This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2009.
Events HarperCollins takes over ABC Books – the publishing arm of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.HarperCollins takes over at ABC Books Caro Llewellyn, resigns as director of the new Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas (now called the Wheeler Centre) in Melbourne before taking up the role. Chrissy Sharp, the Australian general manager of Sadler's Wells Theatre in London, is appointed to take her place.Chapter two in writing centre's quest for leader The Australia-Asia Literary Award, based in Western Australia, is suspended.
Major publications
Literary fiction
Steven Amsterdam – Things We Didn't See Coming Peter Carey – Parrot and Olivier in America Steven Carroll – The Lost Life Brian Castro – The Bath Fugues Nick Cave – The Death of Bunny Munro Tracy Crisp – Black Dust Dancing Deborah Forster – The Book of Emmett Andrea Goldsmith – Reunion Marion Halligan – Valley of Grace Sonya Hartnett – Butterfly Eva Hornung – Dog Boy Katherine Johnson – Pescador's Wake Tom Keneally – The People's Train Kate Legge – The Marriage Club David Malouf – Ransom Alex Miller – Lovesong Jennifer Mills – The Diamond Anchor Liane Moriarty – What Alice Forgot Kristina Olsson – The China Garden Sonia Orchard – The Virtuoso Susan Varga – Headlong
Children's and Young Adult fiction Allan Baille – Krakatoa Lighthouse Alyssa Brugman – Girl Next Door Judith Clarke – The Winds of Heaven Mem Fox Hello, Baby! The Goblin and the Empty Chair Odo Hirsch – Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool Paul Jennings – The Nest Justine Larbalestier – How to Ditch Your Fairy Sophie Masson – The Madman of Venice David Metzenthen – Jarvis 24 Tohby Riddle – The Lucky Ones Lili Wilkinson – Pink Sean Williams – The Scarecrow
Crime and Mystery Robert G. Barrett – High Noon in Nimbin Sydney Bauer – Move to Strike Marshall Browne – The Iron Heart Peter Corris – Deep Water Marianne Delacourt – Sharp Shooter Garry Disher – Blood Moon Kathryn Fox – Blood Born Leah Giarratano – Black Ice Kerry Greenwood – Forbidden Fruit Bronwyn Parry – Dark Country
Romance Michelle Douglas – The Aristocrat and The Single Mom Nicola Marsh – Two Weeks in the Magnate's Bed Katherine Scholes – The Hunter's Wife Maxine Sullivan – Valente's Baby
Science Fiction and Fantasy Trudi Canavan – The Magician's Apprentice Greg Egan Crystal Nights and Other Stories Oceanic Kim Falconer – The Spell of Rosette Pamela Freeman – Full Circle Christopher Green – "Father's Kill" Traci Harding – Being of the Field Deborah Kalin – Shadow Queen Glenda Larke – The Last Stormlord Juliet Marillier – Heart's Blood Ian McHugh – "Once a Month, On a Sunday" K. J. Taylor – The Dark Griffin Sean Williams – The Grand Conjunction
Drama Angela Betzien – The Dark Room Matt Cameron & Tim Finn – Poor Boy Joanna Murray-Smith – Rockabye Richard Tulloch – The Book of Everything David Williamson – Let the Sunshine
Poetry Emily Ballou – The Darwin Poems Judith Beveridge – Storm and Honey Emma Jones – The Striped World Jennifer Maiden – Pirate Rain Geoff Page – 60 Classic Australian Poems Dorothy Porter – The Bee Hut Peter Porter – Better Than God
Biographies Roger Averill – Boy He Cry: An Island Odyssey Stephen Cummings – Will It Be Funny Tomorrow, Billy?: Misadventures in Music Jacqueline Kent – The Making of Julia Gillard Harry M. Miller with Peter Holder – Harry M Miller: Confessions of a Not-So-Secret Agent Don Walker – Shots Jonathon Welch – Choir Man Shirley Walker – The Ghost at the Wedding George Whaley – Leo 'Rumpole' McKern: An Accidental Actor Kristin Williamson – David Williamson: Behind the Scenes
Awards and honours
Lifetime achievement Award Author Christopher Brennan Award Jennifer Strauss Melbourne Prize for Literature Gerald Murnane Patrick White Award Beverley Farmer
