This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1959.

Books

* Nancy Cato – ''Time, Flow Softly'' *

Jon Cleary Jon Stephen Cleary (22 November 191719 July 2010) was an Australian writer and novelist. He wrote numerous books, including '' The Sundowners'' (1951), a portrait of a rural family in the 1920s as they move from one job to the next, and '' The ...

** ''

Back of Sunset ''Back of Sunset'' is a 1959 Australian novel from Jon Cleary. Premise It is about Dr Stephen McCabe, Sydney doctor who takes a working holiday with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Western Australia. When the doctor who runs the practice is in ...

'' ** ''

Strike Me Lucky ''Strike Me Lucky'' is a 1934 Australian comedy musical film starring popular stage comic Roy Rene in his first and only film. It was the fourth feature film from Cinesound Productions but proved a box office disappointment. Director Ken G. Hall s ...

'' with Joy Cleary *

Eleanor Dark Eleanor Dark AO (26 August 190111 September 1985) was an Australian writer whose novels included '' Prelude to Christopher'' (1934) and '' Return to Coolami'' (1936), both winners of the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal for literature, ...

– ''Lantana Lane'' * David Forrest – ''The Last Blue Sea'' *

Xavier Herbert Xavier Herbert (born Alfred Jackson; 15 May 190110 November 1984) was an Australian writer best known for his Miles Franklin Award-winning novel '' Poor Fellow My Country'' (1975). He was considered one of the elder statesmen of Australian li ...

– ''

Seven Emus ''Seven Emus'' (1959) is a novel by Australian author Xavier Herbert Xavier Herbert (born Alfred Jackson; 15 May 190110 November 1984) was an Australian writer best known for his Miles Franklin Award-winning novel '' Poor Fellow My Count ...

'' *

Dorothy Hewett Dorothy Coade Hewett (21 May 1923 – 25 August 2002) was an Australian playwright, poet and author, and a romantic feminist icon. In writing and in her life, Hewett was an experimenter. As her circumstances and beliefs changed, she progressed ...

– ''Bobbin Up : A Novel'' *

Barbara Jefferis Barbara Jefferis AM (25 March 1917 – 3 January 2004) was an Australian author. Early life, and character formation Barbara Jefferis was the daughter of (Arthur) Tarlton Jefferis (1884–1965) and Lucy Barbara Ingoldsby Jefferis, ''née'' Smyt ...

– ''Half Angel'' * Eric Lambert – ''Glory Thrown In'' *

Leonard Mann Leonard Mann (15 November 1895 – 29 April 1981) was an Australian poet, and novelist. Life He served in the Australian Imperial Force during World War I, and with the Department of Aircraft Production in World War II. He was, in Septembe ...

– ''Andrea Caslin'' * D'Arcy Niland ** '' The Big Smoke'' ** ''Gold in the Streets'' * Vance Palmer – '' The Big Fellow'' * George Turner – ''Young Man of Talent'' *

Arthur Upfield Arthur William Upfield (1 September 1890 – 12 February 1964) was an English-Australian writer, best known for his works of detective fiction featuring Detective Inspector Napoleon "Bony" Bonaparte of the Queensland Police Force, a mixed-race ...

** ''Bony and the Black Virgin'' (aka ''The Tom Branch'') ** ''Journey to the Hangman'' *

Morris West Morris Langlo West (26 April 19169 October 1999) was an Australian novelist and playwright, best known for his novels '' The Devil's Advocate'' (1959), ''The Shoes of the Fisherman'' (1963) and ''The Clowns of God'' (1981). His books were publ ...

– '' The Devil's Advocate''

Short stories

Ethel Anderson Ethel Campbell Louise Anderson (née Mason; 16 March 1883 – 4 August 1958) was an early twentieth century Australian poet, essayist, novelist and painter. She considered herself to be mainly a poet, but is now best appreciated for her witty an ...

