2000 in Australian literature explained

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2000.

Events

• Drylands by Thea Astley and Benang by Kim Scott were joint winners of the Miles Franklin Award

Major publications

Literary fiction

• Peter Carey — True History of the Kelly Gang
• Arabella Edge —
• Rodney Hall — The Day We Had Hitler Home
• Rosalie Ham — The Dressmaker
• Thomas Keneally
  • An Angel in Australia
  • Bettany's Book
• Colleen McCullough — Morgan's Run
• Alex Miller — Conditions of Faith
• Frank Moorhouse — Dark Palace
• Morris West — The Last Confession

Crime and mystery

• Jon Cleary — Bear Pit
• Catherine Jinks — The Notary^[1]
• Dorothy Johnston — The Trojan Dog
• Andrew McGahan — Last Drinks
• Barry Maitland — Silvermeadow^[2]
• Shane Maloney — The Big Ask^[3]
• Andrew Masterson — The Second Coming
• Peter Temple — Dead Point
• Meredith Webber — Trust Me^[4]

Science fiction and fantasy

• Sara Douglass — The Nameless Day
• Michel Faber — Under the Skin
• Jennifer Fallon — Medalon
• Kate Forsyth — The Forbidden Land^[5]
• Ian Irvine — The Last Albatross
• Juliet Marillier — Son of the Shadows
• Sean McMullen — The Miocene Arrow
• Garth Nix
  • Castle
  • The Fall
• Emily Rodda — The Forests of Silence
• Kim Wilkins — The Resurrectionists
• Sean Williams and Shane Dix — The Dying Light^[6]

Children's and young adult fiction

• Jaclyn Moriarty — Feeling Sorry for Celia
• Sonya Hartnett — Thursday's Child
• James Moloney — Touch Me
• John Marsden — Winter
• Shaun Tan — The Lost Thing
• Markus Zusak — Fighting Ruben Wolfe

Short story anthologies

• Carmel Bird (editor) — The Penguin Century of Australian Stories^[7]

Poetry

• Dorothy Hewett and John Kinsela — Wheatlands^[8]

Plays

• Hannie Rayson — Life After George^[9]
• David Williamson
  • Face to Face
  • The Great Man

Non-fiction

• Brian Matthews — A Fine and Private Place^[10]
• Wendy McCarthy — Don't Fence Me In^[11]
• Margaret Scott — Changing Countries: On moving from one island to another^[12]

Awards and honours

• Ray Parkin,, "for service to Australian war literature through autobiographical works, and to historical research as author of HM Bark Endeavour^[13]

Lifetime achievement

Award	Author
Christopher Brennan Award^[14]	J. S. Harry
Patrick White Award^[15]	Thomas Shapcott

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
The Age Book of the Year Award^[16]	Amy Witting	Isobel on the Way to the Corner Shop	Penguin
ALS Gold Medal^[17]	Drusilla Modjeska	Stravinsky's Lunch	Picador
Colin Roderick Award^[18]	Peter Carey	True History of the Kelly Gang	University of Queensland Press
Nita Kibble Literary Award^[19]	Drusilla Modjeska	Stravinsky's Lunch	Picador

Fiction

National

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature^[21]		Mr Darwin's Shooter	Vintage Books
The Age Book of the Year Award	Amy Witting	Isobel on the Way to the Corner Shop	Penguin Books
The Australian/Vogel Literary Award^[22]	Stephen Gray	The Artist is a Thief	Allen and Unwin
Miles Franklin Award^[23]		Drylands	Penguin Books
	Kim Scott	Benang	Fremantle Press
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards^[24]	Michael Meehan	The Salt of Broken Tears	Vintage Books

Crime and Mystery

National

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Ned Kelly Award^[25]
	Novel	Peter Temple	Shooting Star	Bantam Books
	First novel	Marshall Browne	The Wooden Leg of Inspector Anders	Duffy & Snellgrove
	True crime	John Dale	Huckstepp: A Dangerous Life	Allen & Unwin
		Andrew Rule & John Silvester	Underbelly 3	Floradale Productions & Sly Ink
	Lifetime Achievement	Not awarded

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature	Dimitris Tsaloumas	The Harbour	University of Queensland Press
The Age Book of the Year	Peter Minter	Empty Texas	Paper Bark Press
Anne Elder Award^[26]	Arthur M. Spyrou	Garden of Delights	Monogene
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry^[27]	Not awarded
Mary Gilmore Award^[28]	Lucy Dougan	Memory Shell	Five Islands Press

Non-fiction

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature	Non-Fiction	Tim Flannery	Throw'im Way Leg: An Adventure	Text Publishing
The Age Book of the Year	Non-Fiction	Kim Mahood	Craft for a Dry Lake	Anchor
National Biography Award^[29]	Biography	Peter Robb	M, a biography of European painter Caravaggio	Duffy and Snellgrove
		Mandy Sayer	Dreamtime Alice: A Memoir	Random House

