2006 in Australian literature

Last updated

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2006.

Contents

Events

Major publications

Literary fiction

Short story collections

Children's and Young Adult fiction

Crime and Mystery

Romance

Science Fiction and Fantasy

Drama

Poetry

Non-fiction

Biographies

Awards and honours

Lifetime achievement

AwardAuthor
Christopher Brennan Award [93] Geoff Page
Melbourne Prize for Literature [94] Helen Garner
Patrick White Award [95] Morris Lurie

Literary

AwardAuthorTitlePublisher
The Age Book of the Year [96] Jennifer Maiden Friendly Fire Giramondo Publishing
ALS Gold Medal [97] Gregory Day The Patron Saint of Eels Picador
Colin Roderick Award [98] Peter Temple The Broken Shore Text Publishing
Nita Kibble Literary Award [99] Brenda Walker The Wing of Night Viking Press

Fiction

International

AwardCategoryAuthorTitlePublisher
Commonwealth Writers' Prize [100] Best Novel, SE Asia and South Pacific region Kate Grenville The Secret River Text Publishing
Best Novel, Overall Kate Grenville The Secret River Text Publishing

National

AwardAuthorTitlePublisher
ABC Fiction Award [101] Will Elliott The Pilo Family Circus ABC Books
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature [102] Gail Jones Sixty Lights Vintage Books
The Age Book of the Year Award [96] Christos Tsiolkas Dead Europe Vintage
The Australian/Vogel Literary Award [103] Belinda Castles The River Baptists Allen and Unwin
Miles Franklin Award [104] Roger McDonald The Ballad of Desmond Kale Vintage
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [105] Kate Grenville The Secret River Text Publishing
Queensland Premier's Literary Awards [106] Brian Castro The Garden Book Giramondo Publishing
South Australian Premier's Awards Gail Jones Sixty Lights Harvill Press
Victorian Premier's Literary Award [107] Peter Carey Theft: A Love Story Knopf
Western Australian Premier's Book Awards [108] Simon LazarooThe Travel Writer Pan Macmillan

Children and Young Adult

National

AwardCategoryAuthorTitlePublisher
Children's Book of the Year Award Older Readers J. C. Burke The Story of Tom Brennan Random House
Younger Readers Elizabeth Fensham Helicopter Man Bloomsbury Press
Picture Book Colin Thompson The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of RileyLothian
Early Childhood Deborah Niland Annie's Chair Viking Books
Davitt Award Young Adult Catherine Jinks Evil Genius Allen and Unwin
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Children's Kierin Meehan In the Monkey Forest Penguin Books
Young People's Ursula Dubosarsky Theodora's Gift Penguin Books
Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Children's Martine Murray The Slightly Bruised Glory of Cedar B. Hartley Allen & Unwin
Young Adult Ursula Dubosarsky The Red Shoe Allen & Unwin
South Australian Premier's Awards Children's Barry Jonsberg It's Not All About you, Calma! Allen & Unwin
Victorian Premier's Literary Award [107] Young Adult Fiction Ursula Dubosarsky Theodora's Gift Penguin Books
Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Writing for Young Adults Kirsty Murray A Prayer for Blue Delaney Allen & Unwin
Children'sWendy BinksWhere's Stripey?Stunned Emu Press

Crime and Mystery

National

AwardCategoryAuthorTitlePublisher
Davitt Award [109] Novel Heather Rose The Butterfly Man University of Queensland Press
Readers' Choice Kerry Greenwood Heavenly Pleasures Allen & Unwin
Leigh Redhead Rubdown Allen & Unwin
Young Adult Novel Catherine Jinks Evil Genius Allen & Unwin
Ned Kelly Award [110] Novel Chris Nyst Crook as Rookwood HarperCollins
Peter Temple The Broken Shore Text Publishing
First novel Wendy James Out of the Silence Random House
True crimeLauchlin McCullochPacking DeathFloradale/Sly Ink
Lifetime achievement Andrew Rule & John Silvester

Science fiction

AwardCategoryAuthorTitlePublisher
Aurealis Award Novel Damien Broderick K-Machines Thunder's Mouth Press
Short Story Sean Williams "The Seventh Letter"Bulletin Magazine, Summer Reading Edition
Ditmar Award Novel Sean Williams & Shane Dix Geodesica: Ascent HarperCollins
Novella/Novelette Kaaron Warren "The Grinding House"The Grinding House
Short Story Kaaron Warren "Fresh Young Widow"The Grinding House
Collected Work Robert Hood & Robin PenDaikaiju! Giant Monster TalesAgog! Press
Australian Shadows Award Will Elliott The Pilo Family Circus ABC Books

