This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2003.
Events Peter Carey and Joan London join the list of authors who have withdrawn from contention for the Tasmania Pacific Region Prize. In 2002 Richard Flanagan and Tim Winton also declined to have their books nominated for the prize in protest at the involvement of Forestry Tasmania as a sponsor of the Ten Days on the Island festival at which the award winner is to be announced.Austlit Gateway News March/April 2003 Members of The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) voted in their Society's 40th anniversary poll to select Australia's favourite book. Tim Winton's Cloudstreet headed the poll followed by The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead and The Fortunes of Richard Mahony by Henry Handel Richardson.Austlit Gateway News July/August 2003 Nevil Shute's 1950 novel, A Town Like Alice was included in a BBC-sponsored UK survey of 100 popular novels, but has failed to make a similar Australian list.Austlit Gateway News September/October 2003
Major publications
Literary fiction
Alan Atwood – Burke's Soldier Peter Carey – My Life as a Fake Brian Castro – Shanghai Dancing J. M. Coetzee – Elizabeth Costello Julian Davies – The Boy Nikki Gemmell – The Bride Stripped Bare Peter Goldsworthy – Three Dog Night Shirley Hazzard – The Great Fire Kathryn Heyman – The Accomplice Janette Turner Hospital – Due Preparations for the Plague M. J. Hyland – How the Light Gets In Annamarie Jagose – Slow Water Nada A. Jarrar – Somewhere, Home Tom Keneally – The Tyrant's Novel Kathy Lette – Dead Sexy Colleen McCullough – The Touch Nerida Newton – The Lambing Flat Elliot Perlman – Seven Types of Ambiguity D. B. C. Pierre – Vernon God Little Patricia Shaw – The Five Winds Sue Woolfe – The Secret Cure
Children's and Young Adult fiction Pamela Allen – Cuthbert's Babies Paul Collins – The Earthborn Kate Constable – The Waterless Sea Marianne Curley – The Dark Justin D'Ath – Shaedow Master Garry Disher – Eva's Angel John Heffernan – GBH Melina Marchetta – Saving Francesca David Metzenthen – Boys of Blood & Bone Jaclyn Moriarty – Finding Cassie Crazy Martine Murray – How to Make a Bird Garth Nix Abhorsen Mister Monday Emily Rodda – Rowan of the Bukshah Janeen Webb – The Silken Road to Samarkand
Crime Kirsty Brooks – The Vodka Dialogue Ian Callinan – Appointment at Amalfi Lindy Cameron – Thicker Than Water Jon Cleary – Degrees of Connection Peter Corris – Master's Mates Michelle de Kretser – The Hamilton Case Garry Disher – Kittyhawk Down Kerry Greenwood – The Castlemaine Murders: A Phryne Fisher Mystery Wayne Grogan – Junkie Pilgrim Gabrielle Lord – Lethal Factor Barry Maitland – The Verge Practice Matthew Reilly – Scarecrow Gregory David Roberts – Shantaram Michael Robotham – The Suspect Steve J. Spears – Murder at the Fortnight Peter Temple – White Dog Lee Tulloch – The Cutting: A Nullin Mystery Robin Wallace-Crabbe – The Forger
Romance Ally Blake – The Wedding Wish Lucy Clark – Englishman at Dingo Creek Barbara Hannay – A Wedding at Windaroo Stephanie Laurens – A Gentleman's Honor Di Morrissey – Barra Creek Candice R. Proctor – Beyond Sunrise Meredith Webber – Outback Encounter
Science Fiction and Fantasy Max Barry – Jennifer Government K. A. Bedford – Orbital Burn K. J. Bishop – The Etched City Russell Blackford – An Evil Hour Trudi Canavan – The High Lord Bill Congreve – Southern Blood: New Australian Tales of the Supernatural Marianne Curley – The Dark Cecilia Dart-Thornton – The Battle of Evernight Sara Douglass – God's Concubine Jennifer Fallon Eye of the Labyrinth Lord of the Shadows Lian Hearn – Grass for His Pillow Ian Irvine – Terminator Gene Victor Kelleher – Born of the Sea Glenda Larke – The Aware Fiona McIntosh – Myrren's Gift Anthony O'Neill – The Lamplighter Kate Orman – Blue Box Tony Shillitoe – Freedom Kim Wilkins – The Autumn Castle Sean Williams and Shane Dix – Heirs of Earth
