1947 in Australian literature explained

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1947.

Events

• The Grace Leven Prize for Poetry, worth £50, is awarded for the first time to Pacific Sea by Nan McDonald.^[1]

Books

• Jon Cleary – You Can't See 'Round Corners
• Erle Cox – The Missing Angel^[2]
• M. Barnard Eldershaw – Tomorrow and Tomorrow^[3]
• Miles Franklin – The Thorny Rose^[4]
• Arthur Gask – The Dark Mill Stream^[5]
• Catherine Gaskin – With Every Year^[6]
• Ion L. Idriess – Isles of Despair
• Norman Lindsay – Halfway to Anywhere
• Vance Palmer – Cyclone^[7]
• Nevil Shute – The Chequer Board

Short stories

• Myra Morris – The Township
• Judah Waten – "To a Country Town"

Children's and Young Adult fiction

• Ruth C. Williams – Timothy Tatters

Poetry

See main article: 1947 in poetry.

• David Campbell – "Small-Town Gladys"
• Victor Daley – Creeve Roe : Poetry
• Rosemary Dobson – "Country Press"
• R. D. Fitzgerald – "Fifth Day"
• A. D. Hope – "Conquistador"
• Nancy Keesing – "Detective Story"
• Nan McDonald – Pacific Sea
• John Shaw Neilson – Unpublished Poems of John Shaw Neilson
• Will H. Ogilvie – "Harry Morant"
• Elizabeth Riddell – "A Train in the Night"
• Roland Robinson – "Drifting Dug-Out"
• Douglas Stewart — Glencoe
• Judith Wright
  • "The Bull"
  • "The Cycads"

Drama

Radio

• John Appleton – Hester's Diary

Theatre

• Vance Palmer – Hail Tomorrow^[8]
• Douglas Stewart – Shipwreck^[9]
• Patrick White – The Ham Funeral^[10]

Awards and honours

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

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 1947 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 10 January – Arnold Zable, novelist (in Wellington, New Zealand)^[14]
• 15 January – Richard Harland, novelist^[15]
• 22 January – Geoffrey Bewley, journalist and short story writer (died 2006)^[16]
• 21 March – Terry Dowling, novelist and short story writer^[17]
• 13 April – Amanda Lohrey, novelist^[18]
• 4 May
  • Marele Day, novelist^[19]
  • Peter Kocan, author and poet^[20]
• 13 July – David Marr, journalist and biographer^[21]
• 23 September – Gary Crew, novelist^[22]
• 9 October – Michael Dugan, poet (died 2006)^[23]
• 30 October – Gary Catalano, poet and art critic (died 2002)^[24]
• 12 November – Martin Johnston, novelist and poet (died 1990)^[25]

Unknown date

• Eric Beach, poet and playwright (in New Zealand)^[26]
• Jacqueline Kent, writer and biographer^[27]
• Rhyll McMaster, novelist^[28]
• Bruce Pascoe, novelist^[29]
• Graham Rowlands, poet^[30]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1947 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 25 January — Pinchas Goldhar, writer and translator (born 1901)^[31]
• 12 February – Douglas Sladen, poet and biographer (born 1856)^[32]
• 19 July – Lennie Lower, journalist and novelist (born 1903)^[33]
• 18 October – R. H. Croll, poet and writer (born 1869)^[34]
• 1 November – Tilly Aston, blind writer and teacher (born 1873)^[35]

See also

• 1947 in Australia
• 1947 in literature
• 1947 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

Notes and References

1. Web site: "Strength and Sunshine" . The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 February 1948, p6. 23 May 2024.
2. Web site: The Missing Angel by Erle Cox. National Library of Australia. 23 May 2024.
3. Web site: Tomorrow and Tomorrow by M. Barnard Eldershaw. National Library of Australia. 23 May 2024.
4. Web site: Austlit — The Thorny Rose by Miles Franklin . Austlit. 23 May 2024.
5. Web site: The Dark Mill Stream by Arthur Gask. National Library of Australia. 23 May 2024.
6. Web site: With Every Year by Catherine Gaskin. National Library of Australia. 23 May 2024.
7. Web site: Cyclone by Vance Palmer. National Library of Australia. 23 May 2024.
8. Web site: Hail Tomorrow by Vance Palmer. National Library of Australia. 17 April 2024.
9. Web site: Shipwreck by Douglas Stewart. National Library of Australia. 17 April 2024.
10. Web site: Austlit — The Ham Funeral by Patrick White . Austlit. 17 April 2024.
11. Web site: ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners . Association for the Study of Australian Literature. 13 August 2023.
12. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206044618 "No Book Award by Society", The Age, 29 September 1947, p4
13. http://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C37265 Austlit - Pacific Sea by Nan McDonald
14. Web site: Arnold Zable . Austlit. 23 May 2024.
15. Web site: Richard Harland . Austlit. 23 May 2024.
16. Web site: Geoffrey Bewley (1947-2006). 2023-09-23 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
17. Web site: Terry Dowling . Austlit. 23 May 2024.
18. Web site: Amanda Lohrey . Austlit. 23 May 2024.
19. Web site: Marele Day . Austlit. 23 May 2024.
20. Web site: Peter Kocan . Austlit. 23 May 2024.
21. Web site: David Marr . Austlit. 23 May 2024.
22. Web site: Gary Crew . Austlit. 23 May 2024.
23. Web site: Michael Dugan (1947-2006). 2023-09-23 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
24. Web site: Gary Catalano (1947-2002). 2023-09-23 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
25. Web site: Martin Johnston (1947-1990). 2023-09-23 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
26. Web site: Eric Beach . 2023-07-06 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
27. Web site: Jacqueline Kent . 2023-09-23 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
28. Web site: Rhyll McMaster . 2023-09-23 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
29. Web site: Bruce Pascoe . 2023-09-23 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
30. Web site: Graham Rowlands . 2023-09-23 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
31. Web site: Goldhar, Pinchas (1901–1947) by Judah Waten . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 23 September 2023.
32. Web site: Sladen, Douglas Brooke (1856–1947) by K. J. Cable . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 23 August 2023.
33. Web site: Lower, Leonard Waldemere (Lennie) (1903–1947) by Julian Croft and Keith Willey . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 30 June 2023.
34. Web site: Croll, Robert Henderson (Bob) (1869–1947) by Geoffrey Serle . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 23 August 2023.
35. Web site: Aston, Matilda Ann (Tilly) (1873–1947) by O. S. Green . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 29 July 2023.