1938 in Australian literature explained

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1938.

Books

• Martin Boyd – Night of the Party
• Eleanor Dark – Waterway^[1]
• Arthur Gask – The Fall of a Dictator^[2]
• Xavier Herbert – Capricornia
• Michael Innes – Lament for a Maker
• Norman Lindsay – Age of Consent
• Alice Grant Rosman – Unfamiliar Faces^[3]
• Nevil Shute – Ruined City
• Christina Stead – House of All Nations
• F. J. Thwaites
  • The Mad Doctor in Harley Street
  • A Man of Destiny
• E. V. Timms – Maelstrom
• Arthur Upfield – The Bone is Pointed

Short stories

• Alan Marshall – "Clarkey's Dead"^[4]
• Katharine Susannah Prichard – "Marlene"^[5]

Poetry

See main article: 1938 in poetry.

• R. D. FitzGerald – Moonlight Acre
• A. D. Hope – "Standardisation"^[6]
• Jack Lindsay – "On Guard for Spain"^[7]
• Jack Moses – Nine Miles from Gundagai^[8]
• John Shaw Neilson
  • Beauty Imposes : Some Recent Verse^[9]
  • "The Crane is My Neighbour"

Drama

Radio

• Max Afford – The Fantastic Case of The Four Specialists
• Edmund Barclay – Canberra the Great
• Fitzmaurice Hill – All Is Made Manifest
• Catherine Shepherd
  • Daybreak
  • The Fated Hour
• Alexander Turner – Conglomerate

Awards and honours

Literary

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1938 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 10 March – Tony Morphett, scriptwriter (died 2018)^[11]
• 28 July – Robert Hughes, critic (died 2012)^[12]
• 21 August – Mudrooroo, novelist, poet and playwright (died 2019)^[13]
• 17 October – Les Murray, poet (died 2019)^[14]
• 30 October – Morris Lurie, novelist (died 2014)^[15]
• 21 December – Frank Moorhouse, novelist (died 2022)^[16]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1938 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 21 January – Will Dyson, poet and artist (born 1880)^[17]
• 7 February – Constance Le Plastrier, writer, schoolteacher and botanist (born 1864)^[18]
• 22 June – C. J. Dennis, poet (born 1876)^[19]
• 29 November — John Sandes, poet, journalist and author (born 1863)^[20]

See also

• 1938 in Australia
• 1938 in literature
• 1938 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

Notes and References

1. Web site: Waterway by Eleanor Dark. National Library of Australia. 17 April 2024.
2. Web site: The Fall of a Dictator by Arthur Gask. National Library of Australia. 17 April 2024.
3. Web site: Unfamiliar Faces by Alice Grant Rosman. National Library of Australia. 17 April 2024.
4. Web site: Austlit — "Clarkey's Dead" by Alan Marshall . Austlit. 16 September 2023.
5. Web site: Austlit — "Marlene" by Katharine Susannah Prichard . Austlit. 16 September 2023.
6. Web site: Austlit — "Standardisation" by A. D. Hope . Austlit. 16 September 2023.
7. Web site: Austlit — "On Guard for Spain" by Jack Lindsay . Austlit. 16 September 2023.
8. Web site: Nine Miles from Gundagai by Jack Moses. National Library of Australia. 17 April 2024.
9. Web site: Beauty Imposes : Some Recent Verse by John Shaw Neilson. National Library of Australia. 17 April 2024.
10. Web site: ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners . Association for the Study of Australian Literature. 17 April 2024.
11. Web site: Tony Morphett (1938-2018). Austlit. 21 June 2023.
12. Web site: Robert Studley Hughes (1938–2012) by Don Woolford . Obituaries Australia. 17 April 2024.
13. Web site: Mudrooroo (1938-2019). Austlit. 21 June 2023.
14. Web site: Les Murray (1938-2019). Austlit. 21 June 2023.
15. Web site: Morris Lurie (1938-2014). Austlit. 21 June 2023.
16. Web site: Frank Moorhouse (1938-2022). Austlit. 21 June 2023.
17. Web site: William Henry (Will) Dyson (1880–1938) by Vane Lindesay . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 17 April 2024.
18. Web site: Constance Le Plastrier (1864-1938). Austlit. 21 June 2023.
19. Web site: Dennis, Clarence Michael James (1876–1938) by Ian F. McLaren . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 21 June 2023.
20. Web site: Sandes, John (1863–1938) by Ken Stewart . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 10 August 2023.