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 2000 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 5 March – Michael Noonan, novelist and radio scriptwriter (born 1921 in New Zealand)^[30]
• 11 March – Gerald Glaskin, writer (born 1923)^[31]
• 17 March – Jack Davis, playwright, poet and Indigenous rights campaigner (born 1917)^[32]
• 6 May – Elizabeth O'Conner, novelist (born 1913)^[33]
• 25 May – Elizabeth Durack, artist and writer (born 1915)^[34]
• 16 June — Colin Roderick, editor and critic (born 1911)^[35]
• 25 June – Judith Wright, poet, environmentalist and campaigner for Aboriginal land rights (born 1915)^[36]
• 3 July – Nancy Cato, historical novelist, biographer and poet (born 1917)^[37]
• 13 July – A. D. Hope, poet and essayist (born 1907)^[38]
• August – John Joseph Jones, poet, folk singer, musician, playwright and theatre director (born in London, 1930)^[39]
• 10 August – Clement Semmler, author, literary critic, broadcaster and radio and television executive (born 1914)^[40]
• 17 August – Leslie Rees, children's writer and dramatist (born 1905)^[41]
• 1 November – Ian Moffitt, journalist and novelist (born 1926)^[42]

See also

• 2000 in Australia
• 2000 in literature
• 2000 in poetry
• List of years in literature
• List of years in Australian literature

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Notary by Catherine Jinks . National Library of Australia. 9 March 2024.
2. Web site: Silvermeadow by Barry maitland. National Library of Australia. 9 March 2024.
3. Web site: The Big Ask by Shane Maloney. National Library of Australia. 9 March 2024.
4. Web site: Austlit — Trust Me by Meredith Webber . Austlit. 9 March 2024.
5. Web site: The Forbidden Land by Kate Forsyth. National Library of Australia. 9 March 2024.
6. Web site: The Dying Light by Sean Williams & Shane Dix. National Library of Australia. 9 March 2024.
7. Web site: The Penguin Century of Australian Stories edited by Carmel Bird. National Library of Australia. 9 March 2024.
8. Web site: Wheatlands by Dorothy Hewett and John Kinsella. National Library of Australia. 9 March 2024.
9. Web site: Life After George by Hannie Rayson . National Library of Australia. 9 March 2024.
10. Web site: A Fine and Private Place by Brian Matthews. National Library of Australia. 9 March 2024.
11. Web site: Don't Fence Me In by Wendy McCarthy. National Library of Australia. 9 March 2024.
12. Web site: Changing Countries by Margaret McCarthy. National Library of Australia. 9 March 2024.
13. Web site: Raymond Edward Parkin. honours.pmc.gov.au. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191218185717/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1129717 . 18 December 2019 . 2019-12-18.
14. Web site: "Results of the 2000 National Literary Awards" . FAW. 11 September 2023.
15. Web site: Austlit — Patrick White Award - Past Winners . Austlit. 8 September 2023.
16. Web site: "Writing's late starter improves with age" . The Age, 26 August 2000, p4. 17 June 2024. .
17. Web site: ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners . Association for the Study of Australian Literature. 10 January 2024.
18. Web site: Colin Roderick Award - Other Winners . James Cook University. 16 January 2024.
19. Web site: Kibble Literary Award . Australian National University . 26 February 2024.
20. Web site: Commonwealth Writers' Prize Regional Winners 1987-2007 . Commonwealth Foundation. 18 January 2024.
21. Web site: State Library of South Australia. Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature – Past Literary Award Winners. 18 April 2024.
22. Web site: "Austlit – Australian/Vogel Award 2000-2002" . Austlit. 19 February 2024.
23. Web site: Austlit — Miles Franklin Literary Award : 2000-2002 . Austlit. 15 September 2023.
24. Web site: "Aboriginal book floors competition" . Sydney Morning Herald, 16 May 2000. 10 May 2024. .
25. Web site: 2000 Ned Kelly Award Winners . https://web.archive.org/web/20160327181222/http://www.austcrimewriters.com/ned-kelly-award-winners/6 . 2016-03-27 . 17 January 2024 . Australian Crime Writers.
26. Web site: Austlit — Anne Elder Award 1998-2000 . Austlit. 13 February 2024.
27. Web site: Austlit — Grace Leven Poetry Prize 1994-2001 . Austlit. 13 February 2024.
28. Web site: Mary Gilmore Award . . 10 February 2024.
29. Web site: "National Biography Award – Past Winners" . State Library of NSW. 22 March 2024.
30. Web site: Michael Noonan (1921-2000). 2023-09-26 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
31. Web site: G. M. Glaskin (1923-2000). 2023-09-26 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
32. Web site: Jack Davis (1917-2000). 2023-09-16 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
33. Web site: Austlit — Elizabeth O'Conner (1913-2000) . Austlit. 1 December 2023.
34. Web site: Elizabeth Durack (1915-2000) . 2023-09-14 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
35. Web site: Austlit — Colin Roderick (1911-2000) . Austlit. 23 November 2023.
36. Web site: Judith Wright (1915-2000) . 2023-09-14 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
37. Web site: Nancy Cato (1917-2000). 2023-09-16 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
38. Web site: Alec Derwent (A. D.) Hope (1907–2000) by Susan Lever . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 9 November 2023.
39. Web site: John Joseph Jones (1930-2000). 2024-03-05 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
40. Web site: Clement Semmler (1914-2000). 2023-09-14 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
41. Web site: Leslie Rees (1905-2000). 2023-09-08 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
42. Web site: Ian Moffitt (1926-2000). 2023-09-26 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.