1997 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1997.

Events

David Foster won the Miles Franklin Award for The Glade Within the Grove

Major publications

Novels

John Birmingham — The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco James Bradley — Wrack Peter Carey — Jack Maggs J. M. Coetzee — Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life Marele Day — Lambs of God Luke Davies — Candy Delia Falconer — The Service of Clouds Richard Flanagan — The Sound of One Hand Clapping Elizabeth Jolley — Lovesong Rod Jones — Nightpictures Melissa Lucashenko — Steam Pigs Colleen McCullough — Caesar Madeleine St John — The Essence of the Thing Tim Winton — Blueback Alexis Wright — Plains of Promise

Children's and young adult fiction

Damien Broderick and Rory Barnes — Zones Kim Caraher — Up a Gum Tree Isobelle Carmody Darkfall Greylands Gary Crew and Michael O'Hara — The Blue Feather Sonya Hartnett — Princes Catherine Jinks — Eye to Eye Garth Nix — Shade's Children Sarah Walker — The Year of Freaking Out Tim Winton — Lockie Leonard, Legend

Science fiction and fantasy

Damien Broderick — The White Abacus Damien Broderick & David G. Hartwell (edited) — Centaurus: The Best of Australian Science Fiction Sara Douglass Sinner Threshold Greg Egan Diaspora "Reasons to Be Cheerful" Kim Wilkins — The Infernal

Crime

Jon Cleary — A Different Turf Peter Corris The Reward The Washington Club Garry Disher — Fallout Kerry Greenwood — Raisins and Almonds

Poetry

Peter Boyle — The Blue Cloud of Crying Alison Croggon — The Blue Gate Philip Hodgins — Selected Poems Coral Hull – Broken Land Jill Jones — The Book of Possibilities Emma Lew — The Wild Reply Rhyll McMaster — Chemical Bodies: A diary of probable events, 1994–1997 Peter Porter – Dragons in Their Pleasant Palaces Fay Zwicky — The Gatekeeper's Wife

Drama

Hilary Bell — Wolf Lullaby Leah Purcell and Scott Rankin — Box the Pony David Williamson — After the Ball

Non-fiction

Mark Raphael Baker — The Fiftieth Gate Barbara Blackman — Glass after Glass Lynne Hume — Witchcraft and Paganism in Australia Roberta Sykes — Snake Cradle

Awards and honours

Morris West "for service to literature" Barbara Buick "for service to women, particularly through Equal Employment Opportunity Tribunal in Western Australia and to librarianship and publishing, particularly through the promotion of children's literature" Ken Goodwin (academic) "for service to literature, art administration and education" Manfred Jurgensen "for service to literature as a novelist, poet and critic, and as founder of the journal Outrider" Edna Laing "for service to the arts and literature through the Creativity Centre, Brisbane" Rodney Lumer "for service to the arts through the promotion and publication of works by Australian playwrights" Sydney John Trigellis-Smith "for service to military history as a researcher, author and publisher of several unit histories of campaigns of World War II" Albert Ullin "for service to the promotion of children's literature in Australia and overseas"

Lifetime achievement Award Author Christopher Brennan Award Not awarded Patrick White Award Vivian Smith

Literary Award Author Title Publisher The Age Book of the Year Award Peter Carey Jack Maggs University of Queensland Press ALS Gold Medal Robert Dessaix Night Letters Macmillan Books Colin Roderick Award Peter Edwards A Nation at War Allen & Unwin Nita Kibble Literary Award Helen Garner True Stories: Selected Non-Fiction Text Publishing

Fiction

International

Award Category Author Title Publisher Commonwealth Writers' Prize Best Novel, SE Asia and South Pacific region Sue Woolfe Leaning Towards Infinity Random House

National Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Not awarded The Age Book of the Year Award Peter Carey Jack Maggs University of Queensland Press The Australian/Vogel Literary Award Eva Sallis Hiam Allen and Unwin Kathleen Mitchell Award Not awarded Miles Franklin Award David Foster The Glade Within the Grove Vintage New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Robert Drewe The Drowner Pan Macmillan Australia Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Robert Drewe The Drowner Pan Macmillan AustraliaWestern Australian Premier's Book Awards Robert Drewe The Drowner Pan Macmillan Australia Gail Jones Fetish Lives Fremantle Arts Centre Press