Literary Award Author Title Publisher The Age Book of the Year Steven Amsterdam Things We Didn't See Coming Sleepers Publishing ALS Gold Medal Christos Tsiolkas The Slap Allen & UnwinColin Roderick Award Graham Freudenberg Churchill and Australia Pan Macmillan James Boyce Van Diemen's Land Black Inc Indie Book Awards Book of the Year Craig Silvey Jasper Jones Allen & Unwin Nita Kibble Literary Award Jacqueline Kent An Exacting Heart: The Story of Hephzibah Menuhin Viking
Fiction
International Award Region Category Author Title PublisherCommonwealth Writers' Prize SE Asia and South Pacific Best Novel Christos Tsiolkas The Slap Allen & Unwin Overall winner Best Novel Christos Tsiolkas The Slap Allen & Unwin
National Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Not awarded The Age Book of the Year Award Steven Amsterdam Things We Didn't See Coming Sleepers PublishingThe Australian/Vogel Literary Award Lisa Lang Utopian Man Allen & Unwin Kristel Thornell Night Street Allen & Unwin Barbara Jefferis Award Helen Garner The Spare Room Text Publishing Indie Book Awards Book of the Year – Fiction Craig Silvey Jasper Jones Allen & Unwin Indie Book Awards Book of the Year – Debut Fiction Sonia Orchard The Virtuoso Fourth Estate Miles Franklin Award Tim Winton Breath Random House Prime Minister's Literary Award Nam Le The Boat Hamish Hamilton New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Joan London The Good Parents Hamish Hamilton Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Richard Flanagan Wanting Random House Victorian Premier's Literary Award Christos Tsiolkas The Slap Allen & Unwin Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Craig Silvey Jasper Jones Allen & Unwin J. M. Coetzee Summertime Harvill Secker
Children and Young Adult National Award Category Author Title PublisherChildren's Book of the Year Award Older Readers Shaun Tan Tales from Outer Suburbia Allen & Unwin Younger Readers Glenda Millard, illus. Stephen Michael King Perry Angel's Suitcase ABC Books Picture Book Kylie Dunstan Collecting Colour Lothian Early Childhood Bob Graham How to Heal a Broken Wing Walker Books Davitt Award Young Adult Novel Catherine Jinks Genius Squad Allen & Unwin Indie Book Awards Book of the Year Children's & YA Sally Murphy & Heather Potter (Illus) Pearl Verses The World Walker BooksNew South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Children's Ursula Dubosarsky and Tohby Riddle The Word Spy Penguin Young People's Michelle Cooper A Brief History of Montmaray Random House AustraliaQueensland Premier's Literary Awards Children's Gaye Chapman Little Blue Little Hare Books Young Adult Glenda Millard A Small Free Kiss in the Dark Allen & Unwin South Australian Premier's Awards Children's Not awarded Victorian Premier's Literary Award Young Adult Fiction Sue Saliba Something in the World Called Love PenguinWestern Australian Premier's Book Awards Children's Bob Graham How to Heal a Broken Wing Walker Books Writing for Young Adults Shaun Tan Tales from Outer Suburbia Allen & Unwin
Crime and Mystery
National Award Category Author Title PublisherDavitt Award Novel Malla Nunn A Beautiful Place to Die Pan Macmillan Young adult novel Catherine Jinks Genius Squad Allen & Unwin True crime Chloe Hooper The Tall Man Penguin Readers' choice Katherine Howell The Darkest Hour Pan MacmillanNed Kelly AwardNovel Peter Corris Deep Water Allen & Unwin Kel Robertson Smoke and Mirrors Ginninderra Press First novel Nick Gadd Ghostlines Scribe True crime Chloe Hooper The Tall Man Penguin Lifetime achievement Shane Maloney
Science Fiction and Fantasy
International Award Category Author Title Publisher World Fantasy Award Best Novel Margo Lanagan Tender Morsels Knopf
