1995 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1995.

Events

Helen Demidenko won the Miles Franklin Award for The Hand That Signed the Paper

Major publications

Novels

Carmel Bird – The White Garden Marshall Browne – The Gilded Cage Bryce Courtenay — The Potato Factory Beverley Farmer — The House in the Light Judith Fox – Bracelet Honeymyrtle Paul Horsfall – The Touchstone Rod Jones — Billy Sunday Thomas Keneally — A River Town Christopher Koch — Highways to a War Amanda Lohrey – Camille's Bread Alex Miller — The Sitters Mandy Sayer — The Cross Kathleen Stewart — Spilt Milk

Crime and mystery Jon Cleary – Winter Chill John Dale — Dark Angel Garry Disher – Port Vila Blues Kerry Greenwood – Ruddy Gore Gabrielle Lord – Bones Barry Maitland — The Malcontenta

Science fiction and fantasy

David Brooks — The House of Balthus Jack Dann — The Memory Cathedral: A Secret History of Leonardo da Vinci Sara Douglass — Battleaxe Greg Egan Axiomatic Distress "Luminous" "A Kidnapping" "Mitochondrial Eve" "Silver Fire" "TAP" "Wang's Carpets" Paul Kidd — Mus of Kerbridge Garth Nix — Sabriel Gillian Rubinstein — Galax-Arena Tony Shillitoe — The Last Wizard

Children's and young adult fiction

Isobelle Carmody — Ashling Brian Caswell — Deucalion Mem Fox — Wombat Divine Sonya Hartnett — Sleeping Dogs Catherine Jinks — Witch Bank John Marsden — The Third Day, The Frost Garth Nix — Sabriel

Poetry

Jordie Albiston — Nervous Arcs Peter Bakowski — In the Human Night J. S. Harry – Selected Poems Dorothy Hewett — Collected Poems 1940–1995 Philip Hodgins — Things Happen Susan Lever — The Oxford Book of Australian Women's Verse (edited) Chris Wallace-Crabbe — Selected Poems : 1956–1994

Drama

Manny Aston — Fossils Joanna Murray-Smith — Honour Louis Nowra The Incorruptible Miss Bosnia David Williamson — Dead White Males

Non-fiction

Timothy Conigrave — Holding the Man Garfield Barwick — A Radical Tory: Garfield Barwick's Reflections and Recollections Helen Garner — The First Stone

Awards and honours

Christopher Koch "for service to Australian literature as a novelist" Alexander Stewart Cockburn "for service to journalism and literature" Bryce Courtenay "for service to advertising and marketing to the community and as an author" Mollie Gillen "for service to genealogy and to Australian historical research" Paul Jennings "for service to children's literature" Frances Margaret McGuire "for service to the community and to literature, particularly through the State Library of South Australia" Walter Richard McVitty "for service to the arts, particularly as educator and publisher of children's literature" Maurice Saxby "for service to children's literature" Gavin Souter "for service to Australian historical literature" Donald Wall "for service to the recorded history of World war II, particularly the history of the 8th Division and the fate of prisoners of war at Sandakan, Northern Borneo" Madeleine Ruby Irene Brunato-Arthur "for service to Australian writers, particularly through the Fellowship of Australian Writers in South Australia"

Lifetime achievement Award Author Christopher Brennan Award Thomas ShapcottRobert Adamson Patrick White Award Elizabeth Riddell

Literary Award Author Title Publisher The Age Book of the Year Award Chris Wallace-Crabbe Selected Poems : 1956–1994 Oxford University Press ALS Gold Medal Helen Demidenko The Hand That Signed the Paper Allen & Unwin Colin Roderick Award Judy Cassab Diaries Random House New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards – Book of the Year David Horton The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia Aboriginal Studies Press Nita Kibble Literary Award Drusilla Modjeska The Orchard Pan Macmillan