Crime and Mystery

National Award Category Author Title PublisherNed Kelly Award Novel Shane Maloney The Brush-Off Text PublishingFirst novel Peter Temple Bad Debts HarperCollins Peter Doyle Get Rich Quick Mandarin Publishing Lifetime Achievement Alan Yates

Children and Young Adult Award Category Author Title PublisherChildren's Book of the Year Award Older Readers James Moloney A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove University of Queensland Press Picture Book Elizabeth Honey Not a Nibble! Little Ark New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Young People's Literature Junko Morimoto The Two Bullies Random House Australia Victorian Premier's Prize for Young Adult Fiction Catherine Jinks Pagan's Scribe Omnibus Books

Science fiction and fantasy Award Category Author Title PublisherAurealis Award Sf Novel Sean Williams Metal Fatigue HarperCollins Publishers Sf Short Story Leanne Frahm "Borderline" BorderlineFantasy Novel Sara Douglass Enchanter and StarMan (The Axis Trilogy) HarperCollins Publishers Jack Dann The Memory Cathedral Bantam Books Fantasy Short Story Russell Blackford "The Sword of God" Dream Weavers Horror Novel Not awarded Horror Short Story Sean Williams "Passing the Bone" Eidolon #20, Summer 1996Young Adult Novel Kerry Greenwood The Broken Wheel HarperCollins Publishers Hilary Bell Mirror, Mirror Hodder Headline Young Adult Short Story Isobelle Carmody "Green Monkey Dreams" Green Monkey Dreams Australian SF Achievement Award Best Australian Long Fiction Lucy Sussex The Scarlet Rider Tor/Forge Best Australian Short Fiction Russell Blackford "The Sword of God" Dream Weavers

Poetry

Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Not awarded The Age Book of the Year Award Emma Lew The Wild Reply Black Pepper Peter Porter Dragons in Their Pleasant Palaces Oxford University Press Anne Elder Award Morgan Yasbincek Night Reversing Fremantle Arts Centre Press Grace Leven Prize for Poetry Geoffrey Lehmann Collected Poems Heinemann Mary Gilmore Award Morgan Yasbincek Night Reversing Fremantle Arts Centre Press New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Anthony Lawrence The Viewfinder University of Queensland Press Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Les Murray Subhuman Redneck Poems Duffy and Snellgrove Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Alec Choate The Wheels of Hama: Collected War Poems Victor Publishing

Drama

Award Category Author TitleNew South Wales Premier's Literary Awards FilmScript Trevor Graham Mabo: Life of an Island Man Play Michael Gurr Jerusalem Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Drama Michael Gurr Jerusalem

Non-fiction Award Category Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Not awarded The Age Book of the Year Award Non-Fiction Roberta Sykes Snake Cradle Allen and UnwinNational Biography Award Biography Not awarded New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Non-Fiction Alan Atkinson The Europeans in Australia: A History, Volume One Oxford University Press Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Non-Fiction Peter Robb Midnight in Sicily Duffy and Snellgrove

Deaths A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1997 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

14 February — Marian Eldridge, short story writer, poet and book reviewer (born 1936) 16 February — Gilbert Mant, journalist and writer (born 1902) 8 March — Rupert Lockwood, journalist and author (born 1908) 14 April — Kit Denton, writer and broadcaster (born 1928) 8 June — George Turner, writer and critic, best known for science fiction novels (born 1916) 11 June — Jill Neville, novelist, playwright and poet (born 1932) 16 June — Dal Stivens, novelist and short story writer (born 1911) 19 June — David Denholm, author and historian who published fiction under the pseudonym David Forrest and history under his own name (born 1924) 1 July — David Martin, novelist, poet, playwright, journalist, editor, literary reviewer and lecturer (born 1915) 2 August — Joyce Dingwell, writer of more than 80 romance novels for Mills & Boon from 1931 to 1986, who also wrote under the pseudonym of Kate Starr (born 1909)

Unknown date

Roger Bennett, actor and playwright (born 1948)

See also

1997 in Australia 1997 in literature 1997 in poetry List of years in literature List of years in Australian literature

References