2021 in Australian literature

Last updated

This is a list of historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2021.

Contents

Major publications

Literary fiction

Collected essays

Children's and young adult fiction

Crime and mystery

Poetry

Non-fiction

Awards and honours

Note: these awards were presented in the year in question.

Lifetime achievement

AwardAuthor
Melbourne Prize for Literature [45] Christos Tsiolkas
Patrick White Award [46] Adam Aitken

Literary

AwardAuthorTitlePublisher
ALS Gold Medal [47] Nardi Simpson Song of the CrocodileHachette Australia
Colin Roderick Award [48] Sofie Laguna Infinite Splendours Allen & Unwin
Indie Book Awards Book of the Year [49] Pip Williams The Dictionary of Lost Words Affirm Press
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [50] Ellen van Neerven Throat University of Queensland Press
Stella Prize [51] Evie Wyld The Bass Rock Penguin Random House
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [52] [53] Laura Jean McKay The Animals in That Country Scribe

Fiction

National

AwardAuthorTitlePublisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature [54] Not awarded
The Age Book of the Year [55] Robbie Arnott The Rain Heron Text Publishing
The Australian/Vogel Literary Award [56] Emma BatchelorNow That I See You Allen & Unwin
Barbara Jefferis Award [57] Not awarded
Indie Book Awards Book of the Year – Fiction [49] Craig Silvey Honeybee Allen & Unwin
Indie Book Awards Book of the Year – Debut Fiction [49] Pip Williams The Dictionary of Lost Words Affirm Press
Miles Franklin Award [58] Amanda Lohrey The Labyrinth Text Publishing
Prime Minister's Literary Awards [59] Amanda Lohrey The Labyrinth Text Publishing
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [60] [61] Kate Grenville A Room Made of LeavesText Publishing
Queensland Literary Awards [62] Nardi Simpson Song of the CrocodileHachette Australia
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [63] [53] Laura Jean McKay The Animals in That Country Scribe

Children and Young Adult

National

AwardCategoryAuthorTitlePublisher
Children's Book of the Year Award [64] Older Readers Davina Bell The End of the World is Bigger than LoveText
Younger Readers Kate Gordon Aster's Good, Right ThingsRiveted Press
Picture Book Meg McKinlay, illus. Matt OttleyHow to Make a BirdWalker Books
Early Childhood Libby Hathorn & Lisa Hathorn-Jarman, illus. Mel PearceNo! Never!Lothian Books
Eve Pownall Award for Information Books Pamela Freeman, illus. Liz AnelliDry to Dry: The Seasons of KakaduWalker Books
Nan Chauncy Award [65] Jan Nicholls
Indie Book Awards Book of the Year [49] Children's Amelia MellorThe Grandest Bookshop in the WorldAffirm Press
Young Adult Kate O'DonnellThis One is Ours University of Queensland Press
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [60] [61] Children'sAmelia MellorThe Grandest Bookshop in the World Affirm
Young People's Davina Bell The End of the World is Bigger than LoveText
Queensland Literary Awards [62] Children's Kirli Saunders, illustrated by Dub LefflerBindiMagabala Books
Young AdultCath MooreMetal Fish, Falling SnowText
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [53] Young Adult FictionCath MooreMetal Fish, Falling SnowText

Crime and Mystery

National

AwardCategoryAuthorTitlePublisher
Davitt Award [66] NovelSally HepworthThe Good Sister Pan Macmillan
Young adult novelChristie NiemanWhere We Begin Pan Macmillan
Children's novel Lian Tanner A Clue for Clara Allen & Unwin
True crime Louise Milligan Witness: An Investigation into the Brutal Cost of Seeking JusticeHachette Australia
Debut novelLeah SwannSheerwater HarperCollins
Readers' choiceKatherine KovacicThe Shifting LandscapeEcho Publishing
Ned Kelly Award [67] Novel Garry Disher Consolation Text Publishing
First novelLoraine PeckThe Second Son Penguin Books
True crimeBret ChristianStalking Claremont HarperCollins