Poetry

AwardAuthorTitlePublisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature [102] Luke Davies Totem Allen & Unwin
The Age Book of the Year [96] Jennifer Maiden Friendly Fire Giramondo Publishing
Anne Elder Award [111] Libby Hart Fresh News from the ArcticInteractive Press
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry [112] Alan Gould The Past Completes Me: Selected Poems 1973–2003 University of Queensland Press
Mary Gilmore Prize [113] David McCooey Blister Pack Salt Publishing
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Jaya Savige Latecomers University of Queensland Press
Queensland Premier's Literary Awards John Kinsella The New Arcadia Fremantle Arts Centre Press
Victorian Premier's Literary Award [107] John Tranter Urban Myths: 210 Poems University of Queensland Press
Western Australian Premier's Book Awards [108] Dennis Haskell All the Time in the World Salt Publishing

Drama

AwardAuthorTitlePublisher
Patrick White Playwrights' Award Patricia Cornelius Do Not Go Gentle... Currency Press

Non-Fiction

AwardCategoryAuthorTitlePublisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature [102] Non-Fiction Mandy Sayer Velocity Vintage Books
The Age Book of the Year [96] Non-Fiction Mandy Sayer Velocity Vintage Books
National Biography Award [114] Biography John Hughes The Idea of Home: Autobiographical Essays Giramondo Publishing
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Non-Fiction Jacob Rosenberg East of TimeBrandl & Schlesinger
New South Wales Premier's History Awards Australian History Richard Broome Aboriginal Victorians: A History Since 1800 Allen & Unwin
Community and Regional History Maria Nugent Botany Bay: Where Histories Meet Allen & Unwin
General History R. J. B. Bosworth Mussolini's Italy: Life Under the Dictatorship 1915-1945 Penguin Books
Young People's Pamela Freeman The Black Dress: Mary MacKillop’s Early Years Black Dog Books
Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Non-fictionNeil ChenowethPacker's Lunch: A Rollicking Tale of Swiss Bank Accounts and Money-Making Allen & Unwin
HistoryPeter EdwardsArthur Tange: The Last of the Mandarins Allen & Unwin
Victorian Premier's Literary Award [107] Non-fictionHelen EnnisMargaret Michaelis: Love, Loss and Photography National Gallery of Australia

