1939 in Australian literature explained

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1939.

Events

The Queenslander ceases publication after the last edition on February 22 1939.^[1] The magazine was first published on February 3 1866 by Thomas Blacket Stephens in Brisbane and published serialised novels, poems and short stories by many Australian writers.

Literary novels

• Erle Cox – Fool's Harvest^[2]
• Miles Franklin and Dymphna Cusack – Pioneers on Parade
• Michael Innes – Stop Press^[3]
• Will Lawson – In Ben Boyd's Day^[4]
• Jack Lindsay – Lost Birthright^[5]
• Myra Morris – Dark Tumult^[6]
• Henry Handel Richardson – The Young Cosima
• Alice Grant Rosman – William's Room^[7]
• Nevil Shute – What Happened to the Corbetts (aka Ordeal)
• Kylie Tennant – Foveaux^[8]
• F. J. Thwaites – Fever
• Patrick White – Happy Valley

Short stories

• Katharine Susannah Prichard
  • "The Flight"^[9]
  • "Painted Finches"^[10]
• Dal Stivens – "Solemn Mass"^[11]

Crime and mystery

• • • Arthur Gask The Fall of a Dictator^[12]
  • The Vengeance of Larose^[13]
• E. V. Timms – Dark Interlude
• Arthur Upfield – The Mystery of Swordfish Reef

Children's

• Mary Grant Bruce – Son of Billabong^[14]
• Connie Christie – The Adventures of Pinkishell^[15]
• Dorothy Wall – The Complete Adventures of Blinky Bill^[16]

Poetry

See main article: 1939 in poetry.

• Mary Gilmore – Battlefields
• A. D. Hope – "Australia"^[17]
• Hugh McCrae – Poems^[18]
• Furnley Maurice – "Whenever I Have..."^[19]
• Kenneth Slessor
  • "Five Bells"
  • "South Country"^[20]
• Brian Vrepont – "The Miracle"^[21]

Drama

Radio

• Sumner Locke Elliott – Crazy Family
• Trevor Heath – Spinney Under the Rain

Theatre

• Sumner Locke Elliott
  • The Cow Jumped Over the Moon
  • Interval

Awards and honours

Poetry

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1939 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 4 January – J. S. Harry, poet (died 2015)^[24]
• 29 January – Germaine Greer, theorist, academic and journalist^[25]
• 19 February – Beatrice Faust, co-founder of Women's Electoral Lobby, journalist and author (died 2019)^[26]
• 25 February – Gerald Murnane, novelist^[27]
• 12 July – Phillip Adams, broadcaster and journalist^[28]
• 22 August – Peter Steele, poet (died 2012)^[29]
• 6 September – Barbara Hanrahan, writer (died 1991)^[30]
• 7 October – Clive James, poet, novelist and critic (died 2019)^[31]
• 9 October – John Pilger, journalist, writer and documentary filmmaker (died 2023 in London)^[32]
• 13 October – Suzanne Edgar, poet, short story writer and historian^[33]
• 14 December – John Baxter, novelist and biographer^[34]
• 30 December – Glenda Adams, novelist (died 2007)^[35]

Unknown date

• Jas H. Duke, performance poet (died 1992)^[36]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1939 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 3 May – Hilary Lofting, novelist, travel writer, journalist and editor (born 1881)^[37]
• 4 November — Amy Mack, writer, journalist and editor (born 1876)^[38]
• 19 December – Edward Sorenson, poet (born 1869)^[39]

See also

• 1939 in Australia
• 1939 in literature
• 1939 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Queenslander. National Library of Australia. 9 October 2014.
2. Web site: Fool's Harvest by Erle Cox. National Library of Australia. 29 May 2024.
3. Web site: Stop Press by Michael Innes. National Library of Australia. 29 May 2024.
4. Web site: In Ben Boyd's Day by Will Lawson. National Library of Australia. 29 May 2024.
5. Web site: Lost Birthright by Jack Lindsay. National Library of Australia. 29 May 2024.
6. Web site: Dark Tumult by Myra Morris. National Library of Australia. 29 May 2024.
7. Web site: William's Room by Alice Grant Rosman. National Library of Australia. 29 May 2024.
8. Web site: Foveaux by Kylie Tennant. National Library of Australia. 29 May 2024.
9. Web site: Austlit — "The Flight" by Katharine Susannah Prichard . Austlit. 29 May 2024.
10. Web site: Austlit — "Painted Finches" by Katharine Susannah Prichard . Austlit. 29 May 2024.
11. Web site: Austlit — "Solemn Mass" by Dal Stivens . Austlit. 29 May 2024.
12. Web site: The Fall of a Dictator by Arthur Gask. National Library of Australia. 29 May 2024.
13. Web site: The Vengeance of Larose by Arthur Gask. National Library of Australia. 29 May 2024.
14. Web site: Son of Billabong by Mary Grant Bruce. National Library of Australia. 29 May 2024.
15. Web site: The Adventures of Pinkishell by Connie Christie. National Library of Australia. 29 May 2024.
16. Web site: The Complete Adventures of Blinky Bill by Dorothy Wall. National Library of Australia. 29 May 2024.
17. Web site: Austlit — "Australia" by A. D. Hope . Austlit. 17 April 2024.
18. Web site: Poems by Hugh McCrae. National Library of Australia. 17 April 2024.
19. Web site: Austlit — "Whenever I Have..." by Furnley Maurice . Austlit. 17 April 2024.
20. Web site: Austlit — "South Country" by Kenneth Slessor . Austlit. 17 April 2024.
21. Web site: Austlit — "The Miracle" by Brian Vrepont. Austlit. 17 April 2024.
22. Web site: ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners . Association for the Study of Australian Literature. 29 May 2024.
23. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article191588703 "Brian Vrepont's Success", The Telegraph, 9 September 1939, p12
24. Web site: Stasko . Nicolette . 2015-06-04 . JS Harry, the virtuoso poet who took her curious rabbit on world discovery tour . 2020-01-09 . The Sydney Morning Herald . en.
25. Web site: 2024-01-25 . Germaine Greer . 2024-02-16 . Britannica . en.
26. Web site: Mathews . Iola . Obituary - Beatrice Eileen (Bea) Faust - Obituaries Australia . 2024-02-14 . oa.anu.edu.au.
27. Book: Gerald Murnane . Sydney University Press . 2020 . 9781743326404 . Uhlmann . Anthony . ix.
28. Web site: Phillip Adams . Austlit. 29 May 2024.
29. Web site: Peter Steele (1939-2012). 2024-02-16 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
30. Web site: Barbara Hanrahan (1939-1991). 2024-02-16 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
31. Web site: Clive James (1939-2019). 2024-02-14 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
32. Web site: John Pilger (1939-2023). 2024-02-16 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
33. Web site: Suzanne Edgar . 2024-02-16 . The Australian Women's Register . en-AU.
34. Web site: Baxter, John 1939– (Martin Loran, a joint pseudonym) . 2024-02-16 . Encyclopedia.com.
35. Web site: Glenda Adams (1939-2007). 2024-02-16 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
36. Web site: Jas Heriot Duke (1939-1992). 2024-02-13 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
37. Web site: Hilary Lofting (1881-1939). Austlit. 9 August 2023.
38. Web site: Mack, Amy Eleanor (1876–1939) by Nancy Phelan . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 4 August 2023.
39. Web site: Sorenson, Edward Sylvester (Ed) (1869–1939) by Peter Kirkpatrick . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 24 July 2023.