1985 in Australian literature explained

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1985.

Events

• Christopher Koch won the 1985 Miles Franklin Award for The Doubleman

Major publications

Novels

• Thea Astley — Beachmasters
• Peter Carey — Illywhacker
• Sumner Locke Elliott — About Tilly Beamis^[1]
• David Foster — Dog Rock^[2]
• Kate Grenville — Lilian's Story
• Barbara Hanrahan — Annie Magdalene^[3]
• Thomas Keneally — A Family Madness
• Christopher Koch — The Doubleman

Short story collections

• David Malouf — Antipodes
• Olga Masters — A Long Time Dying^[4]

Crime and mystery

• Peter Corris — Make Me Rich^[5]

Science fiction and fantasy

• Victor Kelleher — The Beast of Heaven^[6]

Children's and young adult fiction

• Pamela Allen — A Lion in the Night
• Duncan Ball — Selby's Secret
• Thurley Fowler – The Green Wind^[7]
• Robin Klein — Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left
• Gillian Rubinstein — Space Demons

Poetry

• Robert Gray — Selected Poems 1963–1983^[8]
• Chris Wallace-Crabbe — The Amorous Cannibal^[9]

Drama

• Jack Davis — No Sugar
• Michael Gow — The Astronaut’s Wife^[10]
• Louis Nowra — The Golden Age
• David Williamson — Sons of Cain

Non-fiction

• John Bryson — Evil Angels^[11]

Awards and honours

• Jack Davis, for "service to Aboriginal literature and theatre"^[12]
• Frank Moorhouse, for "service to Australian literature"^[13]
• Morris West, for "service to literature"^[14]

Lifetime achievement

Award	Author
Christopher Brennan Award^[15]	Les Murray
Patrick White Award^[16]	Judah Waten (posthumous)

Literary awards

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award^[17]	Peter Carey	Illywhacker	University of Queensland Press
ALS Gold Medal^[18]	David Ireland	Archimedes and the Seagle	Viking Press
Colin Roderick Award^[19]	John Gunn	The Defeat of Distance : Qantas 1919-1939	University of Queensland Press

Fiction awards

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award	Peter Carey	Illywhacker	University of Queensland Press
The Australian/Vogel Literary Award^[20]	No award
Miles Franklin Award^[21]	Christopher Koch	The Doubleman	Chatto & Windus
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards^[22]	Elizabeth Jolley	Milk and Honey	Fremantle Arts Centre Press
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards^[23]	David Malouf	Antipodes	Chatto and Windus

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Anne Elder Award^[24]	Stephen J. Williams	A Crowd of Voices	Pariah Press Co-op
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry^[25]		Selected Poems 1963–1983	Angus and Robertson
	Chris Wallace-Crabbe	The Amorous Cannibal	Oxford University Press
Mary Gilmore Award^[26]	Doris Brett	The Truth About Unicorns	Jacaranda Press
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards	Kevin Hart	Your Shadow	Angus & Robertson
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards	Rosemary Dobson	The Three Fates and Other Poems	Hale and Iremonger
	Kevin Hart	Your Shadow	Angus & Robertson

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award	Older Readers^[27]	James Aldridge	The True Story of Lilli Stubeck	Hyland House
	Picture Book^[28]	Not awarded
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards	Young People's Literature	Nadia Wheatley	The House that Was Eureka	Penguin

Drama

Award	Category	Author	Title
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards	Script	Bob Ellis and Paul Cox	My First Wife
		Margaret Kelly, Chris Noonan, Phillip Noyce and Russell Braddon	The Cowra Breakout
	Play	Stephen Sewell	The Blind Giant is Dancing
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards	Drama	David Allen	Cheapside

Non-fiction

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award	Chester Eagle	Mapping the Paddocks	McPhee Gribble
	Hugh Lunn	Vietnam: A Reporter's War	University of Queensland Press
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards	Elsie Webster	The Moon Man	Melbourne University Press
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards	Bernard Smith	The Boy Adeodatus : The Portrait of a Lucky Young Bastard	Allen Lane

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1985 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

Unknown date

• Hannah Kent, historical novelist ^[29]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1985 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 26 January — Anne Spencer Parry, pioneer fantasy writer (born 1931)^[30]
• 14 February — Douglas Stewart, poet, short story writer, essayist and literary editor (born 1913)^[31]
• 19 April — John Manifold, poet and critic (born 1915)^[32]
• 5 May — Carter Brown, writer of detective fiction (born in England, 1923)^[33]
• 18 July — F. B. Vickers, novelist (born 1903)^[34]
• 29 July — Judah Waten, novelist (born 1911)^[35]
• 11 September — Eleanor Dark, novelist (born 1901)^[36]
• 4 November — A. A. Phillips, writer, critic and teacher, best known for coining the term "Cultural Cringe" (born 1900)^[37]

