This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1944.
Events The Ern Malley literary hoax is conceived when Angry Penguins editor Max Harris publishes the poems of the fictitious poet Ern Malley in the Autumn 1944 edition of his magazine. The poems had been concocted in 1943 by Australian writers James McAuley and Harold Stewart.
Books
Bernard Cronin – The Shadows Mystery Zora Cross – This Hectic Age Zane Grey – Wilderness Trek: A Novel of Australia Nevil Shute – Pastoral Christina Stead – For Love Alone
Short stories
Alan Marshall – "Trees Can Speak" Katharine Susannah Prichard – Potch and Colour
Children's and Young Adult fiction Peg Maltby Peg's Fairy Book Introducing Pip and Pepita
Poetry
Rosemary Dobson – In a Convex Mirror: Poems Geoffrey Dutton – Night Flight and Sunrise E. M. England – Queensland Days : Poems R. D. Fitzgerald – "The Face of the Waters" Mary E. Fullerton – "Emus" William Hart-Smith – "Baiamai's Never-Failing Stream" Nora Kelly – 1940–1942 Will Lawson – Bill the Whaler and Other Verse James McAuley – "The Blue Horses" Ern Malley – The Darkening Ecliptic Ian Mudie – Poets at War: An Anthology of Verse by Australian Servicemen (edited) Elizabeth Riddell – "The Children March" Kenneth Slessor "Beach Burial" One Hundred Poems: 1919–1939 Judith Wright "Bora Ring" "Brother and Sisters" "Bullocky" "Country Town" "For New England" "Remittance Man"
Biography
James Devaney – Shaw Neilson Miles Franklin and Kate Baker – Joseph Furphy: The Legend of a Man and His Book Alan Marshall – These are My People
Awards and honours
Literary
Award Author Title Publisher ALS Gold Medal Not awarded
Births
A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1944 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.
3 January – Blanche d'Alpuget, novelist and biographer 20 January – Caroline Caddy, poet 17 February – Robert Dessaix, novelist and journalist 25 March – Tim Thorne, poet (died 2021) 22 April – Damien Broderick, novelist and journalist (died 2025) 15 May – David Foster, novelist 22 May – John Flanagan, novelist (died 2026) 23 July – Alex Buzo, playwright (died 2006) 27 July – Andrew Burke, poet (died 2023) 25 December – Ross Fitzgerald, novelist and historian 29 December – Gerard Windsor, novelist
Unknown date Bruce Elder, journalist Morag Fraser, journalist and critic
Deaths
A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1944 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.
11 April — James Picot, poet and critic (born 1906) 13 April – Ambrose Pratt, novelist (born 1874) 5 June – Capel Boake, novelist (born 1889) 20 August — C. H. Souter, poet (born 1864) 27 December – Agnes Littlejohn, poet and short story writer (born 1865)
See also 1944 in Australia 1944 in literature 1944 in poetry List of years in Australian literature List of years in literature
References