This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2006.
Events South African-born Nobel laureate J. M. Coetzee takes up Australian citizenshipCitizen Coetzee Australia's Prime Minister, John Howard, complains about the modern school English syllabus, stating that it is being "dumbed down"PM attacks 'dumb' English Peter Carey's ex-wife, Alison Summers, takes a swipe at the author, accusing him of using his fiction to settle some old scores. She refers to a minor character in Carey's novel Theft: A Love Story (called The Plaintiff) and announces she is also writing a novel, titled Mrs Jekyll the ABC board decides against publishing the new Chris Masters' book Jonestown, an unauthorised biography of Alan Jones, a Sydney radio presenter the Australian Classification Review Board bans two radical Islamic books, prompting calls from the Australian Attorney-General for the Board to provide with even tougher laws a large treasure trove of missing papers belonging to Patrick White is revealed to the public. Contrary to the wishes expressed in White's will, his literary executor, Barbara Mobbs, did not destroy the material but kept it and has since offered it to the National Library of AustraliaWhite's literary treasure found
Major publications
Literary fiction
Azhar Abidi – Passarola Rising Venero Armanno – Candle Life Max Barry – Company James Bradley – The Resurrectionist Peter Carey – Theft: A Love Story John Charalambous – Silent Parts Tegan Bennett Daylight – Safety Richard Flanagan – The Unknown Terrorist Sandra Hall – Beyond the Break Sheridan Hay – The Secret of Lost Things M. J. Hyland – Carry Me Down Gail Jones – Dreams of Speaking Simone Lazaroo – The Travel Writer Kate Legge – The Unexpected Elements of Love Angelo Loukakis – The Memory of Tides Andrew McGahan – Underground William McInnes – Cricket Kings Nerida Newton – Death of a Whaler Andrew O'Connor – Tuvalu D. B. C. Pierre – Ludmila's Broken English Cameron S. Redfern – Landscape with Animals Deborah Robertson – Careless David Whish-Wilson – The Summons Mike Williams – The Music of Dunes Alexis Wright – Carpentaria
Short story collections David Malouf – Every Move You Make
Children's and Young Adult fiction Catherine Bateson – Being Bee Michael Gerard Bauer – Don't Call Me Ishmael! Isobelle Carmody – A Fox Called Sorrow D. M. Cornish – Monster Blood Tattoo: Foundling Alison Croggon – The Crow Ursula Dubosarsky – The Red Shoe Mem Fox – A Particular Cow Jackie French – Macbeth and Son Scot Gardner – Gravity Lian Hearn – The Harsh Cry of the Heron Simmone Howell – Notes from the Teenage Underground Stephen Michael King – Layla, Queen of Hearts Margo Lanagan – Red Spikes Justine Larbalestier – Magic Lessons Kate McCaffrey – Destroying Avalon Melina Marchetta – On the Jellicoe Road Juliet Marillier – Wildwood Dancing John Marsden – Circle of Flight Jaclyn Moriarty – The Betrayal of Bindy Mackenzie Garth Nix – Sir Thursday Shaun Tan – The Arrival Scott Westerfeld The Last Days Peeps
Crime and Mystery Robert G. Barrett – The Tesla Legacy Sydney Bauer – Undertow John Birmingham – Final Impact Laurent Boulanger – Better Dead Than Never Marshall Browne Inspector Anders and the Blood Vendetta Rendezvous at Kamakura Inn Paul Cleave – The Cleaner Peter Corris – The Undertow Kathryn Fox – Without Consent Kerry Greenwood – Devil's Food Edwina Grey – Prismatic Marion Halligan – The Apricot Colonel Katherine Howell – Frantic Adrian Hyland – Diamond Dove Martin Livings – Carnies Barry Maitland – Spider Trap P. D. Martin – The Murderers’ Club Jaclyn Moriarty – The Betrayal of Bindi Mackenzie Tara Moss – Hit Kel Robertson – Dead Set Angela Savage – Behind the Night Bazaar Lindsay Simpson – The Curer of Souls
Romance Marion Campbell – Shadow Thief Marion Lennox – Princess of Convenience Di Morrissey – The Valley
Science Fiction and Fantasy Damien Broderick – K-Machines D. M. Cornish – Monster Blood Tattoo: Foundling Sara Douglass – Druid's Sword Terry Dowling – Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear Grace Dugan – The Silver Road Will Elliott – The Pilo Family Circus Edwina Grey – Prismatic Margo Lanagan "A Fine Magic" Red Spikes Martin J. Livings – Carnies Brett McBean – The Mother Sean McMullen – Voidfarer Michael Pryor – Blaze of Glory Sean Williams & Shane Dix – Geodesica Descent
Drama Jane Malone – The Rumour Tommy Murphy – Holding the Man Debra Oswald – The Peach Season Stephen Sewell – It Just Stopped
Poetry Robert Adamson – The Goldfinches of Baghdad Laurie Duggan – The Passenger Brook Emery — At a Slight Angle: And Other Poems"At a slight angle : and other poems / by Brook Emery", National Library of Australia. Dennis Haskell – All the Time in the World Judy Johnson – Jack S. K. Kelen – Earthly Delights Graeme Miles – Phosphorescence Les Murray – The Biplane Houses Mark Reid – A Difficult Faith Thomas Shapcott – The City of Empty Rooms John Tranter – Urban Myths: 210 Poems Simon West – First Names Fay Zwicky – Picnic
Non-fiction Peter Andrews – Back from the Brink: How Australia's Landscape Can Be Saved Janine Burke – The Gods of Freud: Sigmund Freud's Art Collection Les Carlyon – The Great War Neil Chenoweth – Packer's Lunch Inga Clendinnen – Agamemnon's Kiss Peter Cochrane – Colonial Ambition: Foundations of Australian Democracy Peter Edwards – Arthur Tange: The Last of the Mandarins Ken Inglis – Whose ABC? : The Australian Broadcasting Commission 1983–2006 Justine Larbalestier – Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century
