This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2012.
Events Clive James is made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for "services to literature and the media" in the Queen Elizabeth II's New Year Honours List.British Honour for Clive James Five literary figures are named in the Australia Day Honours: Paul Brunton, Stuart Macintyre, Roy Masters, Ros Pesman and Carol Woodrow.Australia Day Honours Peter Carey is the recipient of the Bodleian Libraries' 2012 Bodley Medal. The medal is awarded by the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford "to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the worlds in which the Bodleian is active: literature, culture, science, and communication".Carey Wins Oxford's Bodley Medal Incoming Premier Campbell Newman cancels the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards.Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Cancelled In response, a week later, the new Queensland Literary Awards are announced.Queensland Literary Awards to Proceed Under New Management The awards use a crowd-funding campaign to raise the prize-money for their initial set of awards.Queensland Literary Awards Funding Sophie Cunningham is appointed as the new head of the Australian Literature Board.Literature Board's New Head In the Queen's Birthday Honours, Peter Carey, Barbara Blackman, Rolf Harris, and Liz Jones were appointed Officers of the Order of Australia (AO), Grahame Bond and Peter Steele were appointed Members of the Order of Australia (AM), and Peter Singer was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).Queen's Birthday Honours 2012 Text Publishing launches its Text Classics line, reprinting Australian literary classics.Australian Writers Back in Print Melbourne City Council unveils "Literature Lane", a small laneway off Little LaTrobe Street near the State Library of Victoria, in recognition of Melbourne's status as a UNESCO City of Literature.Literature Lane The Grace Leven Prize for Poetry was discontinued.
Major publications
Literary fiction Romy Ash – Floundering Murray Bail – The Voyage Peter Carey – The Chemistry of Tears Brian Castro – Street to Street Courtney Collins – The Burial Michelle de Kretser – Questions of Travel Annah Faulkner – The Beloved Susan Johnson – My Hundred Lovers Toni Jordan – Nine Days Tom Keneally – The Daughters of Mars Christopher Koch – Lost Voices Drusilla Modjeska – The Mountain Stephanie Radok – An Opening: twelve love stories about art Graeme Simsion – The Rosie Project M. L. Stedman – The Light Between Oceans Carrie Tiffany – Mateship with Birds Patrick White – The Hanging Garden Sue Woolfe – The Oldest Song in the World
Short stories Cate Kennedy – Like a House on Fire
Children's and Young Adult fiction Michael Gerard Bauer – Epic Fail Mem Fox Good Night, Sleep Tight Tell Me About Your Day Today Two Little Monkeys Jackie French – Pennies for Hitler Morris Gleitzman – After Sonya Hartnett – Children of the King Steven Herrick – Pookie Aleera Is Not My Boyfriend Doug MacLeod – The Shiny Guys Emily Rodda – The Silver Door Carole Wilkinson – Blood Brothers
Science Fiction and Fantasy John Birmingham – Stalin's Hammer: Rome Trudi Canavan – The Traitor Queen Greg Egan – The Eternal Flame Will Elliott – Nightfall Jennifer Fallon – The Dark Divide Ian Irvine – Rebellion Margo Lanagan – Sea Hearts Jaclyn Moriarty – A Corner of White Garth Nix – A Confusion of Princes
Crime and Mystery Jessie Cole – Darkness on the Edge of Town Peter Corris – Comeback Kathryn Fox – Cold Grave Kerry Greenwood – Unnatural Habits Maggie Groff – Mad Men, Bad Girls and the Guerilla Knitters Institute Katherine Howell – Silent Fear L. A. Larkin – Thirst Gabrielle Lord – Death by Beauty Zane Lovitt – The Midnight Promise Colleen McCullough – The Prodigal Son Geoffrey McGeachin – Blackwattle Creek Adrian McKinty – The Cold, Cold Ground Tara Moss – Assassin Malla Nunn – Silent Valley Michael Robotham – Say You're Sorry
