This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2016.
Events The Mona Brand Award is awarded for the first time.
Major publications Literary fiction Melissa Ashley – The Birdman's Wife Georgia Blain – Between a Wolf and a Dog Don Dennis – The Guns of Muschu Hannah Kent – The Good People Jennifer Maiden – Play with Knives Liane Moriarty – Truly Madly Guilty Ryan O'Neill – Their Brilliant Careers Heather Rose – The Museum of Modern Love Philip Salom – Waiting Graeme Simsion – The Best of Adam Sharp Dominic Smith – The Last Painting of Sara de Vos Josephine Wilson – Extinctions
Children's and young adult fiction Trace Balla – Rockhopping Maxine Beneba Clarke – The Patchwork Bike Georgia Blain – Special John Flanagan – The Battle of Hackham Heath Andy Griffiths The Tree House Fun Book The 78-Storey Treehouse Zana Fraillon – The Bone Sparrow Tania McCartney – Smile/Cry: A Beginner's Book of Feelings Shivaun Plozza – Frankie Richard Roxburgh – Artie and the Grime Wave Claire Zorn – One Would Think the Deep
Crime and mystery Peter Corris – That Empty Feeling Garry Disher – Signal Loss Candice Fox and James Patterson – Never Never Jane Harper – The Dry Emily Maguire – An Isolated Incident Barry Maitland – Slaughter Park Adrian McKinty – Rain Dogs Matthew Reilly – The Four Legendary Kingdoms Jock Serong – The Rules of Backyard Cricket David Whish-Wilson – Old Scores Laura Elizabeth Woollett – The Love of a Bad Man
Science fiction and fantasy
Alison Croggon – The Bone Queen Jay Kristoff – Nevernight Juliet Marillier – Den of Wolves Anthony O'Neill – The Dark Side C. S. Pacat – Kings Rising Lian Hearn – Emperor of the Eight Islands Angela Slatter – Vigil
Poetry Peter Boyle – Ghostspeaking Maxine Beneba Clarke – Carrying the World Brook Emery — Have Been and Are"Have been and are / Brook Emery", TROVE: Books & Libraries. John Kinsella – Drowning in Wheat Berndt Sellheim – Awake at the Wheel Susan Varga – Rupture: Poems 2012–2015
Drama Leah Purcell – The Drover's Wife David Morton – The Wider Earth
Biographies Deng Thiak Adut with Ben McKelvey – Songs of a War Boy: My Story Julia Baird – Victoria: The Queen Jimmy Barnes – Working Class Boy Mark Colvin – Light and Shadow: Memoirs of a Spy's Son Suzanne Falkiner – Mick: A Life of Randolph Stow Stan Grant – Talking to My Country Cory Taylor – Dying: A Memoir
Non-fiction Richard Fidler – Ghost Empire Peter FitzSimons – Victory at Villers-Bretonneux: Why a French town will never forget the Anzacs Clementine Ford – Fight Like A Girl Helen Garner – Everywhere I Look David Hunt – True Girt: The Unauthorised History of Australia Volume 2 Lynne Kelly – The Memory Code Tara Moss – Speaking Out: A 21st Century Handbook For Women and Girls
Awards and honours
Note: these awards were presented in the year in question.
Lifetime achievement
Award Author Mona Brand Award Joanna Murray-Smith Patrick White Award Carmel Bird
Literary
Award Author Title Publisher ALS Gold Medal Brenda Niall Mannix Text Publishing Colin Roderick Award Gail Jones A Guide to Berlin Random House Indie Book Awards Book of the Year Charlotte Wood The Natural Way of Things Allen & Unwin Nita Kibble Literary Award Fiona Wright Small Acts of Disappearance Giramondo Publishing Stella Prize Charlotte Wood The Natural Way of Things Allen & Unwin Victorian Prize for Literature Mary Anne Butler Broken Currency Press
Fiction
National
Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Tamsin Janu Figgy in the World Omnibus Books The Australian/Vogel Literary Award Katherine Brabon The Memory Artist Allen & Unwin Barbara Jefferis Award Peggy Frew Hope Farm Scribe Indie Book Awards Book of the Year – Fiction Charlotte Wood The Natural Way of Things Allen & Unwin Indie Book Awards Book of the Year – Debut Fiction Lucy Treloar Salt Creek Macmillan Miles Franklin Award A. S. Patrić Black Rock White City Transit LoungePrime Minister's Literary Awards Lisa Gorton (joint winner) The Life of Houses Giramondo Charlotte Wood (joint winner) The Natural Way of Things Allen & Unwin New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Merlinda Bobis Locust Girl: A Lovesong Spinifex Press Queensland Literary Awards Georgia Blain Between a Wolf and a Dog Scribe Victorian Premier's Literary Award Mireille Juchau The World Without Us Bloomsbury Publishing Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Joan London The Golden Age Vintage Books Voss Literary Prize Leah Kaminsky The Waiting Room Random House
Children and young adult National
Award Category Author Title PublisherChildren's Book of the Year Award Older Readers Fiona Wood Cloudwish Macmillan Australia Younger Readers Morris Gleitzman Soon Viking Books Picture Book Nadia Wheatley, text Armin Greder, illus. Flight Windy Hollow Books Early Childhood Anna Walker Mr Huff Penguin Random House Indie Book Awards Book of the Year Children's Aaron Blabey The Bad Guys: Episode 1 Scholastic Australia Young Adult Fiona Wood Cloudwish Pan MacMillanNew South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Children's Rebecca Young & Matt Ottley Teacup Scholastic Australia Young People's Alice Pung Laurinda Black Inc. Victorian Premier's Literary Award Young Adult Fiction Marlee Jane Ward Welcome to Orphancorp Xou Pty Ltd
