This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2012.
Events
edit- 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.[1]
- Five literary figures are named in the Australia Day Honours: Paul Brunton, Stuart Macintyre, Roy Masters, Ros Pesman and Carol Woodrow.[2]
- 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".[3]
- Incoming Premier Campbell Newman cancels the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards.[4]
- In response, a week later, the new Queensland Literary Awards are announced.[5] The awards use a crowd-funding campaign to raise the prize-money for their initial set of awards.[6]
- Sophie Cunningham is appointed as the new head of the Australian Literature Board.[7]
- 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).[8]
- Text Publishing launches its Text Classics line, reprinting Australian literary classics.[9]
- 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.[10]
- The Grace Leven Prize for Poetry was discontinued.[11]
Major publications
editLiterary fiction
edit- Romy Ash – Floundering
- Murray Bail – The Voyage
- Peter Carey – The Chemistry of Tears
- Brian Castro – Street to Street
- 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
Children's and Young Adult fiction
edit- Michael Gerard Bauer – Epic Fail[12]
- Mem Fox
- Jackie French – Pennies for Hitler[13]
- Morris Gleitzman – After[14]
- Sonya Hartnett – Children of the King[15]
- Steven Herrick – Pookie Aleera Is Not My Boyfriend[16]
- Doug MacLeod – The Shiny Guys[17]
- Emily Rodda – The Silver Door[18]
- Carole Wilkinson – Blood Brothers[19]
Science Fiction and Fantasy
edit- John Birmingham – Stalin's Hammer: Rome[20]
- Trudi Canavan – The Traitor Queen
- Greg Egan – The Eternal Flame
- Will Elliott – Nightfall[21]
- Jennifer Fallon – The Dark Divide[22]
- Ian Irvine – Rebellion[23]
- Margo Lanagan – Sea Hearts[24]
- Jaclyn Moriarty – A Corner of White[25]
- Garth Nix – A Confusion of Princes
Crime and Mystery
edit- Jessie Cole – Darkness on the Edge of Town
- Peter Corris – Comeback
- Kathryn Fox – Cold Grave
- Kerry Greenwood – Unnatural Habits
- 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
edit- Rosemary Dobson – Rosemary Dobson: Collected
- Kate Fagan (poet) – 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 ed. – The Quadrant Book of Poetry 2001–2010
- 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
edit- 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
Drama
edit- Ian Meadows – Between Two Waves
- Tee O'Neill – Barassi
Awards and honours
editLifetime achievement
edit| Award | Author |
|---|---|
| Christopher Brennan Award[26] | Tim Thorne |
| Melbourne Prize for Literature[27] | Alex Miller |
| Patrick White Award[28] | Amanda Lohrey |
Literary
edit| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Age Book of the Year[29] | James Boyce | 1835: The Founding of Melbourne & The Conquest of Australia | Black Inc |
| ALS Gold Medal[30] | Gillian Mears | Foal's Bread | Allen & Unwin |
| Colin Roderick Award[31] | Thomas Keneally | The Daughters of Mars | Random House |
| Indie Book Awards Book of the Year[32] | Anna Funder | All That I Am | Penguin Books |
| Nita Kibble Literary Award[33] | Gail Jones | Five Bells | Vintage Books |
| Victorian Prize for Literature[34] | Bill Gammage | The Biggest Estate on Earth | Allen & Unwin |
Fiction
editInternational
edit| Award | Region | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth Book Prize[35] | Pacific | Cory Taylor | Me and Mr Booker | Text Publishing |
National
editChildren and Young Adult
editNational
edit| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children'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 | |
| Davitt Award | Young Adult Novel | Meg McKinley | Surface Tension | Walker Books |
| Indie Book Awards Book of the Year[32] | Children's & YA | Anh Do & Suzanne Do & Bruce Whatley (Illus) | The Little Refugee | Allen & Unwin |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards | Children's | Kate Constable | Crow Country | Allen & Unwin |
| Young People's | Penni Russon | Only Ever Always | Allen & Unwin | |
| Queensland 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[34] | Young Adult Fiction | John Larkin | The Shadow Girl | Random House |
| Western Australian Premier's Book Awards | Children'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
editNational
edit| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davitt Award[43] | 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 Books | |
| Readers' choice | YA Erskine | The Brotherhood | Bantam Books | |
| Jaye Ford | Beyond Fear | Bantam Books | ||
| Ned Kelly Award[44] | 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
edit| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurealis 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. Bishop | |
| Australian 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 Press | |
| Ditmar 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
edit| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature[36] | 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[45] | Elizabeth Allen | Body Language | Vagabond Press |
| Grace Leven Prize for Poetry[46] | 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[47] | Fiona Wright | Knuckled | Giramondo Publishing |
| 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[34] | John Kinsella | Armour | Picador |
| Western Australian Premier's Book Awards | Robert Gray | Cumulus | John Leonard Press |
Drama
edit| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards | Play | 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 Television | |
| Patrick White Playwrights' Award | Award | Anna Barnes | Minus One Sister | Griffin Theatre Company |
| Fellowship | Hilary Bell |
Non-Fiction
edit| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature[36] | Non-fiction | Mark McKenna | An Eye for Eternity: The Life of Manning Clark | Miegunyah Press |
| The Age Book of the Year | Non-fiction | James Boyce | 1835: The Founding of Melbourne & The Conquest of Australia | Black Inc. |
| Children's Book of the Year Award | Eve Pownall Award for Information Books | Alison Lester and Coral Tulloch | One Small Island: The Story of Macquarie Island | Penguin Group |
| Davitt Award | True crime | Liz Porter | Cold Case Files: Past crimes solved by new forensic science | Pan Macmillan |
| National Biography Award[48] | Biography | Martin Thomas | The Many Worlds of R. H. Mathews: In Search of an Australian Anthropologist | Allen & Unwin |
| Indie Book Awards Book of the Year[32] | Non-Fiction | William McInnes & Sarah Watt | Worse Things Happen at Sea | Hachette |
| Prime Minister's Literary Awards | Non-fiction | Mark McKenna | An Eye for Eternity: The Live of Manning Clark | Melbourne University Publishing |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards | Non-fiction | Mark McKenna | An Eye for Eternity: The Live of Manning Clark | Melbourne University Publishing |
