1996 in Australian literature explained

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1996.

Events

• Christopher Koch won the Miles Franklin Award for Highways to a War
• David Malouf won the International Dublin Literary Award for Remembering Babylon
• The Ned Kelly Awards, honouring excellence in Australian crime writing, are presented for the first time

Major publications

Novels

• Thea Astley — The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow
• James Cowan — A Mapmaker's Dream
• Robert Dessaix — Night Letters: A Journey Through Switzerland and Italy Edited and Annotated by Igor Miazmov^[1]
• Garry Disher — The Sunken Road^[2]
• Robert Drewe — The Drowner
• David Foster — The Glade Within the Grove
• Clive James — The Silver Castle^[3]
• David Malouf — The Conversations at Curlow Creek
• John A. Scott — Before I Wake
• Janette Turner Hospital — Oyster
• Morris West — Vanishing Point
• Sue Woolfe — Leaning Towards Infinity^[4]

Short story anthologies

• Kerryn Goldsworthy — Australian Love Stories (edited)^[5]

Science fiction and fantasy

• Sara Douglass
  • Enchanter
  • StarMan
• Matthew Reilly — Contest^[6]
• Jane Routley — Mage Heart^[7]
• Dirk Strasser — Equinox^[8]
• Lucy Sussex — The Scarlet Rider^[9]
• Sean Williams — Metal Fatigue

Crime

• Jon Cleary – Endpeace
• Peter Doyle – Get Rich Quick
• Shane Maloney – The Brush-Off
• Peter Temple – Bad Debts

Children's and young adult fiction

• Margaret Clark — Fat Chance
• Sonya Hartnett — Black Foxes^[10]
• Kerry Greenwood — The Broken Wheel
• John Marsden — Checkers
• James Moloney — A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove

Poetry

• Eric Beach — Weeping for Lost Babylon^[11]
• Lisa Bellear — Dreaming in Urban Areas^[12]
• Judith Beveridge — Accidental Grace^[13]
• John Kinsella — The Undertow: New and Selected Poems^[14]
• Anthony Lawrence — The Viewfinder^[15]
• Les Murray — Subhuman Redneck Poems
• Dorothy Porter — Crete^[16]
• Morgan Yasbincek — Night Reversing^[17]

Drama

• Nick Enright — Blackrock
• Jenny Kemp — The Black Sequin Dress
• Debra Oswald — Gary's House^[18]
• David Williamson — Heretic

Non-fiction

• Bronwyn Donaghy — Anna's Story^[19]
• Doris Pilkington Garimara — Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence
• Helen Garner —

Awards and honours

• Mavis Thorpe Clark "for service to the arts as the author of children's literature and as an active member of the writer's organisations in Australia"^[20]
• Susanna de Vries "for service to art as an author and lecturer in Australian and European art history and history"^[21]
• Christobel Mattingley "for service to literature, particularly children's literature, and for community service through her commitment to social and cultural issues"^[22]

Lifetime achievement

Award	Author
Christopher Brennan Award^[23]	Dorothy Hewett
Patrick White Award^[24]	Elizabeth Harrower

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award^[25]	Thea Astley	The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow	Viking
ALS Gold Medal^[26]	Amanda Lohrey	Camille's Bread	Angus and Robertson
Colin Roderick Award^[27]	Tim Flannery, Roger Martin and Alexandra Szalay, Illustrator Peter Schouten	Tree Kangaroos	Reed Publications
Nita Kibble Literary Award^[28]	Judy Cassab	Judy Cassab: Diaries	Random House

Fiction

National

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature^[30]		Death of a River Guide	McPhee Gribble
The Age Book of the Year Award	Thea Astley	The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow	Viking Press
The Australian/Vogel Literary Award^[31]	Bernard Cohen	The Blindman's Hat	Allen and Unwin
Miles Franklin Award^[32]	Christopher Koch	Highways to a War	Heinemann
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards^[33]	Sue Woolfe	Leaning Towards Infinity	Random House Australia

Crime and Mystery

National

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Ned Kelly Award^[34]	Novel	Barry Maitland	The Malcontenta	Hamish Hamilton
		Paul Thomas	Inside Dope	Mandarin Publishing
	First novel	John Dale	Dark Angel	Serpent's Tail
	Lifetime Achievement	Jon Cleary

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature	John Kinsella	The Silo: A Pastoral Symphony	Fremantle Arts Centre Press
The Age Book of the Year Award	Eric Beach	Weeping for Lost Babylon	Angus and Robertson
Anne Elder Award^[35]	Marcella Polain	Dumbstruck	Five Islands Press
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry^[36]	John Kinsella	The Undertow : New and Selected Poems	Arc Publications
Mary Gilmore Award^[37]	Jordie Albiston	Nervous Arcs	Spinfex Press

Non-fiction

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature	Non-Fiction	Tim Flannery	The Future Eaters	Reed Books
The Age Book of the Year Award	Non-Fiction	Geoffrey Serle	Robin Boyd : A Life	Miegunyah Press
National Biography Award^[38]	Biography	Abraham Biderman	The World of My Past	AHB Publications