Poetry Rosemary Dobson – Collected Brook Emery — Collusion"Collusion / Brook Emery", National Library of Australia. Kate Fagan – First Light Robert Gray – Cumulus: Collected Poems John Kinsella – Jam Tree Gully: Poems Kate Lilley – Ladylike Rhyll McMaster – Late Night Shopping Jennifer Maiden – Liquid Nitrogen Les Murray The Best 100 Poems of Les Murray The Quadrant Book of Poetry 2001–2010 (edited) John Shaw Neilson – Collected Verse of John Shaw Neilson Peter Rose – Crimson Crop Randolph Stow – The Land's Meaning: New Selected Poems (edited by John Kinsella) John Tranter ed. – The Best Australian Poems 2012
Biography John Bailey – Into the Unknown: The Tormented Life and Expeditions of Ludwig Leichhardt Daryl Dellora – Michael Kirby: Law, Love and Life Gideon Haigh – On Warne Jenny Hocking – Gough Whitlam: His Time: Volume 2 J. C. Kannemeyer – J. M. Coetzee: A Life in Writing Malcolm Knox – Bradman's War: How the 1948 Invincibles Turned the Cricket Pitch into a Battlefield Mungo MacCallum – The Good, the Bad and the Unlikely: Australia's Prime Ministers David McKnight – Rupert Murdoch: An Investigation of Political Power Brenda Niall – True North: The Story of Mary and Elizabeth Durack
Non-fiction Kerry Greenwood – Tamam Shud: The Somerton Man Mystery
Drama Ian Meadows – Between Two Waves Tee O'Neill – Barassi
Awards and honours
Lifetime achievement Award Author Christopher Brennan Award Tim Thorne Melbourne Prize for Literature Alex Miller Patrick White Award Amanda Lohrey
Literary
Award Author Title Publisher The Age Book of the Year James Boyce 1835: The Founding of Melbourne & The Conquest of Australia Black Inc ALS Gold Medal Gillian Mears Foal's Bread Allen & Unwin Colin Roderick Award Thomas Keneally The Daughters of Mars Random House Indie Book Awards Book of the Year Anna Funder All That I Am Penguin Books Nita Kibble Literary Award Gail Jones Five Bells Vintage Books Victorian Prize for Literature Bill Gammage The Biggest Estate on Earth Allen & Unwin
Fiction International Award Region Author Title Publisher Commonwealth Book Prize Pacific Cory Taylor Me and Mr Booker Text Publishing
National Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Kim Scott That Deadman Dance Picador The Age Book of the Year Award Gillian Mears Foal's Bread Allen & Unwin The Australian/Vogel Literary Award Paul D. Carter Eleven Seasons Allen & Unwin Barbara Jefferis Award Anna Funder All That I Am Penguin Books Indie Book Awards Book of the Year – Fiction Elliot Perlman The Street Sweeper Vintage Books Indie Book Awards Book of the Year – Debut Fiction Anna Funder All That I Am Penguin Books Miles Franklin Award Anna Funder All That I Am Penguin Books Prime Minister's Literary Awards Gillian Mears Foal's Bread Allen & Unwin New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Kim Scott That Deadman Dance Picador Queensland Literary Awards Frank Moorhouse Cold Light Vintage Australia Victorian Premier's Literary Award Gillian Mears Foal's Bread Allen & Unwin Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Michelle de Kretser Questions of Travel Allen & Unwin
Children and Young Adult
National Award Category Author Title PublisherChildren's Book of the Year Award Older Readers Scott Gardner The Dead I Know Allen & Unwin Younger Readers Kate Constable Crow Country Allen & Unwin Picture Book Bob Graham A Bus Called Heaven Walker Books Early Childhood Nick Bland, illus. Freya Blackwood Maudie Bear Scholastic Press Indie Book Awards Book of the Year Children's & YA Anh Do & Suzanne Do & Bruce Whatley (Illus) The Little Refugee Allen & UnwinNew South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Children's Kate Constable Crow Country Allen & Unwin Young People's Penni Russon Only Ever Always Allen & UnwinQueensland Literary Awards Children's Briony Stewart Kumiko and the Shadow Catchers University of Queensland Press Young Adult Neil Grant The Ink Bridge Allen & Unwin Victorian Premier's Literary Award Young Adult FictionJohn Larkin The Shadow Girl Random HouseWestern Australian Premier's Book AwardsChildren's Stephen Herrick Pookie Aleera Is Not My Boyfriend University of Queensland Press Peter Macinnis Australian Backyard Naturalist National Library of Australia Writing for Young Adults Margo Lanagan Sea Hearts Allen and Unwin
