Story	Not awarded
Australian SF Achievement Award [39]	Best Australian Long Fiction	Sean McMullen	Mirrorsun Rising	Aphelion
	Best Australian Short Fiction	Ian Gunn	"Schrödinger's Fridge"	Aurealis #15

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature [29]	John Kinsella	The Silo: A Pastoral Symphony	Fremantle Arts Centre Press
The Age Book of the Year Award [24]	Eric Beach	Weeping for Lost Babylon	Angus and Robertson
Anne Elder Award [40]	Marcella Polain	Dumbstruck	Five Islands Press
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry [41]	John Kinsella	The Undertow : New and Selected Poems	Arc Publications
Mary Gilmore Award [42]	Jordie Albiston	Nervous Arcs	Spinfex Press
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [32]	Eric Beach	Weeping for Lost Babylon	HarperCollins Publishers
	J. S. Harry	Selected Poems	Penguin Books Australia
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [33]	Peter Bakowski	In the Human Night	Hale and Iremonger
Western Australian Premier's Book Awards [34]	Dorothy Hewett	Collected Poems	Fremantle Arts Centre Press

Non-fiction

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature [29]	Non-Fiction	Tim Flannery	The Future Eaters	Reed Books
The Age Book of the Year Award [24]	Non-Fiction	Geoffrey Serle	Robin Boyd : A Life	Miegunyah Press
National Biography Award [43]	Biography	Abraham Biderman	The World of My Past	AHB Publications

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1996 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 12 February — Betty Roland, writer of plays, screenplays, novels, children's books and comics (born 1903) ^[44]
• 26 March —Godfrey Blunden, journalist and author (died in Paris)(born 1906) ^[45]
• 23 April — P. L. Travers, children's writer, best known for the Mary Poppins (book series) (born 1899) ^[46]
• 28 April —Mena Calthorpe, writer (born 1905) ^[47]
• 27 October — Charlotte Jay, mystery writer and novelist who also wrote under her married name, Geraldine Halls (born 1919) ^[48]
• 28 November — Hugh V. Clarke, soldier, public servant and author, specialising in military history (born 1919) ^[49]
• 31 December — John Rowland, public servant, diplomat and poet (born 1925) ^[50]

See also

• 1996 in Australia
• 1996 in literature
• 1996 in poetry
• List of years in literature
• List of years in Australian literature

References

1. "Night Letters by Robert Dessaix". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
2. "The Sunken Road by Garry Disher". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
3. "The Silver Castle by Clive James". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
4. "Australian Love Stories by Kerryn Goldsworthy". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
5. "Contest by Matthew Reilly". ISFDB. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
6. "Mage Heart by Jane Routley". ISFDB. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
7. "Equinox by Dirk Strasser". ISFDB. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
8. "The Scarlet Rider by Lucy Sussex". ISFDB. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
9. "Black Foxes by Sonya Hartnett". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
10. "Weeping for Lost Babylon by Eric beach". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
11. "Dreaming in Urban Areas by Lisa Bellear". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
12. "Accidental Grace by Judith Beveridge". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
13. "The Undertow: New and Selected Poems by John Kinsella". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
14. "The Viewfinder by Anthony Lawrence". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
15. "Crete by Dorothy Porter". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
16. "Night Reversing by Morgan Yasbincek". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
17. "Gary's House by Debra Oswald". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
18. "Anna's Story by Bronwyn Donaghy". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
19. "Mavis Thorpe Clark". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
20. "Susanna Mary de Vries-Evans". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
21. "Christobel Rosemary Mattingley". honours.pmc.gov.au. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
22. "Austlit — FAW Christopher Brennan Award". Austlit. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
23. "Austlit — Patrick White Award - Past Winners". Austlit. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
24. ""Literary award for Astley"". The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 December 1996, p4. ProQuest   2527334841 . Retrieved 16 June 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 16 January 2024.
27. "Kibble Literary Award". Australian National University . 9 June 2009. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
28. "Commonwealth Writers' Prize Regional Winners 1987-2007" (PDF). Commonwealth Foundation. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
29. "Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature – Past Literary Award Winners". State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
30. "Austlit — The Australian/Vogel National Literary Award 1996". Austlit. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
31. "Austlit — Highways to a War - Awards". Austlit. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
32. ""Tales of antiquarian hunters collects top book award"". Sydney Morning Herald, 6 September 1996. ProQuest   363360979 . Retrieved 8 May 2024.
33. ""Motherhood, love and food dazzle judges"". Sydney Morning Herald, 19 October 1996, p8. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
34. ""Australian Literary Awards: Western Australian Premier's"". University Libraries, University of Washington. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
35. "1996 Ned Kelly Award Winners". Australian Crime Writers. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
36. ""CBCA - Previous Winners - 1946 Onwards"" (PDF). CBCA. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
37. "Austlit — Kathleen Mitchell Literary Award". Austlit. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
38. ""Aurealis Awards 1996"". SFADB. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
39. ""Ditmar Awards 1996"". SFADB. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
40. "Austlit — Anne Elder Award 1995-97". Austlit. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
41. "Austlit — Grace Leven Poetry Prize 1994-2001". Austlit. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
42. "Mary Gilmore Award". Association for the Study of Australian Literature . Retrieved 10 February 2024.
43. ""National Biography Award – Past Winners"". State Library of NSW. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
44. "Roland, Betty (1903–1996) by Jayne Regan". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
45. Anderson, Fay, "Godfrey Verge (Geof) Blunden (1906–1996)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 13 February 2024
46. "P. L. Travers (1899-1996)". Austlit. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
47. "Mena Calthorpe (1905-1996)". Local History - Sutherland Shire Libraries. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
48. "Geraldine Halls (1919-1996)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
49. "Obituary - Hugh Vincent Clarke (1919-1996) - Obituaries Australia". oa.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
50. "J. R. Rowland (1925-1996)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 26 September 2023.