2024 in Australian literature

This is a list of historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2024.

Events

• Both the chief executive and deputy chairman quit over promotional material released for the 2024 Melbourne Writers Festival ^[1]
• Major Australian online bookseller Booktopia enters voluntary administration as it explores options for "sale and/or recapitalisation." ^[2]

Major publications

Literary fiction

• Amy Brown – My Brilliant Sister ^[3]
• Shankari Chandran – Safe Haven ^[4]
• Melanie Cheng – The Burrow ^[5]
• Charmian Clift – The End of the Morning ^[6]
• Michelle de Kretser – Theory & Practice ^[7]
• Nikki Gemmell – Wing ^[8]
• Rodney Hall – Vortex ^[9]
• Anita Heiss – Dirrayawadha ^[10]
• Gail Jones – One Another ^[11]
• Meg Keneally – Free ^[12]
• Alex Miller – The Deal ^[13]
• Jock Serong – Cherrywood ^[14]
• Nardi Simpson – The Belburd ^[15]
• Tim Winton – Juice ^[16]

Short story collections

• Ceridwen Dovey – Only the Astronauts ^[17]

Crime and mystery

• Garry Disher – Sanctuary ^[18]
• Candice Fox – Devil's Kitchen ^[19]
• Sulari Gentill – The Mystery Writer ^[20]
• Chris Hammer – The Valley
• Dervla McTiernan – What Happened to Nina?
• Louise Milligan – Pheasants Nest ^[21]

Science fiction and Fantasy

• Greg Egan – Morphotrophic ^[22]
• Kate Forsyth – Psyckhe ^[23]
• Angela Slatter – The Briar Book of the Dead ^[24]

Children's and young adult

• Lili Wilkinson – Deep is the Fen ^[25]

Poetry

• Judith Beveridge – Tintinnabulum ^[26]
• Nam Le – 36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem ^[27]
• Jeanine Leane – gawimarra gathering ^[28]

Plays

• Melanie Tait – The Queen's Nanny ^[29]
• David Williamson – The Great Divide ^[30]

Non-Fiction

• James Bradley – Deep Water ^[31]

Awards and honours

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

Lifetime achievement

Award	Author
Melbourne Prize for Literature [32]	Alexis Wright
Patrick White Award [33]	Pi O

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal [34]	Alexis Wright	Praiseworthy	Giramondo Publishing
Colin Roderick Award [35]	Melissa Lucashenko	Edenglassie	University of Queensland Press
Indie Book Awards Book of the Year [36]	David Marr	Killing for Country: A Family Story	Black Inc
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [37]	Ali Cobby Eckermann	She Is the Earth	Magabala Books
Stella Prize [38]	Alexis Wright	Praiseworthy	Giramondo Publishing
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [39]	Grace Yee	Chinese Fish	Giramondo Publishing

Fiction

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year [40]	Tony Birch	Women & Children	University of Queensland Press
ARA Historical Novel Prize [41]	Melissa Lucashenko	Edenglassie	University of Queensland Press
The Australian/Vogel Literary Award [42]	Kristina Ross	First Year	Allen and Unwin
Barbara Jefferis Award (joint winners) [43]	Sara M Saleh	Songs for the Dead and the Living	Affirm
	Lucy Treloar	Days of Innocence and Wonder	Picador
Indie Book Awards Book of the Year – Fiction [36]	Melissa Lucashenko	Edenglassie	University of Queensland Press
Indie Book Awards Book of the Year – Debut Fiction [36]	Jane Harrison	The Visitors	Fourth Estate
Miles Franklin Award [44]	Alexis Wright	Praiseworthy	Giramondo Publishing
Prime Minister's Literary Awards [45]	Andre Dao	Anam	Hamish Hamilton
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [46]	Angela O'Keeffe	The Sitter	University of Queensland Press
Queensland Literary Awards [47]	Sharlene Allsopp	The Great Undoing	Ultimo
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [39]	Melissa Lucashenko	Edenglassie	University of Queensland Press

