1987 in Australian literature explained

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1987.

Events

• Glenda Adams won the 1987 Miles Franklin Award for Dancing on Coral

Major publications

Novels

• Glenda Adams — Dancing on Coral
• Murray Bail — Holden's Performance
• Sumner Locke Elliott — Waiting for Childhood^[1]
• Barbara Hanrahan — Kewpie Doll^[2]
• Nicholas Jose — Paper Nautilus^[3]
• Thomas Keneally — The Playmaker
• Olga Masters — Amy's Children^[4]
• Colleen McCullough — The Ladies of Missalonghi
• Boyd Oxlade — Death in Brunswick
• Eric Willmot — Pemulwuy, the Rainbow Warrior^[5]

Short stories

• Jessica Anderson — Stories from the Warm Zone
• Thea Astley — It's Raining in Mango^[6]
• Julie Lewis — The Walls of Jericho: Stories^[7]
• Patrick White — Three Uneasy Pieces

Children's and young adult fiction

• John Marsden — So Much to Tell You

Science fiction and fantasy

• Greg Egan – "Neighbourhood Watch"
• Isobelle Carmody — Obernewtyn
• George Turner — The Sea and Summer

Crime and mystery

• Jon Cleary — Dragons at the Party
• Peter Corris — The January Zone^[8]
• Jennifer Rowe — Grim Pickings^[9]

Poetry

• Judith Beveridge — The Domesticity of Giraffes
• Dorothy Hewett — Alice in Wormland^[10]

Drama

• Dorothy Hewett — Me and the Man in the Moon^[11]
• David Malouf — Blood Relations
• Wendy Richardson — Windy Gully^[12]
• David Williamson — Emerald City

Non-fiction

• Brian Matthews — Louisa
• Sally Morgan — My Place

Awards and honours

• Rosemary Dobson, for "service to literature, particularly in the field of poetry"^[13]
• David Malouf, for "service to literature"^[14]
• Peter Cowan (writer), for "service to Australian literature"^[15]
• Ruth Park, for "service to literature"^[16]
• Rica Erickson, for "service to the arts, particularly as an author and illustrator^[17]

Lifetime achievement

Award	Author
Christopher Brennan Award^[18]	Not awarded
Patrick White Award^[19]	William Hart-Smith

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award^[20]	Jessica Anderson	Stories from the Warm Zone	Penguin
ALS Gold Medal^[21]	Alan Wearne	The Nightmarkets	Penguin
Colin Roderick Award^[22]	Nancy Phelan	Home is the Sailor and the Best of Intentions	Hyland House

Fiction

National

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature^[24]	Not awarded
The Age Book of the Year Award	Jessica Anderson	Stories from the Warm Zone	Penguin
The Australian/Vogel Literary Award^[25]	Jim Sakkas	Ilias	Allen and Unwin
Miles Franklin Award^[26]	Glenda Adams	Dancing on Coral	Viking Press
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards^[27]	Glenda Adams	Dancing on Coral	Viking Press
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards^[28]	Janine Burke	Second Sight	Greenhouse Publications

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature	Not awarded
Anne Elder Award^[29]	Sarah Day	A Hunger to be Less Serious	Angus & Robertson
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry^[30]		Occasions of Birds and Other Poems	Brindabella Press
Mary Gilmore Award^[31]	Jan Owen	Boy with Telescope	Angus & Robertson
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards	Philip Hodgins	Blood and Bone	Angus & Robertson
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards	Lily Brett	The Auschwitz Poems	Scribe

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award	Older Readers^[32]	Simon French	All We Know	Angus and Robertson
	Picture Book^[33]	Junko Morimoto, translated by Isao Morimoto	Kojuro and the Bears
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards	Young People's Literature	Nan Hunt and Betina Ogden	A Rabbit Named Harris	William Collins

Non-fiction

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature	Not awarded
The Age Book of the Year Award	Robert Hughes	The Fatal Shore	Knopf
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards	Patrick O'Farrell	The Irish In Australia	University of New South Wales Press
Victorian Premier's Literary Awards	Hugh Stretton	Political Essays

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1987 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 3 March — Cyril Pearl, Australian journalist, editor, author, social historian, wit and television personality (born 1904)^[34]
• 18 April — Kenneth Cook, Australian journalist, television documentary maker and novelist (born 1929)
• 8 May — Marjorie Barnard, Australia novelist and short story writer, critic, historian and librarian (born 1897)^[35]
• 24 May — Robert D. Fitzgerald, poet (born 1902)^[36]
• 3 July — Grace Perry, poet, playwright, and founder and editor of the South Head Press (born 1927)^[37]
• 17 December — Lucy Walker, romance novelist (born 1907)^[38]

