1973 in Australian literature explained

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1973.

Events

• Patrick White is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first, and so far only, Australian writer to be presented with the award.^[1]

Major publications

Books

• Kit Denton – The Breaker : A Novel
• Hammond Innes – Golden Soak
• Morris Lurie – Rappaport's Revenge
• Christina Stead – The Little Hotel
• F. J. Thwaites – Tracks I Knew Not
• Morris West – The Salamander
• Patrick White – The Eye of the Storm

Short stories

• Murray Bail – "Zoeliner's Definition"
• Elizabeth Jolley – "Another Holiday for the Prince"
• Frank Moorhouse
  • "The Airport, the Pizzeria, the Motel, the Rented Car, and the Mysteries of Life"
  • The Illegal Relatives
• Fay Zwicky – "Hostages"

Children's and Young Adult fiction

• James Aldridge – A Sporting Proposition
• Mavis Thorpe Clark – Wildfire
• Max Fatchen – The Spirit Wind
• Elyne Mitchell – Silver Brumby Whirlwind
• Mary Elwyn Patchett – A Roar of the Lion
• Ivan Southall – Matt and Jo
• Eleanor Spence – Time to Go Home
• Colin Thiele – The Fire in the Stone
• Patricia Wrightson – The Nargun and the Stars

Poetry

See main article: 1973 in poetry.

• Rosemary Dobson – Selected Poems
• A. D. Hope
  • "Hay Fever"
  • Selected Poems
• Roger McDonald – "Two Summers in Moravia"
• Peter Porter – Jonah
• Vivian Smith – "The Man Fern Near the Bus Stop"
• Judith Wright – Alice : Poems 1971-72

Drama

• Peter Kenna – A Hard God
• John Powers – The Last of the Knucklemen^[2]

Awards and honours

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal^[3]	Francis Webb
Colin Roderick Award^[4]	Dorothy Green	Ulysses Bound: Henry Handel Richardson and Her Fiction	Australian National University Press
Miles Franklin Award^[5]	No award

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award	Older Readers^[6]	Noreen Shelley, illustrated by Robert Micklewright	Family at The Lookout	Oxford University Press
	Picture Book	No award

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 1973 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 18 March — Max Barry, novelist^[8]
• 26 October — Chloe Hooper, author^[9]
• 12 November — Jay Kristoff, fantasy and science fiction writer^[10]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1973 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 20 April – Michael Dransfield, poet (born 1948)^[11]
• 24 July — Isabel Mary Mitchell, novelist (born 1893)^[12]
• 25 July – Gina Ballantyne, poet (born 1919)^[13]
• 30 September — Doris Egerton Jones, novelist (born 1889)^[14]
• 24 October — Pat Hanna, dramatist (born 1888)^[15]
• 11 November — Jim Crawford, playwright (born 1908)^[16]
• 23 November – Francis Webb, poet (born 1925)^[17]

See also

• 1973 in Australia
• 1973 in literature
• 1973 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

Notes and References

1. Web site: Nobel Prize in Literature 1973. Nobel Foundation. 2008-10-17.
2. Web site: Austlit — The Last of the Knucklemen by John Powers . Austlit. 13 May 2024.
3. http://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/v68 Austlit — ALS Gold Medal
4. https://www.jcu.edu.au/foundation-for-australian-literary-studies/colin-roderick-award/previous-winners2 "Colin Roderick Award - Previous Winners", James Cook University
5. Web site: Austlit — Miles Franklin Literary Award (1957-) . Austlit. 25 August 2023.
6. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110736549 "The Judges' Report", The Canberra Times, 7 July 1973, p11
7. http://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/C262313 Austlit - A Soapbox Omnibus by Rodney Hall
8. Web site: Austlit — Max Barry . Austlit. 25 August 2023.
9. Web site: Austlit — Chloe Hooper . Austlit. 25 August 2023.
10. Web site: Austlit — Jay Kristoff . Austlit. 25 August 2023.
11. Web site: Dransfield, Michael John (1948–1973) by Patricia Dobrez . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 25 August 2023.
12. Web site: Mitchell, Isabel Mary (1893–1973) by E. M. Finlay . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 1 September 2023.
13. Web site: Gina Ballantyne . 2023-07-08 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
14. Web site: Jones, Doris Egerton (1889–1973) by Suzanne Edgar . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 25 August 2023.
15. Web site: Hanna, George Patrick (Pat) (1888–1973) by Mimi Colligan . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 23 August 2023.
16. Web site: James (Jim) Crawford (1908–1973) by Connie Healy . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 13 November 2023.
17. Web site: Webb, Francis Charles (1925–1973) by H. P. Heseltine . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 25 August 2023.