Deaths

Unknown date

See also

References

  1. Citizen Coetzee
  2. PM attacks 'dumb' English
  3. "Suzanne Goldenberg to Alison Summers about her bitter divorce of Peter Carey". The Guardian . 9 May 2006. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022.
  4. "ABC confirms Jones book dumped by board". Archived from the original on 14 July 2006. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
  5. "Ruddock seeks tougher classification laws". Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
  6. White's literary treasure found
  7. "Passarola Rising by Azhar Abidi". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  8. "Candle Life by Venero Armanno". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  9. "The Resurrectionist by James Bradley". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  10. "Silent Parts by John Charalambous". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  11. "Safety by Tegan Bennett Daylight". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  12. "Beyond the Break by Sandra Hall". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  13. "The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay". Austlit. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  14. "The Travel Writer by Simone Lazaroo". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  15. "The Unexpected Elements of Love by Kate Legge". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  16. "The Memory of Tides by Angelo Loukakis". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  17. "Cricket Kings by William McInnes". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  18. "Landscape with Animals by Cameron S. Redfern". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  19. "The Summons by David Whish-Wilson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  20. "The Music of Dunes by Mike Williams". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  21. "Being Bee by Catherine Bateson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  22. "A Fox Called Sorrow by Isobelle Carmody". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  23. "The Crow by Alison Croggon". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  24. "The Red Shoe by Ursula Dubosarsky". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  25. "Macbeth and Son by Jackie French". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  26. "Gravity by Scot Gardner". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  27. "Notes from the Teenage Underground by Simmone Howell". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  28. "Layla, Queen of Hearts by Stephen Michael King". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  29. "Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  30. "Circle of Flight by John Marsden". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  31. "The Tesla Legacy by Robert G. Barrett". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  32. "Undertow by Sydney Bauer". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  33. "Better Dead Than Never by Laurent Boulanger". Austlit. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  34. "Inspector Anders and the Blood Vendetta by Marshall Browne". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  35. "Rendezvous at Kamakura Inn by Marshall Browne". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  36. "The Cleaner by Paul Cleave". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  37. "The Undertow by Peter Corris". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  38. "Without Consent by Kathryn Fox". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  39. "Prismatic by Edwina Grey". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  40. "The Apricot Colonel by Marion Halligan". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  41. "Frantic by Katherine Howell". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  42. "Carnies by Martin Livings". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  43. "Spider Trap by Barry Maitland". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  44. "The Murderers' Club by P. D. Martin". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  45. "The Betrayal of Bindi Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty". Austlit. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  46. "Hit by Tara Moss". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  47. "Dead Set by Kel Robertson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  48. "Behind the Night Bazaar by Angela Savage". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  49. "The Curer of Souls by Lindsay Simpson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  50. "Shadow Thief by Marion Campbell". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  51. "Princess of Convenience by Marion Lennox". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  52. "The Valley by Di Morrissey". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  53. "Druid's Sword by Sara Douglass". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  54. "Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear by Terry Dowling". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  55. "The Silver Road by Grace Dugan". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  56. "Prismatic by Edwina Grey". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  57. "Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  58. "Carnies by Martin J. Livings". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  59. "The Mother by Brett McBean". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  60. "Voidfarer by Sean McMullen". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  61. "Blaze of Glory by Michael Pryor". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  62. "Geodesica Descent by Sean Williams & Shane Dix". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  63. "The Rumour by Jane Malone". Austlit. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  64. "It Just Stopped by Stephen Sewell". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  65. "The Goldfinches of Baghdad by Robert Adamson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  66. "The Passenger by Laurie Duggan". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  67. "All the Time in the World by Dennis Haskell". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  68. "Jack by Judy Johnson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  69. "Earthly Delights by S. K. Kelen". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  70. "Phosphorescence by Graeme Miles". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  71. "The Biplane Houses by Les Murray". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  72. "A Difficult Faith by Mark Reid". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  73. "The City of Empty Rooms by Thomas Shapcott". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  74. "Urban Myths: 210 Poems by John Tranter". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  75. "First Names by Simon West". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  76. "Picnic by Fay Zwicky". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  77. "Back from the Brink: How Australia's Landscape Can Be Saved by Peter Andrews". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  78. "The Gods of Freud: Sigmund Freud's Art Collection by Janine Burke". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  79. "The Great War by Les Carlyon". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  80. "Packer's Lunch by Neil Chenoweth". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  81. "Agamemnon's Kiss by Inga Clendinnen". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  82. "Colonial Ambition: Foundations of Australian Democracy by Peter Cochrane". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  83. "Arthur Tange: The Last of the Mandarins by Peter Edwards". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  84. "Whose ABC? :The Australian Broadcasting Commission 1983–2006 by Ken Inglis". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  85. "Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century by Justine Larbalestier". ISFDB. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  86. "Rob Riley: an Aboriginal Leader's Quest for Justice by Quentin Beresford". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  87. "Days Like These by Michael Gurr". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  88. "Things I Didn't Know by Robert Hughes". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  89. "Learning to Dance by Elizabeth Jolley & Caroline Lurie". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  90. "Ida Leeson: A Life by Sylvia Martin". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  91. "Jonestown: The Power and the Myth of Alan Jones by Chris Masters". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  92. "Unpolished Gem by Alice Pung". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  93. "Austlit — FAW Christopher Brennan Award". Austlit. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  94. "Austlit — Melbourne Prize". Austlit. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  95. "In the right place at the White time, for $25,000". Theage.com.au. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  96. 1 2 3 4 Steger, Jason (26 August 2006). "Poet of the political takes Age Book of the Year prize". The Age. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  97. "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  98. "Colin Roderick Award — Other Winners". James Cook University. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  99. "Kibble Literary Award". Australian National University . 9 June 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  100. "Commonwealth Writers' Prize Regional Winners 1987-2007" (PDF). Commonwealth Foundation. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  101. ""ABC announces Fiction Award"". RadioInfo. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  102. 1 2 3 "Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature – Past Literary Award Winners". State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  103. ""Austlit – Australian/Vogel Award 2006-2008"". Austlit. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  104. "Austlit — Miles Franklin Literary Award (1957-)". Austlit. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  105. ""NSW Premier's Literary Awards 2006 winners"". Sydney Morning Herald, 24 May 2006. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  106. ""Queensland Premier's Literary Awards - Previous Winners"". Queensland Government. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  107. 1 2 3 4 "Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction - 2006 Winner". Archived from the original on 11 August 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  108. 1 2 ""Australian Literary Awards: Western Australian Premier's"". University Libraries, University of Washington. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  109. ""LibraryThing: Davitt Awards 2006"". LibraryThing. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  110. "2006 Ned Kelly Award Winners". Australian Crime Writers. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  111. 2006 National Literary Awards Results Archived 1 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine p. 2.
  112. "Austlit — Grace Leven Poetry Prize 2005-2007". Austlit. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  113. "Mary Gilmore Award". Association for the Study of Australian Literature . Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  114. ""National Biography Award – Past Winners"". State Library of NSW. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  115. "Rae Sexton (1936-2006)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  116. "Michael Dugan (1947-2006)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  117. "Geoffrey Bewley (1947-2006)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  118. "Lisa Bellear (1961-2006)". Austlit. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  119. "Vera Newsom (1912-2006)". Austlit. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  120. "Alex Buzo (1944-2006)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  121. "Colin Thiele (1920-2006)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  122. "J. E. Macdonnell (1917-2006)". Austlit. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  123. "Joy Williams (1942-2006)". Austlit. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  124. "Gwen Meredith (1907-2006)". Austlit. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  125. "Cecily Crozier (1911-2006)". Austlit. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  126. "Barbara Giles (1912-2006)". Austlit. Retrieved 25 November 2023.

Note: all references relating to awards can, or should be, found on the relevant award's page.