Crime and mystery
National
Award Category Author Title PublisherDavitt Award Novel Emma Viskic Resurrection Bay Echo Publishing Young adult novel Fleur Ferris Risk Random House Children's novel R. A Spratt Friday Barnes, Under Suspicion Random House True crime Alecia Simmonds Wild Man Affirm PressDebut novel Emma Viskic Resurrection Bay Echo Publishing Fleur Ferris Risk Random House Readers' choice Emma Viskic Resurrection Bay Echo PublishingNed Kelly Award Novel Dave Warner Before It Breaks Fremantle Press First novel Emma Viskic Resurrection Bay Echo Publishing True crime Gideon Haigh Certain Admissions Penguin Lifetime achievement Not awarded
Science fiction
Award Category Author Title PublisherAurealis Award Sf Novel Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Gemima: The Illuminae Files 2 Allen & Unwin Sf Short Story Samantha Murray "Of Sight, of Mind, of Heart" Clarkesworld 122 Fantasy Novel Jay Kristoff Nevernight Harper Voyager Fantasy Short Story Thoraiya Dyer "Where the Pelican Builds Her Nest" In Your Face (FableCroft Publishing) Horror Novel Kaaron Warren The Grief Hole IFWG Publishing Australia Horror Short Story TR Napper "Flame Trees" Asimov’s Science Fiction Young Adult Novel Alison Goodman Lady Helen and the Dark Days Pact HarperCollins Publishers Young Adult Short Story Leife Shallcross "Pretty Jennie Greenteeth" Strange Little Girls (Belladonna Publishing)Ditmar Award Novel Lisa L. Hannett Lament for the Afterlife ChiZine Publications Best Novella or Novelette Sean Williams "Of Sorrow and Such" Of Sorrow and Such (Tor.com) Best Short Story Kathleen Jennings "A Hedge of Yellow Roses" Hear Me Roar (Ticonderoga Publications)
Poetry
Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Les Murray Waiting for the Past Black Inc Anne Elder Award John Hawke Aurelia Cordite BooksMary Gilmore Award Benedict Andrews Lens Flare Pitt Street PoetryPrime Minister's Literary Awards Sarah Holland-Batt The Hazards University of Queensland Press New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Joanne Burns brush Giramondo Publishing Queensland Literary Awards David Musgrave Anatomy of Voice GloriaSMH Victorian Premier's Literary Award Alan Loney Crankhandle Cordite Books Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Lucy Dougan The Guardians Giramondo Publishing
Drama
Award Category Author Title Publisher New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Script Cate Shortland Deadline Gallipoli, Episode 4: "The Letter" Matchbox Pictures & Full Clip ProductionsPatrick White Playwrights' Award Award Lewis Treston Hot Tub Sydney Theatre Company Fellowship Andrew Bovell
Non-fiction
Award Category Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Non-Fiction Robert Dessaix What Days Are For Random House Australia Indie Book Awards Book of the Year Non-Fiction Magda Szubanski Reckoning: A Memoir Text Publishing National Biography Award Biography Brenda Niall Mannix Text Publishing New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Non-Fiction Magda Szubanski Reckoning: A Memoir Text PublishingNew South Wales Premier's History Awards Australian History Stuart Macintyre Australia’s Boldest Experiment: War and Reconstruction in the 1940s NewSouth Books Community and Regional History Tanya Evans Fractured Families: Life on the Margins in Colonial New South Wales University of New South Wales Press General History Ann McGrath Illicit Love: Interracial Sex and Marriage in the United States and Australia Nebraska University Press Queensland Literary Awards Non-Fiction Fiona Wright Small Acts of Disappearance: Essays on Hunger Giramondo Victorian Premier's Literary Award Non-fiction Gerald Murnane Something for the Pain Text Publishing
Deaths
31 January – David Lake, science fiction novelist (born 1929 in India) 3 February – Dimitris Tsaloumas, poet (born 1921 in Greece) 6 February – John Patterson, screenwriter, lyricist, playwright and children's author 19 February – Kim Gamble, illustrator of children's books (born 1952) 3 April – Bob Ellis, writer, journalist, filmmaker, and political commentator (born 1942) 20 April – Dame Leonie Judith Kramer, author, editor and academic (born 1924) 16 May – Gillian Mears, short story writer and novelist (born 1964) 5 July – Cory Taylor, writer (born 1955) 15 July – Billy Marshall Stoneking, poet, playwright, filmmaker and teacher (born 1947 in Orlando, Florida) 4 September – Richard Neville, writer and social commentator (born 1941) 8 September – Inga Clendinnen, author and historian (born 1934) 3 October – Narelle Oliver, award-winning children's author-illustrator, artist and print maker (born 1960) 19 November – Margaret Paice, children's writer and illustrator (born 1920) 9 December – Georgia Blain, novelist, journalist and biographer (born 1964) 12 December – Anne Deveson, writer, broadcaster, filmmaker and social commentator (born 1930 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) Shirley Hazzard, novelist, short story writer, and essayist (died in Manhattan, New York)(born 1931)
See also 2016 in Australia 2016 in literature 2016 in poetry List of years in Australian literature 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.