1985 in Australian literature
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This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1985.
Events
- Christopher Koch won the 1985 Miles Franklin Award for The Doubleman
Major publications
Novels
- Thea Astley — Beachmasters
- Peter Carey — Illywhacker
- Sumner Locke Elliott — About Tilly Beamis[1]
- David Foster — Dog Rock[2]
- Kate Grenville — Lilian's Story
- Barbara Hanrahan — Annie Magdalene[3]
- Thomas Keneally — A Family Madness
- Christopher Koch — The Doubleman
Short story collections
- David Malouf — Antipodes
- Olga Masters — A Long Time Dying[4]
Crime and mystery
- Peter Corris
- The Big Drop and Other Cliff Hardy Stories
- Make Me Rich
- Pokerface[5]
Children's and young adult fiction
Poetry
- John Blight — Holiday Sea Sonnets[7]
- Robert Gray — Selected Poems 1963-1983
- A. D. Hope — The Age of Reason[8]
- Leonie Kramer and Adrian Mitchell — The Oxford Anthology of Australian Literature[9]
- Chris Wallace-Crabbe — The Amorous Cannibal
- Judith Wright — Phantom Dwelling[10]
Drama
- Janis Balodis – Too Young for Ghosts
- Jack Davis — No Sugar
- Michael Gow — The Astronaut’s Wife[11]
- Louis Nowra — The Golden Age
- David Williamson — Sons of Cain
Non-fiction
- John Bryson — Evil Angels[12]
Awards and honours
- Jack Davis AM, for "service to Aboriginal literature and theatre"[13]
- Frank Moorhouse AM, for "service to Australian literature"[14]
- Morris West AM, for "service to literature"[15]
Lifetime achievement
| Award | Author |
|---|---|
| Christopher Brennan Award[16] | Les Murray |
| Patrick White Award[17] | Judah Waten (posthumous) |
Literary awards
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Age Book of the Year Award[18] | Peter Carey | Illywhacker | University of Queensland Press |
| ALS Gold Medal[19] | David Ireland | Archimedes and the Seagle | Viking Press |
| Colin Roderick Award[20] | John Gunn | The Defeat of Distance : Qantas 1919-1939 | University of Queensland Press |
Fiction awards
Children and Young Adult
| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Book of the Year Award | Older Readers[26] | James Aldridge | The True Story of Lilli Stubeck | Hyland House |
| Picture Book[27] | Not awarded | |||
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[23] | Young People's Literature | Nadia Wheatley | The House that Was Eureka | Penguin |
Science fiction and fantasy
| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian SF Achievement Award[28] | Best Australian Science Fiction | Victor Kelleher | The Beast of Heaven | University of Queensland Press |
Poetry
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anne Elder Award[29] | Stephen J. Williams | A Crowd of Voices | Pariah Press Co-op |
| Grace Leven Prize for Poetry[30] | Robert Gray | Selected Poems 1963-1983 | Angus and Robertson |
| Chris Wallace-Crabbe | The Amorous Cannibal | Oxford University Press | |
| Mary Gilmore Award[31] | Doris Brett | The Truth About Unicorns | Jacaranda Press |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[23] | Kevin Hart | Your Shadow | Angus & Robertson |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Awards[24] | Rosemary Dobson | The Three Fates & Other Poems | Hale & Iremonger |
| Kevin Hart | Your Shadow | Angus & Robertson |
Drama
| Award | Category | Author | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[23] | Script | Bob Ellis and Paul Cox | My First Wife |
| Margaret Kelly, Chris Noonan, Phillip Noyce and Russell Braddon |
The Cowra Breakout | ||
| Play | Stephen Sewell | The Blind Giant is Dancing | |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Awards[24] | Drama | David Allen | Cheapside |
Non-fiction
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Age Book of the Year Award[18] | Chester Eagle | Mapping the Paddocks | McPhee Gribble |
| Hugh Lunn | Vietnam: A Reporter's War | University of Queensland Press | |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[23] | Elsie Webster | The Moon Man | Melbourne University Press |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Awards[24] | Bernard Smith | The Boy Adeodatus : The Portrait of a Lucky Young Bastard | Allen Lane |
Births
A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1985 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.
Unknown date
- Hannah Kent, historical novelist [32]
Deaths
A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1985 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.
- 26 January — Anne Spencer Parry, pioneer fantasy writer (born 1931)[33]
- 14 February — Douglas Stewart, poet, short story writer, essayist and literary editor (born 1913)[34]
- 19 April — John Manifold, poet and critic (born 1915)[35]
- 5 May — Carter Brown, writer of detective fiction (born in England, 1923)[36]
- 18 July — F. B. Vickers, novelist (born 1903)[37]
- 29 July — Judah Waten, novelist (born 1911)[38]
- 11 September — Eleanor Dark, novelist (born 1901)[39]
- 4 November — A. A. Phillips, writer, critic and teacher, best known for coining the term "Cultural Cringe" (born 1900)[40]