– ''Little Ghosts'' * David Campbell – ''Flame and Shadow : Selected Stories'' *

A. Bertram Chandler Arthur Bertram Chandler (28 March 1912 in Aldershot, Hampshire, England – 6 June 1984 in Sydney, Australia) was an Anglo-Australian merchant marine officer, sailing the world in everything from tramp steamers to troop ships, but who later tur ...

** "Chance Encounter" ** "The Man Who Couldn't Stop" * David Forrest – "That Barambah Mob" *

Hal Porter Harold Edward "Hal" Porter (16 February 1911 – 29 September 1984) was an Australian novelist, playwright, poet and short story writer. Biography Porter was born in Albert Park, Victoria, grew up in Bairnsdale, and worked as a journalist, te ...

** "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 Eleanor Spence (1928–2008) was an Australian author of novels for young adults and older children. Her books explore a wide range of issues, including Australian history, religion, autism, bigotry, materialism and alienation. She was appoin ...

– ''The Summer in Between'' *

Kylie Tennant Kathleen Kylie Tennant AO (; 12 March 1912 – 28 February 1988) was an Australian novelist, playwright, short-story writer, critic, biographer, and historian. Early life and career Tennant was born in Manly, New South Wales; she was educate ...

– '' All the Proud Tribesmen'' *

Norman Barnett Tindale Norman Barnett Tindale AO (12 October 1900 – 19 November 1993) was an Australian anthropologist, archaeologist, entomologist and ethnologist. Life Tindale was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1900. His family moved to Tokyo and lived ther ...

and H. A. Lindsay – ''Rangatira''

Poetry

John Blight Frederick John Blight (30 July 1913 – 12 May 1995) was an Australian poet of Cornish origin, his ancestors having arrived in South Australia on the ''Lisander'', in 1851. In the 1987 recording ''John Blight'', he describes his Cornish backgro ...

– "A Sailor's Grave" * David Campbell – "We Took the Storms to Bed" * Bruce Dawe – "The City : Midnight" *

Rosemary Dobson Rosemary de Brissac Dobson, AO (18 June 192027 June 2012) was an Australian poet, who was also an illustrator, editor and anthologist.Anderson (1996) She published fourteen volumes of poetry, was published in almost every annual volume of ''Au ...

** "Captain Svenson" ** "The Edge" * Geoffrey Dutton – "January" *

R. D. Fitzgerald Robert David FitzGerald III AM OBE (22 February 1902 – 24 May 1987) was an Australian poet. Biography FitzGerald was born in Hunters Hill, New South Wales, a third-generation Australian of Irish extraction, and studied science at the Univer ...

– "Quayside Meditation" *

William Hart-Smith William Hart-Smith (23 November 1911 – 15 April 1990) was a New Zealand/ Australian poet who was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. His family moved to New Zealand in 1924. He had about "seven years of formal schooling" in England, Scot ...

– ''Poems of Discovery'' *

Gwen Harwood Gwen Harwood (née Gwendoline Nessie Foster, 8 June 19205 December 1995) was an Australian poet and librettist. Harwood is regarded as one of Australia's finest poets, publishing over 420 works, including 386 poems and 13 librettos. She won nu ...

– "Prize-Giving" * Charles Higham – ''The Earthbound and Other Poems'' *

A. D. Hope Alec Derwent Hope (21 July 190713 July 2000) was an Australian poet and essayist known for his satirical slant. He was also a critic, teacher and academic. He was referred to in an American journal as "the 20th century's greatest 18th-centur ...

– "Agony Column" *

Lionel Lindsay Sir Lionel Arthur Lindsay (17 October 187422 May 1961) was an Australian artist, known for his paintings and etchings. Early life Lindsay was born in the Victorian town of Creswick, into a creative family – he was the brother of artist Norm ...

– ''Discobolus and Other Verse'' * Nan McDonald – ''The Lighthouse and Other Poems'' *

David Martin David or Dave Martin may refer to: Entertainment *David Martin (artist) (1737–1797), Scottish painter and engraver *David Stone Martin (1913–1992), American artist *David Martin (poet) (1915–1997), Hungarian-Australian poet and novelist *Dav ...