See also

• 1987 in Australia
• 1987 in literature
• 1987 in poetry
• List of years in literature
• List of years in Australian literature

Notes and References

1. Web site: Austlit — Waiting for Childhood by Sumner Locke Elliott . Austlit. 22 November 2023.
2. Web site: Austlit — Kewpie Doll by Barbara Hanrahan . Austlit. 22 November 2023.
3. Web site: Austlit — Paper Nautilus by Nicholas Jose . Austlit. 22 November 2023.
4. Web site: Austlit — Amy's Children by Olga Masters . Austlit. 22 November 2023.
5. Web site: Austlit — Pemulwuy, the Rainbow Warrior by Eric Wilmot . Austlit. 22 November 2023.
6. Web site: Austlit — It's Raining in Mango by Thea Astley . Austlit. 9 December 2023.
7. Book: Lewis, Julie. The Walls of Jericho. 1987. Fremantle, W.A : Fremantle Arts Centre Press. 978-0-949206-16-9. en.
8. Web site: Austlit — The January Zone by Peter Corris . Austlit. 9 December 2023.
9. Web site: Austlit — Grim Pickings by Jennifer Rowe . Austlit. 9 December 2023.
10. Web site: Austlit — Alice in Wormland by Dorothy hewett . Austlit. 9 December 2023.
11. Web site: Austlit — Me and the Man in the Moon by Dorothy Hewtt. Austlit. 9 December 2023.
12. Web site: Austlit — Windy Gully by Wendy Richardson. Austlit. 9 December 2023.
13. Web site: Rosemary de Brissac Dobson. honours.pmc.gov.au. 2019-12-20.
14. Web site: David George Joseph Malouf. honours.pmc.gov.au. 2019-12-20.
15. Web site: Peter Walkinshaw Cowan. honours.pmc.gov.au. 2019-12-20.
16. Web site: Ruth Park (Mrs Niland). honours.pmc.gov.au. 2019-12-20.
17. Web site: Dr Frederica Lucy Erickson. honours.pmc.gov.au. 2019-12-20.
18. Web site: Austlit — FAW Christopher Brennan Award 1980-87. Austlit. 13 September 2023.
19. Web site: Austlit — Patrick White Award - Past Winners . Austlit. 22 August 2023.
20. Web site: "Book judges find winners in warm zones and on fatal shores" . The Age, 5 December 1987, p5. 28 May 2024. .
21. Web site: ALS Gold Medal - Previous Winners . Association for the Study of Australian Literature. 10 November 2023.
22. Web site: Colin Roderick Award - Other Winners . James Cook University. 10 November 2023.
23. Web site: Commonwealth Writers' Prize Regional Winners 1987-2007 . Commonwealth Foundation. 17 January 2024.
24. Web site: State Library of South Australia. Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature – Past Literary Award Winners. 18 April 2024.
25. Web site: Austlit — The Australian/Vogel National Literary Award 1987. Austlit. 9 December 2023.
26. Web site: Austlit — Dancing on Coral - Awards . Austlit. 14 September 2023.
27. Web site: No prize for coming first, say literary judges. Sydney Morning Herald, 3 September 1987, p4. 3 May 2024. .
28. Web site: The Premier's Literary Awards Winners . The Age, 19 September 1987, p13. 26 April 2024. .
29. Web site: Austlit — Anne Elder Award 1985-88 . Austlit. 9 February 2024.
30. Web site: Austlit — Grace Leven Prize for Poetry 1987 . Austlit. 9 December 2023.
31. Web site: Mary Gilmore Award . . 8 February 2024.
32. Web site: Austlit — Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers 1987 . Austlit. 9 December 2023.
33. Web site: Austlit — Children's Book of the Year Award: Picture Book 1987 . Austlit. 9 December 2023.
34. Web site: Cyril Altson Pearl (1904–1987) by Patrick Buckridge . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 9 November 2023.
35. Web site: Barnard, Marjorie Faith (Marjory) (1897–1987) by Jill Roe . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 7 July 2023.
36. Web site: FitzGerald, Robert David (Bob) (1902–1987) by Stuart Lee . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 29 June 2023.
37. Web site: Perry, Grace Amelia (1927-1987) . 2023-10-01 . The Australian Women's Register . en-gb.
38. Web site: Dorothy Lucy Sanders (1907–1987) by Lisa MacKinney and Jenny Gregory . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 9 November 2023.