National Award Category Author Title PublisherAurealis Award SF Novel Andrew McGahan Wonders of a Godless World Allen & Unwin SF Short Story Peter M. Ball "Clockwork, Patchwork and Ravens" Apex Magazine Fantasy Novel Trudi Canavan The Magician's Apprentice Orbit BooksFantasy Short Story Christopher Green "Father's Kill" Beneath Ceaseless Skies Ian McHugh "Once a Month, On a Sunday" Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine Horror Novel Honey Brown Red Queen Penguin BooksHorror Short Story Paul Haines "Slice of Life – A Spot of Liver" The Mayne Press Paul Haines "Wives" Coeur de Lion Publishing (X6)Ditmar Award Novel Margo Lanagan Tender Morsels Allen & Unwin Novella/Novelette Kirstyn McDermott "Painlessness" Greatest Uncommon Denominator Short Story Margo Lanagan "The Goosle" The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy Collected Work ed. Jack Dann Dreaming Again Voyager Shadows Award Kaaron Warren Slights Angry Robot
Poetry Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Not awarded The Age Book of the Year Peter Porter Better Than God Picador Anne Elder Award Emma Jones The Striped World Faber and Faber Grace Leven Prize for Poetry Not awarded Mary Gilmore Prize Not awarded New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards L. K. Holt Man Wolf Man John Leonard Press Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Emma Jones The Striped World Faber and Faber Victorian Premier's Literary Award Robert Adamson The Golden Bird Black Inc. Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Kate Middleton Fire Season Giramondo Publishing
Drama Award Author Title Publisher Patrick White Playwrights' Award Ian Wilding Forever Seven
Non-Fiction Award Category Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Non-Fiction Not awarded The Age Book of the Year Non-fiction Guy Rundle Down to the Crossroads Penguin Books Indie Book Awards Book of the Year Non-Fiction Chloe Hooper The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island Hamish Hamilton Children's Book of the Year Award Eve Pownall Award for Information Books Lincoln Hall Alive in the Death Zone Random House Davitt Award True crime Chloe Hooper The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island Hamish Hamilton National Biography Award Biography Ann Blainey I Am Melba Black Inc.Prime Minister's Literary AwardsNon-fiction Evelyn Juers House of Exile: The Life and Times of Heinrich Mann and Nelly-Kroeger Mann Giramondo Publishing Marilyn Lake and Henry Reynolds Drawing the Global Colour Line Melbourne University Press New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Non-fiction Chloe Hooper The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island Hamish HamiltonNew South Wales Premier's History Awards Australian HistoryRobin Gerster Travels in Atomic Sunshine: Australia and the Occupation of Japan Scribe Community and Regional History David Bollen Up on the Hill: A History of St Patrick's College UNSW Press General HistoryWarwick Anderson The Collectors of Lost Souls: Turning Kuru Scientists into Whitemen Johns Hopkins University Press Young People'sAnthony Hill Captain Cook's Apprentice Penguin BooksQueensland Premier's Literary Awards Non-fiction Chloe Hooper The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island Hamish Hamilton HistoryJill Roe Stella Miles Franklin Fourth Estate Victorian Premier's Literary Award Non-fiction Chloe Hooper The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island Hamish HamiltonWestern Australian Premier's Book Awards Non-fiction Iain McCalman Darwin's Armada W.W. Norton Western Australian history Penelope Hetherington Paupers, Poor Relief & Poor Houses UWA Publishing
Deaths 14 January – Val Vallis, poet (born 1916) 3 June – Geoffrey C. Bingham, theological and short story writer (born 1919) 3 July – Frank Devine, journalist (born 1931) 6 September – Catherine Gaskin, author (born 1929 in Ireland) 8 September – Rica Erickson, botanical and historical writer (born 1908) 24 November – John West, poet (born 1951)
See also 2009 in Australia 2009 in literature 2009 in poetry List of years in literature List of Australian literary awards
References
Note: all references relating to awards can, or should be, found on the relevant award's page.