– "Gordon Childe" * Ian Mudie – ''The Blue Crane'' *

Elizabeth Riddell Elizabeth Riddell (21 March 1910 – 3 July 1998) was an Australian poet and journalist. Life Born in Napier, New Zealand, Elizabeth Richmond Riddell came to Australia in 1928 where she worked at ''Smith's Weekly'' and won a Walkley Award. She ...

** "After Lunik Two" ** "Suburban Song" *

Douglas Stewart Douglas Stewart may refer to: *Douglas Stewart (poet) (1913–1985), Australian poet *Edward Askew Sothern (1826–1881), English actor who was sometimes known as Douglas Stewart * Douglas Stewart (equestrian) (1913–1991), British Olympic equestri ...

– "Leopard-Skin" *

Chris Wallace-Crabbe Christopher Keith Wallace-Crabbe (born 6 May 1934) is an Australian poet and emeritus professor in the Australian Centre, University of Melbourne. Life and career Wallace-Crabbe was born in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond. His father was Ken ...

– ''The Music of Division'' * Francis Webb – "Art"

Biography

* Charmian Clift – ''Peel Me a Lotus'' * Mary Durack – ''Kings in Grass Castles'' *

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

– '' My Wicked, Wicked Ways'' *

Ion Idriess Ion Llewellyn Idriess (20 September 18896 June 1979) was a prolific and influential Australian author. He wrote more than 50 books over 43 years between 1927 and 1969 – an average of one book every 10 months, and twice published three books i ...

– '' The Tin Scratchers'' * Peter Ryan – ''Fear Drive My Feet''

Children's and Young Adult non-fiction

* Dale Collins – ''Anzac Adventure''

Awards and honours

Literary

Children and Young Adult

Poetry

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 Philip Ian Hodgins (28 January 1959 – 18 August 1995) was an Australian poet, whose work appeared in such major publications as ''The New Yorker''. The Philip Hodgins Memorial Medal for Literary Excellence is awarded annually at the Mildu ...

, poet (died 1995) * 18 May – Sophie Masson, novelist *27 June –

Stephen Dedman Stephen Dedman (born 1959) is an Australian author of dark fantasy and science fiction stories and novels. Biography Dedman's short stories have appeared in ''Year's Best Fantasy and Horror'', '' Year's Best SF'', and ''The Best Australian Sc ...

, writer *13 October – Doug MacLeod, children's writer, poet, screenwriter and playwright (died 2021) * 25 November –

Merlinda Bobis Merlinda Bobis (born 25 November 1959) is a contemporary Filipina-Australian writer and academic. Biography Born in Legazpi City, in the Philippines province of Albay, Merlinda Bobis attended Bicol University High School then completed her B.A. ...

, writer and academic Unknown date *

Jennifer Fallon Jennifer Fallon (born 1959) is an Australian author of fantasy and science fiction. She is also a businesswoman, trainer and business consultant. Jennifer has a master's degree from the Creative Arts faculty of QUT. A computer trainer and appli ...

, novelist *

Andy Kissane Andy Kissane, born 13 September 1959, is a Melbourne-born, Sydney-based writer. He has written a number of poetry collections as well as short stories, novels and non-fiction. Personal life Kissane was born in Melbourne, but moved to Sydney ...

, poet *

Mike Ladd Mike Ladd is an American hip hop musician from Boston, Massachusetts. He is based in Paris, France. ''The Guardian'' described him as "the king of the hip-hop concept." Early life Mike Ladd was born in Boston, Massachusetts. As a child, he live ...

, poet

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

) 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 –

, author and actor (born 1909)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1959 in Australian literature Australian literature by year 20th-century Australian literature 1959 in literature

Books

Short stories

Children's and Young Adult fiction

Poetry

Biography

Children's and Young Adult non-fiction

Awards and honours

Literary

Children and Young Adult

Poetry

Births

Deaths

See also

References