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
ARA Historical Novel Prize	Children and Young Adult	Beverley McWilliams	Spies in the Sky	Pantera Press
Children's Book of the Year Award [48]	Older Readers	Karen Comer	Grace Notes	Lothian
	Younger Readers	Tristan Bancks	Scar Town	Puffin
	Picture Book	Kelly Canby	Timeless	Fremantle Press
	Early Childhood	Briony Stewart	Gymnastica Fantastica!	Lothian
	Eve Pownall Award for Information Books	Isolde Martyn & Robyn Ridgeway, illus by Louise Hogan	Country Town	Fremantle Press
Indie Book Awards Book of the Year [36]	Children's	Jaclyn Moriarty	The Impossible Secret of Lillian Velvet	Allen & Unwin
	Young Adult	Melissa Kang & Yumi Stynes	Welcome to Sex	Hardie Grant
Prime Minister's Literary Awards [45]	Children's	Violet Wadrill, Topsy Dodd Ngarnjal, Leah Leaman, Cecelia Edwards, Cassandra Algy, Felicity Meakins, Briony Barr & Gregory Crocetti	Tamarra: A Story of Termites on Gurindji Country	Hardie Grant
	Young Adult	Will Kostakis	We Could Be Something	Allen & Unwin
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [49]	Children's	Levi Pinfold	Paradise Sands: A story of enchantment	Walker Books
	Young People's	Helena Fox	The Quiet and the Loud	Pan Macmillan Australia
Queensland Literary Awards [47]	Children's	Karen Comer	Sunshine on Vinegar Street	Allen & Unwin
	Young Adult	sydney knoo	The Spider and Her Demons	Penguin
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [39]	Young Adult Fiction	Lili Wilkinson	A Hunger of Thorns	Allen & Unwin
Western Australian Premier's Book Awards [50]	Children's	Dianne Wolfer	Scout and the Rescue Dogs	Walker Books

Crime and Mystery

National

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Davitt Award [51]	Novel	Monica Vuu	When One of Us Hurts	Pan Macmillan
	Young adult novel	Amy Doak	Eleanor Jones Is Not a Murderer	Penguin Books
	Children's novel	Lucinda Gifford	The Wolves of Greycoat Hall	Walker Books
	Non-fiction	Rebecca Hazel	The Schoolgirl, Her Teacher and His Wife	Vintage Books
	Debut	Christine Keighery	The Half Brother	Ultimo
	Readers' choice	Alison Goodman	The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies	HarperCollins
Ned Kelly Award [52]	Novel	Sally Hepworth	Darling Girls	Pan Macmillan
	First novel	Matt Francis	Murder in the Pacific: Ifira Point	Big Sky Publishing
	True crime	Nick McKenzie	Crossing the Line	Hachette Australia

Non-Fiction

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year [40]	Non-Fiction	Ross McMullin	Life So Full of Promise	Scribe
Indie Book Awards Book of the Year [36]	Non-Fiction	David Marr	Killing for Country: A Family Story	Black Inc
	Illustrated Non-Fiction	Wendy Cooper	The Bird Art of William T. Cooper	National Library of Australia
National Biography Award [53]	Biography	Lamisse Hamouda	The Shape of Dust: a father wrongly imprisoned. A daughter's quest to free him	Pantera Press
Prime Minister's Literary Awards [45]	Non-Fiction	Daniel Browning	Close to the Subject: Selected Works	Magabala Books
	Australian History	Ryan Cropp	Donald Horne: A Life in the Lucky Country	La Trobe University Press
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [49]	Non-Fiction	Christine Kenneally	Ghosts of the Orphanage	Hachette Australia
New South Wales Premier's History Awards [54]	Australian History	Alecia Simmonds	Courting: An Intimate History of Love and the Law	La Trobe University Press, with Black Inc [55]
	Community and Regional History	Shauna Bostock	Reaching Through Time: Finding my family's stories	Allen & Unwin
	General History	Katharine E. McGregor	Systemic Silencing: Activism, Memory, and Sexual Violence in Indonesia	University of Wisconsin Press
Queensland Literary Awards [47]	Non-Fiction	Abbas El-Zein	Bullet, Paper, Rock: A Memoir of Words and Wars	Upswell
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [39]	Non-Fiction	Ellen van Neerven	Personal Score: Sport, Culture, Identity	University of Queensland Press