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1996 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 12 February — Betty Roland, writer of plays, screenplays, novels, children's books and comics (born 1903)^[39]
• 26 March —Godfrey Blunden, journalist and author (died in Paris)(born 1906)
• 23 April — P. L. Travers, children's writer, best known for the Mary Poppins (book series) (born 1899)^[40]
• 28 April —Mena Calthorpe, writer (born 1905)^[41]
• 27 October — Charlotte Jay, mystery writer and novelist who also wrote under her married name, Geraldine Halls (born 1919)^[42]
• 28 November — Hugh V. Clarke, soldier, public servant and author, specialising in military history (born 1919)^[43]
• 31 December — John Rowland, public servant, diplomat and poet (born 1925)^[44]

See also

• 1996 in Australia
• 1996 in literature
• 1996 in poetry
• List of years in literature
• List of years in Australian literature

Notes and References

1. Web site: Austlit — Night Letters by Robert Dessaix . Austlit. 14 January 2024.
2. Web site: Austlit — The Sunken Road by Garry Disher. Austlit. 14 January 2024.
3. Web site: Austlit — The Silver Castle by Clive James. Austlit. 14 January 2024.
4. Web site: Austlit — Leaning Towards Infinity by Sue Woolfe. Austlit. 14 January 2024.
5. Web site: Australian Love Stories by Kerryn Goldsworthy . National Library of Australia. 10 May 2024.
6. Web site: Contest by Matthew Reilly. ISFDB. 8 May 2024.
7. Web site: Mage Heart by Jane Routley . ISFDB. 8 May 2024.
8. Web site: Equinox by Dirk Strasser . ISFDB. 8 May 2024.
9. Web site: The Scarlet Rider by Lucy Sussex . ISFDB. 8 May 2024.
10. Web site: Black Foxes by Sonya Hartnett. National Library of Australia. 10 May 2024.
11. Web site: Weeping for Lost Babylon by Eric beach. National Library of Australia. 10 May 2024.
12. Web site: Dreaming in Urban Areas by Lisa Bellear. National Library of Australia. 10 May 2024.
13. Web site: Accidental Grace by Judith Beveridge. National Library of Australia. 10 May 2024.
14. Web site: The Undertow: New and Selected Poems by John Kinsella. National Library of Australia. 10 May 2024.
15. Web site: The Viewfinder by Anthony Lawrence . National Library of Australia. 10 May 2024.
16. Web site: Crete by Dorothy Porter. National Library of Australia. 10 May 2024.
17. Web site: Night Reversing by Morgan Yasbincek. National Library of Australia. 10 May 2024.
18. Web site: Gary's House by Debra Oswald. National Library of Australia. 10 May 2024.
19. Web site: Anna's Story by Bronwyn Donaghy. National Library of Australia. 10 May 2024.
20. Web site: Mavis Thorpe Clark. honours.pmc.gov.au. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191227040806/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/869945 . 27 December 2019 . 2019-12-27.
21. Web site: Susanna Mary de Vries-Evans. honours.pmc.gov.au. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191227040809/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/870193 . 27 December 2019 . 2019-12-27.
22. Web site: Christobel Rosemary Mattingley. honours.pmc.gov.au. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190603115827/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/869829 . 3 June 2019 . 2019-12-27.
23. Web site: Austlit — FAW Christopher Brennan Award. Austlit. 12 September 2023.
24. Web site: Austlit — Patrick White Award - Past Winners . Austlit. 8 September 2023.
25. Web site: "Literary award for Astley" . The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 December 1996, p4. 16 June 2024. .
26. Web site: ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners . Association for the Study of Australian Literature. 10 January 2024.
27. Web site: Colin Roderick Award - Other Winners . James Cook University. 16 January 2024.
28. Web site: 2009-06-09 . Kibble Literary Award . 4 February 2024 . . en-AU.
29. Web site: Commonwealth Writers' Prize Regional Winners 1987-2007 . Commonwealth Foundation. 17 January 2024.
30. Web site: State Library of South Australia. Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature – Past Literary Award Winners. 18 April 2024.
31. Web site: Austlit — The Australian/Vogel National Literary Award 1996. Austlit. 16 February 2023.
32. Web site: Austlit — Highways to a War - Awards . Austlit. 15 September 2023.
33. Web site: "Tales of antiquarian hunters collects top book award" . Sydney Morning Herald, 6 September 1996. 8 May 2024. .
34. Web site: 1996 Ned Kelly Award Winners . https://web.archive.org/web/20160327181222/http://www.austcrimewriters.com/ned-kelly-award-winners/1 . 2016-03-27 . 14 January 2024 . Australian Crime Writers.
35. Web site: Austlit — Anne Elder Award 1995-97 . Austlit. 12 February 2024.
36. Web site: Austlit — Grace Leven Poetry Prize 1994-2001 . Austlit. 12 February 2024.
37. Web site: Mary Gilmore Award . . 10 February 2024.
38. Web site: "National Biography Award – Past Winners" . State Library of NSW. 22 March 2024.
39. Web site: Roland, Betty (1903–1996) by Jayne Regan . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 30 June 2023.
40. Web site: P. L. Travers (1899-1996). Austlit. 26 June 2023.
41. Web site: Mena Calthorpe (1905-1996). 2024-02-13 . Local History - Sutherland Shire Libraries . en.
42. Web site: Geraldine Halls (1919-1996). 2023-09-19 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
43. Web site: Obituary - Hugh Vincent Clarke (1919-1996) - Obituaries Australia . 2023-09-23 . oa.anu.edu.au.
44. Web site: J. R. Rowland (1925-1996). 2023-09-26 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.