See also

• 1985 in Australia
• 1985 in literature
• 1985 in poetry
• List of years in literature
• List of years in Australian literature

Notes and References

1. Web site: Austlit — About Tilly Beamis by Sumner Locke Elliott . Austlit. 14 November 2023.
2. Web site: Austlit — Dog Rock by David Foster . Austlit. 14 November 2023.
3. Web site: Austlit — Annie Magdalene by Barbara Hanrahan . Austlit. 14 November 2023.
4. Web site: Austlit — A Long Time Dying by Olga Masters . Austlit. 14 November 2023.
5. Web site: Austlit — Make Me Rich by Peter Corris . Austlit. 14 November 2023.
6. Web site: Austlit — The Beast of Heaven by Victor Kelleher . Austlit. 14 November 2023.
7. Web site: The Green Wind (Rigby) . National Library of Australia. 9 March 2024.
8. Web site: Austlit — Selected Poems 1963–1983 by Robert Gray . Austlit. 14 November 2023.
9. Web site: Austlit — The Amorous Cannibal by Chris Wallace-Crabbe . Austlit. 14 November 2023.
10. Web site: Austlit — The Astronaut’s Wife by Michael Gow . Austlit. 14 November 2023.
11. Web site: Evil Angels by John Bryson. National Library of Australia. 20 May 2024.
12. Web site: Jack Leonard Davis. honours.pmc.gov.au. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191212034407/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870225 . 12 December 2019 . 2019-12-12.
13. Web site: Frank Thomas Moorhouse. honours.pmc.gov.au. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191212034409/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/869806 . 12 December 2019 . 2019-12-12.
14. Web site: Morris Langlo West. honours.pmc.gov.au. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191212034409/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870226 . 12 December 2019 . 2019-12-12.
15. Web site: "Interview with Les A. Murray" by Barbara Williams . Westerly, Winter 1992. 13 September 2023.
16. Web site: Austlit — Patrick White Award - Past Winners . Austlit. 22 August 2023.
17. Web site: "Another award for Carey's 'Illywacker'" . The Canberra Times, 7 March 1986, p1. 30 December 2023.
18. Web site: ALS Gold Medal - Previous Winners . Association for the Study of Australian Literature. 25 June 2023.
19. Web site: Colin Roderick Award - Other Winners . James Cook University. 25 June 2023.
20. Web site: Austlit — The Australian/Vogel National Literary Award 1985. Austlit. 14 November 2023.
21. News: Koch wins literary award . . 60 . 18,487 . Australian Capital Territory, Australia . 14 May 1986 . 25 June 2023 . 7 . National Library of Australia.
22. Web site: Scholarly biography wins Premier's award. Sydney Morning Herald, 10 September 1985, p4. 3 May 2024. .
23. Web site: Malouf takes $15,000 Palmer prize . The Age, 15 August 1985, p3. 26 April 2024. .
24. Web site: Austlit — Anne Elder Award 1985-88 . Austlit. 9 February 2024.
25. Web site: Austlit — Grave Leven prize 1985 . Austlit. 9 November 2023.
26. Web site: Mary Gilmore Award . . 8 February 2024.
27. Web site: Austlit — Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers 1985 . Austlit. 25 November 2023.
28. Web site: Austlit — Children's Book of the Year Award: Picture Book 1985 . Austlit. 25 November 2023.
29. Web site: Hannah Kent . Austlit. 27 June 2023.
30. Web site: Austlit — Anne Parry (1931-1985). Austlit. 14 November 2023.
31. Web site: Douglas Alexander Stewart (1913–1985) by Ivor Indyk . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 14 November 2023.
32. Web site: J. S. Manifold (1915-1985). 2023-09-14 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
33. Web site: Alan Yates (1923-1985). 2023-09-23 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
34. Web site: Austlit — F. B. Vickers (1903-1985). Austlit. 14 November 2023.
35. Web site: Judah Leon Waten (1911–1985) by David Carter . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 14 November 2023.
36. Web site: Dark, Eleanor (1901–1985) by Marivic Wyndham . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 23 June 2023.
37. Web site: Austlit — A. A. Phillips (1900-1985). Austlit. 14 November 2023.