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Anne Elder Award [56]	Sara M. Saleh	The Flirtation of Girls/Ghazal el-Banat	University of Queensland Press
Mary Gilmore Award [57]	Dan Hogan	Secret Third Thing	Cordite Books
Prime Minister's Literary Awards [45]	Amy Crutchfield	Aphrodite	Giramondo Publishing
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [49]	Tais Rose Wae	Riverbed Sky Songs	Vagabond Press
Judith Wright Calanthe Award for a Poetry Collection [47]	L. K. Holt	Three Books	Vagabond Press
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [39]	Grace Yee	Chinese Fish	Giramondo Publishing

Drama

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards [49]	Script	Anna Barnes	Safe Home , Episode 1	Kindling Pictures
	Play	Nicholas Brown	Sex Magick	Griffin Theatre Company & Currency Press
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards [39]		S. Shakthidharan and Eamon Flack	The Jungle and the Sea	Belvoir St Theatre & Currency Press

Deaths

• 13 January – David Hansen, art historian (born 1958) ^[58]
• 4 February – Lowitja O'Donoghue, public administrator and Indigenous rights advocate (born 1932) ^[59]
• 19 February – Marion Halligan, novelist, short story writer, reviewer and essayist (born 1940) ^[60]
• 25 March – Ian Heads, historian and journalist (born 1943) ^[61]
• 30 April – Lyndall Ryan, historian (born 1943) ^{[62] [63]}
• 10 May – Hugh Edwards, journalist, author and marine photographer (born 1933 in Scotland) ^[64]
• 24 July – Ray Lawler, playwright (born 1921) ^[65]
• 31 August – Jack Hibberd, playwright (born 1940) ^[66]
• 4 October – Barbara Blackman, writer, essayist, poet, librettist, broadcaster and philanthropist (born 1928) ^[67]
• 30 November – Susan Duncan, journalist, memoirist and novelist ^[68]
• 10 December – Brenda Walker, novelist (born 1957) ^[69]

See also

• 2024 in Australia
• 2024 in literature
• 2024 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