| New South Wales Premier's History Awards | Australian History | Russell McGregor | Indifferent Inclusion: Aboriginal People and the Australian Nation | Aboriginal Studies Press |
| Community and Regional History | Deborah Beck | Set in Stone: A History of the Cell Block Theatre | UNSW Press | |
| General History | Tim Bonyhady | Good Living Street: The Fortunes of My Viennese Family | Allen & Unwin | |
| Young People's | Stephanie Owen Reeder | Amazing Grace: An Adventure at Sea | National Library of Australia | |
| Queensland Literary Awards | Non-fiction | Robin De Crespigny | The People Smuggler | Penguin Group |
| History | Bill Gammage | The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia | Allen & Unwin | |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Award[34] | Non-fiction | Bill Gammage | The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia | Allen & Unwin |
| Western Australian Premier's Book Awards | Non-fiction | Roger Averill (author) | Exile: The Lives and Hopes of Werner Pelz | Transit Lounge |
| Western Australian history | edited by Anne Scrimgeour; transcribed and translated by Barbara Hale, Mark Clendon | Kurlumarniny: We come from the Desert | Aboriginal Studies Press |
Deaths
edit- 14 April – Bruce Bennett, literary academic (born 1941)[49]
- 18 June – Don Charlwood, writer (born 1915)[50]
- 24 June – Ralph Elliott, critic and academic (born 1921)[51]
- 27 June –
- Rosemary Dobson, poet (born 1920)[52]
- Peter Steele, poet (born 1939)[53]
- 6 August – Robert Hughes, writer and critic (born 1938)[54]
- 20 September – Robert G. Barrett, novelist (born 1942)[55]
- 14 October – Max Fatchen, writer for children (born 1920)[56]
- 22 November – Bryce Courtenay, novelist (born 1933 in Johannesburg)[57]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ British Honour for Clive James
- ^ Australia Day Honours
- ^ Carey Wins Oxford's Bodley Medal
- ^ Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Cancelled
- ^ Queensland Literary Awards to Proceed Under New Management
- ^ Queensland Literary Awards Funding
- ^ Literature Board's New Head
- ^ Queen's Birthday Honours 2012
- ^ Australian Writers Back in Print
- ^ Literature Lane
- ^ "Toby Fitch's Rawshock wins Grace Leven Poetry Prize". Puncher & Wattmann. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Epic Fail by Michael Gerard Bauer". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "Pennies for Hitler by Jackie French". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "After by Morris Gleitzman". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "Children of the King by Sonya Hartnett". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "Pookie Aleera Is Not My Boyfriend by Steven Herrick". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "The Shiny Guys by Doug MacLeod". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "The Silver Door by Emily Rodda". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "Blood Brothers by Carole Wilkinson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "Stalin's Hammer: Rome by John Birmingham". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ "Nightfall by Will Elliott". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ "The Dark Divide by Jennifer Fallon". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ "Rebellion by Ian Irvine". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ "Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ "A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty". ISFDB. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ ""THORNE, Tim—poetry, 'Running out of Entropy'"". Walleah Press. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ^ "Austlit — Melbourne Prize". Austlit. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ Susan Wyndham (16 November 2012). "Religion shapes winner's prose". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ^ a b Steger, Jason (24 August 2012). "The words that count". The Age. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ^ "Colin Roderick Award — Other Winners". James Cook University. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e ""Indie Book Awards - Winners 2012 & prior"". Australian Independent Booksellers. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "Kibble Literary Award". Australian National University. 9 June 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2012". The Wheeler Centre. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Commonwealth Writers announces regional winners for 2012 prizes". Commonwealth Writers. 21 May 2012. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- ^ a b c "Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature – Past Literary Award Winners". State Library of South Australia. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ ""Austlit – Australian/Vogel Award 2009-2012"". Austlit. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ ""Barbara Jefferis Award"". Australian Society of Authors. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ Nancarrow, Daniel (20 June 2012). "Anna Funder's All That I Am wins Miles Franklin". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ ""Prime Minister's Literary Awards - Shortlist and winners: 2021-2008"". Creative Australia. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ ""Huge power in sparse narratives"". The Age, 20 May 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ ""2012 Winners (Queensland Literary Awards)"". State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ ""LibraryThing: Davitt Awards 2012"". LibraryThing. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Ned Kelly Award Winners 2012 Announced". Readings Books. 29 August 2012. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Austlit — Anne Elder Award (2011-2013)". Austlit. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "Austlit — Grace Leven Poetry prize (2008-2012)". Austlit. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "Mary Gilmore Award". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- ^ "Dr Martin Thomas wins 2012 National Biography Award". Australian National University. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "Bruce Bennett (1941-2012)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ "D. E. Charlwood (1915-2012)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Ralph Elliott (1921-2012)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Rosemary Dobson (1920-2012)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ "Peter Steele (1939-2012)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Robert Hughes (1938-2012)". Austlit. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ "Robert G. Barrett (1942-2012)". Austlit. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ "Max Fatchen (1920-2012)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ "Bryce Courtenay (1933-2012)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 16 February 2024.