Crime and Mystery
National Award Category Author Title PublisherDavitt Award Novel Sulari Gentill A Decline in Prophets Pantera Press Young adult novel Meg McKinlay Surface Tension Walker Books True crime Liz Porter Cold Case Files: Past Crimes Solved by New Forensic Science Pan Macmillan Debut novel Jaye Ford Beyond Fear Bantam BooksReaders' choice YA Erskine The Brotherhood Bantam Books Jaye Ford Beyond Fear Bantam BooksNed Kelly Award Novel J. C. Burke Pig Boy Random House Australia First novel Peter Twohig The Cartographer Fourth Estate True crime Eamonn Duff Sins of the Father: The Untold Story Behind Schapelle Corby's Ill-Fated Drug Run Allen & Unwin Life achievement Gabrielle Lord
Science fiction Award Category Author Title PublisherAurealis Award SF Novel Daniel O'Malley The Rook HarperCollins SF Short Story Margo Lanagan "Significant Dust" Twelfth Planet Press (Cracklescape) Fantasy Novel Margo Lanagan Sea Hearts Allen & Unwin Fantasy Short Story Margo Lanagan "Bajazzle" Twelfth Planet Press (Cracklescape) Horror Novel Kirstyn McDermott Perfections Xuom Horror Short Story Kaaron Warren "Sky" Twelfth Planet Press (Through Splintered Walls) Anthology Jonathan Strahan The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of the Year Volume 6 Night Shade Books Collection K. J. Bishop That Book Your Mad Ancestor Wrote K. J. BishopAustralian Shadows Awards Novel Kirstyn McDermott Perfections Xoum Long Fiction Kaaron Warren "Sky" Through Splintered Walls: A Twelve Planets Collection edited by Alisa Krasnostein Short Fiction Martin J. Livings "Birthday Suit" Living with the Dead by Martin J. Livings Edited Publication Craig Bezant, editor Surviving The End Dark Prints Press Collected Works Kaaron Warren Through Splintered Walls: A Twelve Planets Collection Twelfth Planet PressDitmar Award Novel Kim Westwood The Courier's New Bicycle HarperVoyager Novella/Novelette Paul Haines "The Past is a Bridge Best Left Burnt" The Last Days of Kali Yuga Short Story Tansy Rayner Roberts "The Patrician" Love and Romanpunk Collected Work Paul Haines The Last Days of Kali Yuga Brimstone
Poetry Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Les Murray Taller When Prone Black Inc Publishing The Age Book of the Year Mal McKimmie The Brokenness Sonnets I-III And Other Poems Five Islands Press Anne Elder Award Elizabeth Allen Body Language Vagabond PressGrace Leven Prize for Poetry Toby Fitch Rawshock Puncher and Wattmann Michael Brennan Autoethnographic Giramondo Publishing Laurie Duggan The Collected Blue Hills Puncher and Wattmann John Kinsella Jaguar's Dream Alma Books Michael Sharkey Another Fine Morning in Paradise Five Island Press Mary Gilmore Prize Fiona Wright Knuckled Giramondo PublishingPrime Minister's Literary Awards Luke Davies Interferon Psalms Allen and Unwin New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Gig Ryan New and Selected Poems Giramondo Publishing Queensland Literary Awards Peter Rose Crimson Crop UWA Publishing Victorian Premier's Literary Award John Kinsella Armour Picador Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Robert Gray Cumulus John Leonard Press
Drama Award Category Author Title PublisherNew South Wales Premier's Literary AwardsPlay Joanna Murray-Smith The Gift Melbourne Theatre Company Vanessa Bates Porn.Cake Beckett Theatre, Melbourne Script Peter Duncan Rake (Episode 1): "R v Murray" ABC TelevisionPatrick White Playwrights' Award Award Anna Barnes Minus One Sister Griffin Theatre Company Fellowship Hilary Bell
Non-Fiction