Drama Mireille Juchau – White Gifts Hannie Rayson – Inheritance Henri Szeps – One Life, Two Journeys David Williamson – Birthrights
Poetry Judith Beveridge – Wolf Notes Laurie Duggan – Mangroves Stephen Edgar – Lost in the Foreground Brook Emery — Misplaced Heart"Misplaced heart : poems / Brook Emery", National Library of Australia. Clive James – The Book of My Enemy : Collected Verse, 1958–2003 John Kinsella – Peripheral Light
Non-fiction Fiona Capp – That Oceanic Feeling Inga Clendinnen – Dancing with Strangers Patricia Crawford and Ian Crawford – Contested Country: A History of the Northcliffe Area David Hollinsworth – They Took the Children Stuart Macintyre and Anna Clark – The History Wars David Marr & Marian Wilkinson – Dark Victory Peter Robb – A Death in Brazil
Biographies Graeme Blundell – King: The Life and Comedy of Graham Kennedy Lorraine Day – Gordon of Dingley Dell: The Life of Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833–1870): Poet and Horseman Edward Duyker – Citizen Labillardiere: A Naturalist's Life in Revolution and Exploration (1755–1834) Greg Growden – The Snowy Baker Story Tom Keneally – Abraham Lincoln Jonathan King – Gallipoli: Our Last Man Standing: The Extraordinary Life of Alec Campbell Garry Linnell – Playing God: The Rise and Fall of Gary Ablett Peter Singer – Pushing Time Away: My Grandfather and the Tragedy of Jewish Vienna Nicholas Thomas – Discoveries: The Voyages of Captain Cook Anne Whitehead – Bluestocking in Patagonia
Awards and honours
Note: these awards were presented in the year in question.
Lifetime achievement Award Author Christopher Brennan Award Philip Salom Patrick White Award Janette Turner Hospital
Literary Award Author Title Publisher The Age Book of the Year Award Sonya Hartnett Of a Boy Viking ALS Gold Medal Kate Jennings Moral Hazard Picador Colin Roderick Award Tom Keneally The Tyrant's Novel Doubleday Nita Kibble Literary Award Gail Jones Black Mirror Picador
Fiction
International Award Category Author Title Publisher Commonwealth Writers' Prize Best Novel, SE Asia and South Pacific region Sonya Hartnett Of a Boy Viking Books
National Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Not awarded The Age Book of the Year Award Sonya Hartnett Of a Boy Viking BooksThe Australian/Vogel Literary Award Nicholas Angel Drown Them in the Sea Allen and Unwin Ruth Balint Troubled Waters Allen and Unwin Miles Franklin Award Alex Miller Journey to the Stone Country Allen & Unwin New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Kate Jennings Moral Hazard Fourth Estate Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Janette Turner Hospital Due Preparations for the Plague HarperCollins Victorian Premier's Literary Award Brian Castro Shanghai Dancing Giramondo Publishing Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Brett D'Arcy The Mindless Ferocity of Sharks Vintage Books
Children and Young Adult
National Award Category Author Title PublisherChildren's Book of the Year Award Older Readers Markus Zusak The Messenger Macmillan Publishers Younger Readers Catherine Bateson Rain May and Captain Daniel University of Queensland Press Picture Book Norman Jorgensen, illus. Brian Harrison-Lever In Flanders Fields Fremantle Arts Centre Press Early Childhood Penny Matthews, illus. Andrew McLean A Year on Our Farm Omnibus BooksNew South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Children's Simon French Where in the World Little Hare Books Young People's Markus Zusak The Messenger Macmillan PublishersQueensland Premier's Literary Awards Children's Catherine Bateson Rain May and Captain Daniel University of Queensland Press Young Adult David Metzenthen Boys of Blood and Bone Penguin Books Victorian Premier's Literary Award Young Adult Fiction Margo Lanagan Black Juice Allen & UnwinWestern Australian Premier's Book Awards Writing for Young Adults Colin Bowles Nights in the Sun Penguin Books Children's Mark Greenwood The Legend of Lasseter's Reef Cygnet Books