Fiction

International

Award Category Author Title PublisherCommonwealth Writers' Prize Best Novel, SE Asia and South Pacific region Tim Winton The Riders Pan Macmillan Best First Novel, SE Asia and South Pacific region Adib Khan Seasonal Adjustments Allen & Unwin Best Overall First Novel Adib Khan Seasonal Adjustments Allen & Unwin

National Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Not awarded The Age Book of the Year Award Rod Jones Billy Sunday Picador The Australian/Vogel Literary Award Richard King Kindling Does for Firewood Allen and Unwin Miles Franklin Award Helen Demidenko The Hand That Signed the Paper Allen and Unwin New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Lily Brett Just Like That Pan Macmillan Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Kate Grenville Dark Places Macmillan Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Simone Lazaroo The World Waiting to be Made Fremantle Arts Centre Press

Poetry

Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Not awarded The Age Book of the Year Award Chris Wallace-Crabbe Selected Poems : 1956–1994 Oxford University Press Anne Elder Award Jennifer Harrison Michelangelo's Prisoners Black Pepper PressGrace Leven Prize for Poetry Kevin Hart New and Selected Poems Angus and Robertson Rhyll McMaster Flying the Coop : New and Selected Poems 1972–1994 Heinemann Jemal Sharah Path of Ghosts: Poems 1986–93 Heinemann Mary Gilmore Award Aileen Kelly Coming Up for Light Pariah Press New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Peter Boyle Coming Home From the World Five Islands Press Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Bruce Beaver Anima and Other Poems University of Queensland Press Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Andrew Taylor Sandstone University of Queensland Press

Children and Young Adult Award Category Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Children's Not awarded Children's Book of the Year Award Older Readers Gillian Rubinstein Foxspell Hyland House Picture Book Gary Crew & Stephen Woolman The Watertower Keystone, Era New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Young People's Literature Jenny Pausacker Mr Enigmatic Reed for Kids Victorian Premier's Prize for Young Adult Fiction Allan Baillie Songman Viking Books Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Children's and YA Glyn Parry Radical Take-offs Allen & Unwin

Science fiction and fantasy Award Category Author Title Publisher Australian SF Achievement Award Best Australian Long Fiction Greg Egan Permutation City Millenium Best Australian Short Fiction Greg Egan "Cocoon" Isaac Asimov's SF Magazine May 1994

Drama

Award Category Author TitleNew South Wales Premier's Literary Awards FilmScript Jane Kennedy, Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch "Playing the Ego Card", FrontlinePlay Michael Gow Sweet Phoebe Hannie Rayson Falling From Grace Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Drama Barry Dickins Remembering Ronald Ryan

Non-fiction Award Author Title Publisher Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Not awarded The Age Book of the Year Award Tim Flannery The Future Eaters New Holland Publishers New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Drusilla Modjeska The Orchard MacMillan Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Brenda Niall Georgiana: A Biography of Georgiana McCrae, Painter, Diarist, Pioneer Melbourne University Press

Deaths A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1995 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

13 January — Max Harris (poet), poet, critic, columnist, commentator, publisher and bookseller (born 1921) 25 January — Margaret Senior, wildlife and children's illustrator and writer (born 1917 in London) 20 March — Russell Braddon, writer of novels, biographies and TV scripts (born 1921) 12 May — John Blight, poet (born 1913) 26 June — John Jefferson Bray, lawyer, judge, academic, university administrator, Crown officer and published poet, (born 1912) 17 July — Robert Close, novelist (died in Majorca, Spain)(born 1903) 7 August — Harold Stewart, poet and oriental scholar (died in Kyoto, Japan)(born 1916) 14 August — Frances Margaret McGuire, writer, biochemist and philanthropist (born 1900) 18 August — Philip Hodgins, poet (born 1959) 5 December — Gwen Harwood, poet and librettist (born 1920)

See also

1995 in Australia 1995 in literature 1995 in poetry List of years in literature List of years in Australian literature

References