This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1983.
Events The judges of the 1983 Miles Franklin Award announced there was no book entered of sufficient merit to receive the award.
Major publications
Novels Brian Castro — Birds of Passage Elizabeth Jolley Miss Peabody's Inheritance Mr Scobie's Riddle Peter Kocan — The Cure Mudrooroo Nyoongah – Doctor Wooreddy's Prescription for Enduring the Ending of the World Kylie Tennant — Tantavallon Morris West — The World Is Made of Glass
Crime and mystery Peter Corris — The Empty Beach Gabrielle Lord — Tooth and Claw Ian Moffitt — The Colour Man
Science fiction and fantasy A. Bertram Chandler — Kelly Country Greg Egan — An Unusual Angle Lee Harding — Waiting for the End of the World George Turner — Yesterday's Men
Short story collections Beverley Farmer — Milk Elizabeth Jolley — Woman in a Lampshade David Malouf — Antipodes
Children's and young adult fiction Pamela Allen — Bertie and the Bear Mem Fox — Possum Magic Patricia Wrightson — A Little Fear
Poetry Geoffrey Lehmann & Robert Gray – The Younger Australian Poets (edited) Les Murray "Flowering Eucalypt in Autumn" The People's Otherworld : Poems "The Quality of Sprawl"
Drama Stephen Sewell — The Blind Giant is Dancing
Non-fiction Russell Braddon Japan Against the World The Other Hundred Years War Mary Durack — Sons in the Saddle Sylvia Lawson — The Archibald Paradox Megan McMurchy, Margot Oliver and Jeni Thornley — For Love or Money, a Pictorial History of Women and Work in Australia Lilith Norman — The brown and yellow: Sydney Girls' High School 1883–1983 Cyril Pearl — The Dunera Scandal: Deported by Mistake Lloyd Robson — A History of Tasmania (Volume 1) Anne Summers — Gamble for Power: How Bob Hawke beat Malcolm Fraser: The 1983 federal election
Awards and honours Member of the Order of Australia (AM) Joyce Nicholson, for "service to literature and the book publishing industry" Lu Rees, for "service to children's literature and the community"
Lifetime achievement Award Author Christopher Brennan Award Bruce Dawe Patrick White Award Marjorie Barnard
Literary awards Award Author Title Publisher The Age Book of the Year Award Elizabeth Jolley Mr Scobie's Riddle Penguin ALS Gold Medal David Malouf Child's Play; Fly Away Peter Penguin Colin Roderick Award Dudley McCarthy Gallipoli to the Somme — The Story of C.E.W. Bean John Ferguson
Fiction Award Author Title Publisher The Age Book of the Year Award Elizabeth Jolley Mr Scobie's Riddle Penguin The Australian/Vogel Literary Award Jenny Summerville Shields of Trell Allen and Unwin Miles Franklin Award No award New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Peter Kocan The Cure Angus & Robertson Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Elizabeth Jolley Mr Scobie's Riddle Penguin Books
Children and Young Adult Award Category Author Title PublisherChildren's Book of the Year Award Older Readers Victor Kelleher Master of the Grove Penguin Books Picture Book Pamela Allen Who Sank the Boat? Nelson BooksNew South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Children's Book Award Pamela Allen Who Sank the Boat? Nelson Books Special Children's Book Award Nadia Wheatley Five Times Dizzy Oxford University Press
Science fiction and fantasy Award Category Author Title Publisher Australian SF Achievement Award Best Australian Science Fiction Terry Dowling "The Man Who Walks Away Behind the Eyes" Omega, May 1982
Poetry
Award Author Title Publisher Anne Elder Award David Brooks The Cold Front Hale and Iremonger Grace Leven Prize for Poetry Peter Porter Collected Poems Oxford University Press New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Vivian Smith Tide Country Angus & Robertson
Drama
Award Author Title Publisher New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Play Nicholas Enright and Terence Clarke Variations Manuscript
Non-fiction Award Author Title Publisher The Age Book of the Year Award L. L. Robson A History of Tasmania : Volume 1. : Van Dieman's Land from the Earliest Times to 1855 Oxford University Press New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Blanche d'Alpuget Robert J. Hawke Schwartz Books
Births A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1983 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death. 2 December — Tara June Winch, writer of Aboriginal and European descent
Deaths A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1983 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth. 20 January — Maie Casey, Baroness Casey, pioneer aviator, poet, librettist, biographer, memoirist and artist (born 1891) 23 January — Lu Rees, bookseller, book collector and children's literature advocate (born 1901) 8 February – Colin Simpson, journalist and travel writer (born 1908) 31 March — Christina Stead, novelist and short-story writer (born 1902) 25 August — Donald Stuart, novelist whose works include stories with Aboriginal backgrounds and a series recounting his experience as a prisoner of war in Burma in World War II (born 1913) 29 September — Alan Moorehead, war correspondent and author of popular histories (born 1910) 5 December — Gavin Greenlees, poet (born 1930)
See also 1983 in Australia 1983 in literature 1983 in poetry List of years in literature List of years in Australian literature
References