Poetry

AwardAuthorTitlePublisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature [54] Not awarded
Anne Elder Award [68] Ella JefferyDead BoltPuncher & Wattmann
Mary Gilmore Award [69] Em KönigBreathing PluralCordite
Prime Minister's Literary Awards [59] Stephen Edgar The Strangest Place: New and Selected PoemsBlack Pepper
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [60] [61] Ellen van Neerven ThroatUniversity of Queensland Press
Judith Wright Calanthe Award for a Poetry Collection [62] Ouyang Yu Terminally PoeticGinninderra Press
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [53] David StavangerCase NotesUWA Publishing

Drama

AwardCategoryAuthorTitlePublisher
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [60] [61] ScriptLaurence BillietFreemanGeneral Strike and Matchbox Pictures
PlayDylan Van Den BergMilkThe Street Theatre
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [53] Angus CeriniWonnangattaSydney Theatre Company

Non-Fiction

AwardCategoryAuthorTitlePublisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature [54] Non-FictionNot awarded
Indie Book Awards Book of the Year [49] Non-Fiction Julia Baird Phosphorescence Random House
Illustrated Non-Fiction Lauren Camilleri & Sophia KaplanPlantopediaSmith Street Books
National Biography Award [70] Biography Cassandra Pybus Truganini: Journey Through the Apocalypse Allen & Unwin
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [60] [61] Non-FictionKate FullagarThe Warrior, the Voyager, and the Artist: Three Lives in an Age of EmpireYale University Press
New South Wales Premier's History Awards [71] Australian History Grace Karskens People of the River: Lost worlds of early Australia Allen & Unwin
Community and Regional HistoryMatthew ColloffLandscapes of Our Hearts: Reconciling people and environmentThames & Hudson
General HistoryLuke KeoghThe Wardian Case: How a simple box moved plants and changed the worldThe University of Chicago Press
Queensland Literary Awards [62] Non-FictionLuke StegemannAmnesia Road: Landscape, violence and memoryNewSouth Publishing
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [53] Non-FictionPaddy ManningBody Count: How Climate Change is Killing UsSimon & Schuster

Deaths

See also

Related Research Articles

The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–1954), who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career (1901). She bequeathed her estate to fund this award. As of 2016, the award is valued at A$60,000.

The Victorian Premier's Prize for Poetry, formerly known as the C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry, is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award. As of 2011 it has an enumeration of A$25,000. The winner of this category prize vies with 4 other category winners for overall Victorian Prize for Literature valued at an additional A$100,000.

The Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry is awarded annually as part of the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards for a book of collected poems or for a single poem of substantial length published in book form. It is named after Kenneth Slessor (1901–1971).

The Anne Elder Trust Fund Award for poetry was administered by the Victorian branch of the Fellowship of Australian Writers from its establishment in 1976 until 2017. From 2018 the award has been administered by Australian Poetry. It is awarded annually, as the Anne Elder Award, for the best first book of poetry published in Australia. It was established in 1976 and currently has a prize of A$1000 for the winner. The award is named after Australian poet Anne Elder (1918–1976).

The Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction, formerly known as the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction, is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award. As of 2011 it has an remuneration of A$25,000. The winner of this category prize vies with 4 other category winners for overall Victorian Prize for Literature valued at an additional A$100,000.

The Australian Literature Society Gold Medal is awarded annually by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature for "an outstanding literary work in the preceding calendar year." From 1928 to 1974 it was awarded by the Australian Literature Society, then from 1983 by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature, when the two organisations were merged.

The Victorian Premier's Prize for Nonfiction, formerly known as the Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-Fiction, is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award. As of 2011 it has a remuneration of A$25,000. The winner of this category prize vies with 4 other category winners for overall Victorian Prize for Literature valued at an additional A$100,000.

Barry Hill is an Australian historian, writer, and academic.

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2007.

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The Children's Book of the Year Award: Picture Book has been presented occasionally since 1955 by the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA).

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2008.

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2009.

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2011.

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2012.

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2013.

This is a list of the historical events and publications of 2015 in Australian literature.

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2018.

This is a list of historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2019.

This is a list of historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2022.

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