References

1. Le Grand, Chip (25 February 2024). "Gaza conflict engulfs Melbourne Writers Festival as leaders quit over program row". The Age. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
2. ""Booktopia appoints administrators"". Books+Publishing. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
3. "My Brilliant Sister by Amy brown". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
4. "Safe Haven". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
5. "The Burrow". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
6. "The End of the Morning by Charmian Clift". Austlit. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
7. "Theory & Practice (Michelle de Kretser, Text)". Books+Publishing. 10 September 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
8. "Wing". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
9. "Vortex". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
10. "Dirrayawadha". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
11. "One Another by Gail Jones". Austlit. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
12. "Austlit — Free by Meg Keneally". Austlit. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
13. "The Deal". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
14. "Cherrywood". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
15. "The Belburd". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
16. "Juice by Tim Winton". Austlit. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
17. "Only the Astronauts". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
18. "Sanctuary by Garry Disher". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
19. "Devil's Kitchen". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
20. "The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
21. "Pheasants Nest". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
22. "Morphotrophic by Greg Egan". ISFDB. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
23. "Psyckhe by Kate Forsyth". Austlit. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
24. "The Briar Book of the Dead by Angela Slatter". Austlit. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
25. "Austlit — Deep is the Fen by Lili Wilkinson". Austlit. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
26. "Tintinnabulum". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
27. Hamadache, Michelle (13 March 2024). "How do you write a 'Vietnamese' poem? Nam Le's defiantly cerebral verses shuffle the deck of identity, belonging and being". The Conversation. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
28. Burton, David (1 February 2024). "Book review: gawimarra gathering, Jeanine Leane". ARTShub. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
29. "The Queen's Nanny". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
30. "The Great Divide". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
31. Ball, Philip (7 March 2024). "Deep Water by James Bradley review – what lies beneath". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 15 April 2024.
32. ""Alexis Wright wins $60,000 Melbourne literature prize"". Guardian, 14 November 2024. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
33. Mem: 7557520. "Pi-O wins 2024 Patrick White Literary Award | Books+Publishing" . Retrieved 25 October 2024.
34. "Wright wins 2024 ALS Gold Medal". Books+Publishing. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
35. ""'Edenglassie' honoured with 2024 Roderick Literary Award"". James Cook University. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
36. ""Indie Book Awards - Winners 2024"". Australian Independent Booksellers. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
37. Story, Hannah (20 May 2024). "Aboriginal poet wins $40,000 at major literary awards with 'profound' verse novel". ABC News. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
38. "Wright wins 2024 Stella Prize for 'Praiseworthy'". Books+Publishing. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
39. "Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2024". Wheeler Centre . Retrieved 8 February 2024.
40. ""Tony Birch wins Book of the Year for timely novel about one of Australia's great challenges"". The Age, 8 May 2024. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
41. ""Melissa Lucashenko's novel Edenglassie wins $150,000 in book prizes in just 24 hours"". The Guardian, 23 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
42. ""The Australian/Vogel's Award for Young Writers"". Allen & Unwin. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
43. "Saleh and Treloar joint winers of 2024 Barbara Jefferis Award". Books+Publishing. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
44. Burke, Kelly (1 August 2024). "Alexis Wright wins second Miles Franklin prize for Praiseworthy". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 1 August 2024.
45. Burke, Kelly (12 September 2024). "Prime Minister's Literary awards 2024: Andre Dao wins $80,000 for debut novel Anam". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 12 September 2024.
46. Story, Hannah (20 May 2024). "Aboriginal poet wins $40,000 at major literary awards with 'profound' verse novel". ABC News. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
47. "Queensland Literary Awards 2024 winners announced". Books+Publishing. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
48. "CBCA Book of the Year 2024 winners announced". Books+Publishing. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
49. Story, Hannah (20 May 2024). "Aboriginal poet wins $40,000 at major literary awards with 'profound' verse novel". ABC News. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
50. "WA Premier's Book Awards 2024 winners announced". Books+Publishing. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
51. "Davitt Awards 2024 winners announced". Books+Publishing. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
52. ""Ned Kelly Awards 2024 Winners Announced"". Books+Publishing. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
53. "National Biography Award". State Library of New South Wales. 21 May 2020.
54. "NSW Premier's History Awards 2024 winners announced". Books+Publishing. 9 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
55. "Winners announced for 2024 NSW Premier's History Awards". State Library of New South Wales. 6 September 2024.
56. ""Saleh wins Anne Elder Award 2023"". Books+Publishing, 17 June 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
57. "Hogan wins Mary Gilmore Award, Priest wins Magarey Medal". Books+Publishing. 11 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
58. "Obituary: David Hansen". AAANZ. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
59. ""Indigenous leader Lowitja O'Donoghue dies aged 91"". The Age, 4 February 2024. 4 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
60. Dooley, Gillian (21 February 2024). "Marion Halligan was a woman of great warmth and generosity, and a consummate novelist". The Conversation. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
61. "Ian John HEADS Death Notice". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 April 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
62. Curthoys, Ann (1 May 2024). "Lyndall Ryan's impact on Australian history research will be felt for many years to come". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2024. She died on Tuesday, aged 81.
63. "Lyndall Ryan Death Notice". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
64. Quekett, Malcolm (10 May 2024). "Hugh Edwards was a shipwreck hunter, author and maritime history expert". The West Australian. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
65. Cuthbertson, Debbie (26 July 2024). "Summer of the Seventeenth Doll playwright Ray Lawler dies aged 103". WAtoday. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
66. Swain, Madeleine (2 September 2024). "Vale Jack Hibberd – great Australian playwright and author of Dimboola". Arts Hub. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
67. Kennelly, Hannah (5 October 2024). "Australian writer Barbara Blackman, who 'lived the poetry of life', dies at 95". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 October 2024. ...died peacefully on Friday
68. Milligan, Bec (5 December 2024). "The best Susan Duncan books | AWW". The Australian Women's Weekly. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
69. Peppiatt, Rebecca; Carbonne, Bianca (11 December 2024). "Brazilian national faces court accused of Kings Park crash that killed 67-year-old pedestrian". WAtoday. Retrieved 11 December 2024.