This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1959.
Books Nancy Cato – Time, Flow Softly Jon Cleary Back of Sunset Strike Me Lucky with Joy Cleary Eleanor Dark – Lantana Lane David Forrest – The Last Blue Sea Xavier Herbert – Seven Emus Dorothy Hewett – Bobbin Up Barbara Jefferis – Half Angel Eric Lambert – Glory Thrown In Leonard Mann – Andrea Caslin D'Arcy Niland The Big Smoke Gold in the Streets Vance Palmer – The Big Fellow F. J. Thwaites – No Rainbow in the Sky George Turner – Young Man of Talent Arthur Upfield Bony and the Black Virgin (aka The Tom Branch) Journey to the Hangman Morris West – The Devil's Advocate
Short stories Ethel Anderson – The Little Ghosts David Campbell – Flame and Shadow : Selected Stories A. Bertram Chandler "Chance Encounter" "The Man Who Could Not Stop" David Forrest – "That Barambah Mob" Hal Porter "Country Town" "Fiend and Friend" Katharine Susannah Prichard – N'goola and Other Stories Judith Wright — "In the Park"
Children's and Young Adult fiction Eleanor Spence – The Summer in Between Kylie Tennant – All the Proud Tribesmen Norman Barnett Tindale and H. A. Lindsay – Rangatira
Poetry
John Blight – "A Sailor's Grave" David Campbell – "We Took the Storms to Bed" Bruce Dawe "The City : Midnight" "Enter Without So Much as Knocking" Rosemary Dobson "Captain Svenson" "The Edge" R. D. Fitzgerald – "Quayside Meditation" William Hart-Smith – Poems of Discovery Gwen Harwood – "Prize-Giving" Charles Higham – The Earthbound and Other Poems A. D. Hope – "Agony Column" Lionel Lindsay – Discobolus and Other Verse Nan McDonald – The Lighthouse and Other Poems John Manifold – "On the Boundary" David Martin – "Gordon Childe" Ian Mudie – The Blue Crane Elizabeth Riddell "After Lunik Two" "Suburban Song" Douglas Stewart – "Leopard-Skin" Chris Wallace-Crabbe – The Music of Division
Biography Charmian Clift – Peel Me a Lotus Mary Durack – Kings in Grass Castles Errol Flynn – My Wicked, Wicked Ways Ion Idriess – The Tin Scratchers Peter Ryan – Fear Drive My Feet
Children's and Young Adult non-fiction Dale Collins – Anzac Adventure
Awards and honours
Literary Award Author Title Publisher ALS Gold Medal Randolph Stow To the Islands Penguin Books Miles Franklin Award "Vance Palmer Novel Wins Franklin Award", The Canberra Times, 19 March 1960, p1 Vance Palmer The Big Fellow Angus and Robertson
Children and Young Adult Award Category Author Title PublisherChildren's Book of the Year Award"Children's Book of the Year Award Shared" The Canberra Times, 11 July 1959, p11Older Readers Nan Chauncy, illustrated by Geraldine Spence Devil's Hill Oxford University Press John Gunn, illustrated by Brian Keogh Sea Menace Constable Picture Book No award
Poetry Award Author Title Publisher Grace Leven Prize for PoetryAustlit - The Wind at Your Door by R. D. Fitzgerald R. D. Fitzgerald The Wind at Your Door Talkarra Press
Births A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1959 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.
10 January – Gabrielle Carey, writer (died 2023) 28 January – Philip Hodgins, poet (died 1995) 18 May – Sophie Masson, novelist 27 June – Stephen Dedman, writer 13 September – Andy Kissane, poet 13 October – Doug MacLeod, children's writer, poet, screenwriter and playwright (died 2021) 25 November – Merlinda Bobis, writer and academic
Unknown date Jennifer Fallon, novelist Mike Ladd, poet
Deaths A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1959 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.
15 July – Vance Palmer, novelist (born 1885) 14 October – Errol Flynn, author and actor (born 1909)
See also 1959 in Australia 1959 in literature 1959 in poetry List of years in Australian literature List of years in literature
References