Crime and Mystery
National Award Category Author Title PublisherDavitt AwardNovel Gabrielle Lord Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing Hodder Headline Australia Alex Palmer Blood Redemption HarperCollins Readers' Choice Cathy Cole Skin Deep Duffy and Snellgrove Young Adult Novel Natalie Jane Prior Fireworks and Darkness Angus & RobertsonNed Kelly Award Novel Peter Temple White Dog Text Publishing First novel Alex Palmer Blood Redemption HarperCollins True crime Peter Lalor Blood Stain Allen & Unwin Lifetime Achievement Kerry Greenwood
Science fiction Award Category Author Title PublisherAurealis Award Sf Novel Jonathan Blum and Kate Orman Fallen Gods Telos Publishing Sf Short Story Brendan Duffy "Louder Echo" Agog! Terrific Tales Fantasy Novel Garth Nix Abhorsen Allen and Unwin Fantasy Short Story Lucy Sussex "La Sentinelle" Southern Blood: New Australian Tales of the Supernatural Horror Novel Victor Kelleher Born of the Sea Viking Books Horror Short Story Simon Brown "Love is a Stone" Gathering the BonesYoung Adult Novel Garth Nix Abhorsen Allen and Unwin Carole Wilkinson Dragonkeeper Black Dog BooksDitmar Award Novel Sean Williams and Shane Dix Echoes of Earth HarperCollins Short Fiction Deborah Biancotti "King of All and The Metal Sentinel" Agog! Fantastic Fiction Collected Work Cat Sparks ed. Agog! Fantastic Fiction Agog! Press
Poetry Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Not awarded The Age Book of the Year Laurie Duggan Mangroves University of Queensland PressAnne Elder Award Chris Andrews Cut Lunch Indigo Kathryn Lomer Extraction of Arrows University of Queensland Press Grace Leven Prize for Poetry Stephen Edgar Lost in the Foreground Duffy & Snellgrove Mary Gilmore Prize Not awarded New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Jill Jones Screens Jets Heaven: New and Selected Poems Salt Publishing Victorian Premier's Literary Award Emma Lew Anything the Landlord Touches Giramondo Publishing Western Australian Premier's Book Awards John Kinsella Peripheral Light Fremantle Arts Centre Press
Drama Award Author Title Publisher Patrick White Playwrights' Award David Milroy and Ningali Lawford Windmill Baby Currency Press
Non-Fiction Award Category Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Non-Fiction Not awarded The Age Book of the Year Non-Fiction Ann Galbally Charles Condor: The Last Bohemian Miegunyah PressNational Biography Award Biography Peter Rose Rose Boys Allen & Unwin Don Watson Recollections of a Bleeding Heart : a Portrait of Paul Keating PM Random House New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Non-Fiction Mark McKenna Looking for Blackfellas' Point: An Australian History of Place University of New South Wales PressNew South Wales Premier's History Awards Australian History James Bowen and Margarita Bowen The Great Barrier Reef: History, Science,Heritage Cambridge University Press Community and Regional History Erik Eklund Steel Town: The Making and Breaking of Port Kembla Melbourne University Press General History David Garrioch The Making of Revolutionary Paris University of California Press Young People's Alan Tucker My Story: The Bombing of Darwin, The Diary of Tom Taylor Scholastic PressQueensland Premier's Literary Awards Non-fiction Margaret Simons Meeting of the Waters Hachette Australia HistoryRichard Bosworth Mussolini Oxford University Press Victorian Premier's Literary Award Non-fiction Barry Hill Broken Song: T.G.H. Strehlow and Aboriginal Possession Knopf
Deaths 16 March – Susan McGowan, poet (born 1907 in Edinburgh, Scotland) 18 March – Julie Lewis, short story writer (born 1925) 30 March – Nick Enright, playwright and screenwriter (born 1950) 2 April – Joan Phipson, writer for children and young adults (born 1912) 20 April – Bill Wannan, editor (born 1915) 1 May – Stephen Estaban Kelen, dramatist (born 1912 in Budapest, Hungary) 28 June – Clem Christesen, poet and founding editor of Meanjin (born 1911)