Biographies Quentin Beresford – Rob Riley: an Aboriginal Leader's Quest for Justice Michael Gurr – Days Like These Robert Hughes – Things I Didn't Know Elizabeth Jolley & Caroline Lurie – Learning to Dance Sylvia Martin – Ida Leeson: A Life Chris Masters – Jonestown: The Power and the Myth of Alan Jones Alice Pung – Unpolished Gem
Awards and honours
Lifetime achievement Award Author Christopher Brennan Award Geoff Page Melbourne Prize for Literature Helen Garner Patrick White Award Morris Lurie
Literary Award Author Title Publisher The Age Book of the Year Jennifer Maiden Friendly Fire Giramondo Publishing ALS Gold Medal Gregory Day The Patron Saint of Eels Picador Colin Roderick Award Peter Temple The Broken Shore Text Publishing Nita Kibble Literary Award Brenda Walker The Wing of Night Viking Press
Fiction
International Award Category Author Title PublisherCommonwealth Writers' Prize Best Novel, SE Asia and South Pacific region Kate Grenville The Secret River Text Publishing Best Novel, Overall Kate Grenville The Secret River Text Publishing
National Award Author Title Publisher ABC Fiction Award Will Elliott The Pilo Family Circus ABC Books Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Gail Jones Sixty Lights Vintage Books The Age Book of the Year Award Christos Tsiolkas Dead Europe Vintage The Australian/Vogel Literary Award Belinda Castles The River Baptists Allen and Unwin Miles Franklin Award Roger McDonald The Ballad of Desmond Kale Vintage New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Kate Grenville The Secret River Text Publishing Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Brian Castro The Garden Book Giramondo Publishing South Australian Premier's Awards Gail Jones Sixty Lights Harvill Press Victorian Premier's Literary Award Peter Carey Theft: A Love Story Knopf Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Simon Lazaroo The Travel Writer Pan Macmillan
Children and Young Adult
National Award Category Author Title PublisherChildren's Book of the Year Award Older Readers J. C. Burke The Story of Tom Brennan Random House Younger Readers Elizabeth Fensham Helicopter Man Bloomsbury Press Picture Book Colin Thompson The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley Lothian Early Childhood Deborah Niland Annie's Chair Viking Books Davitt Award Young Adult Catherine Jinks Evil Genius Allen and UnwinNew South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Children's Kierin Meehan In the Monkey Forest Penguin Books Young People's Ursula Dubosarsky Theodora's Gift Penguin BooksQueensland Premier's Literary Awards Children's Martine Murray The Slightly Bruised Glory of Cedar B. Hartley Allen & Unwin Young Adult Ursula Dubosarsky The Red Shoe Allen & Unwin South Australian Premier's Awards Children's Barry Jonsberg It's Not All About you, Calma! Allen & Unwin Victorian Premier's Literary Award Young Adult Fiction Ursula Dubosarsky Theodora's Gift Penguin BooksWestern Australian Premier's Book Awards Writing for Young Adults Kirsty Murray A Prayer for Blue Delaney Allen & Unwin Children's Wendy Binks Where's Stripey? Stunned Emu Press
Crime and Mystery
National Award Category Author Title PublisherDavitt Award Novel Heather Rose The Butterfly Man University of Queensland PressReaders' Choice Kerry Greenwood Heavenly Pleasures Allen & Unwin Leigh Redhead Rubdown Allen & Unwin Young Adult Novel Catherine Jinks Evil Genius Allen & UnwinNed Kelly AwardNovel Chris Nyst Crook as Rookwood HarperCollins Peter Temple The Broken Shore Text Publishing First novel Wendy James Out of the Silence Random House True crime Lauchlin McCulloch Packing Death Floradale/Sly Ink Lifetime achievement Andrew Rule & John Silvester
Science fiction Award Category Author Title PublisherAurealis Award Novel Damien Broderick K-Machines Thunder's Mouth Press Short Story Sean Williams "The Seventh Letter" Bulletin Magazine, Summer Reading EditionDitmar Award Novel Sean Williams & Shane Dix Geodesica: Ascent HarperCollins Novella/Novelette Kaaron Warren "The Grinding House" The Grinding House Short Story Kaaron Warren "Fresh Young Widow" The Grinding House Collected Work Robert Hood & Robin Pen Daikaiju! Giant Monster Tales Agog! Press Australian Shadows Award Will Elliott The Pilo Family Circus ABC Books
Poetry Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Luke Davies Totem Allen & Unwin The Age Book of the Year Jennifer Maiden Friendly Fire Giramondo Publishing Anne Elder Award2006 National Literary Awards Results p. 2. Libby Hart Fresh News from the Arctic Interactive Press Grace Leven Prize for Poetry Alan Gould The Past Completes Me: Selected Poems 1973–2003 University of Queensland Press Mary Gilmore Prize David McCooey Blister Pack Salt Publishing New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Jaya Savige Latecomers University of Queensland Press Queensland Premier's Literary Awards John Kinsella The New Arcadia Fremantle Arts Centre Press Victorian Premier's Literary Award John Tranter Urban Myths: 210 Poems University of Queensland Press Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Dennis Haskell All the Time in the World Salt Publishing
Drama Award Author Title Publisher Patrick White Playwrights' Award Patricia Cornelius Do Not Go Gentle... Currency Press
Non-Fiction