This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1984.

Events

* April 4 – The narrative of George Orwell's dystopian novel ''

Nineteen Eighty-Four ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also stylised as ''1984'') is a dystopian social science fiction novel and cautionary tale written by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and fina ...

'' ( 1949) begins and causes widespread discussion. G. K. Chesterton's '' The Napoleon of Notting Hill'' (

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library syst ...

) is also set in this year; and Haruki Murakami's '' 1Q84'' (いちきゅうはちよん, ''Ichi-Kyū-Hachi-Yon'', 2009–2010) is set in a parallel version of it. *

June 16 Events Pre-1600 * 363 – Emperor Julian marches back up the Tigris and burns his fleet of supply ships. During the withdrawal, Roman forces suffer several attacks from the Persians. * 632 – Yazdegerd III ascends the throne as king ...

–

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

is founded in

Baie-Saint-Paul Baie-Saint-Paul ( 2011 Population 7,332; UA population 4,535) is a city in the Province of Quebec, Canada, on the northern shore of the Saint Lawrence River. Baie-Saint-Paul is the seat of Charlevoix Regional County Municipality. The city is ...

, Quebec, by two former street performers, Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix. *July – Tom Wolfe's novel '' The Bonfire of the Vanities'' begins serialization in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

''. *

December 19 Events Pre-1600 * 1154 – Henry II of England is crowned at Westminster Abbey. * 1187 – Pope Clement III is elected. * 1490 – Anne, Duchess of Brittany, is married to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor by proxy. * 1562 &ndas ...

–

Ted Hughes Edward James "Ted" Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest wri ...

' appointment as

Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom The British Poet Laureate is an honorary position appointed by the monarch of the United Kingdom, currently on the advice of the prime minister. The role does not entail any specific duties, but there is an expectation that the holder will writ ...

is announced in succession to Sir John Betjeman,

Philip Larkin Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, ''The North Ship'', was published in 1945, followed by two novels, ''Jill'' (1946) and ''A Girl in Winter'' (1947 ...

having turned down the post. *''unknown dates'' **

Prvoslav Vujčić Prvoslav Vujcic ( sr-Cyrl, Првослав Вујчић, ; born July 20, 1960) is a Serbian Canadians, Serbian Canadian writer, poet, translator, columnist and aphorism, aphorist. He has been described as one of the most prominent writers of Ser ...

's second poetry collection, ''Kastriranje vetra'' (Castration of the Wind), written during a week's imprisonment in Tuzla for criticising the state, is banned in

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

. **''

Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a novella written by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job o ...

'', the 1937 novel by John Steinbeck, is removed from

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

public schools, when the School Board Chair promises to oust all "ostensibly filthy" books from public school curricula and libraries. ** Redu in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

becomes a book town. **Saqi Books, an independent U.K. publisher, is founded by Mai Ghoussoub.

New books

Fiction

* Warren Adler – '' Random Hearts'' *

Kingsley Amis Sir Kingsley William Amis (16 April 1922 – 22 October 1995) was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, short stories, radio and television scripts, and works of social a ...

– ''

Stanley and the Women ''Stanley and the Women'' is a British television drama miniseries starring John Thaw, Samuel West, Geraldine James, Sheila Gish, Penny Downie and Sian Thomas. This series based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Kingsley Amis and adapted ...

'' * Martin Amis – ''

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...

'' * V. C. Andrews – '' Seeds of Yesterday'' *

Jeffrey Archer Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English novelist, life peer, convicted criminal, and former politician. Before becoming an author, Archer was a Member of Parliament (1969–1974), but did not ...

– ''

First Among Equals ''Primus inter pares'' is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their se ...

'' *

Richard Bachman Richard Bachman is a pen name (as well as fictional character) of American horror fiction author Stephen King. King portrays Bachman in the third season of the FX television series '' Sons of Anarchy''. Origin At the beginning of King's car ...

(Stephen King) – '' Thinner'' *

J. G. Ballard James Graham Ballard (15 November 193019 April 2009) was an English novelist, short story writer, satirist, and essayist known for provocative works of fiction which explored the relations between human psychology, technology, sex, and mass med ...

– ''

Empire of the Sun ''Empire of the Sun'' is a 1984 novel by English writer J. G. Ballard; it was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Like Ballard's earlier short story "The Dead Time" (published in the anthology ...

'' *

Iain Banks Iain Banks (16 February 1954 – 9 June 2013) was a Scottish author, writing mainstream fiction as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, adding the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies (). After the success of ''The Wasp Factor ...

– '' The Wasp Factory'' *

René Barjavel René Barjavel (24 January 1911 – 24 November 1985) was a French author, journalist and critic who may have been the first to think of the grandfather paradox in time travel. He was born in Nyons, a town in the Drôme department in southeastern ...

– '' L'Enchanteur'' * Julian Barnes – '' Flaubert's Parrot'' * J. J. Benítez – '' Caballo de Troya'' * Thomas Bernhard – '' Woodcutters (Holzfällen)'' * J. Bernlef – ''Hersenschimmen'' (Out of Mind) * Michael Bishop **'' One Winter in Eden'' **'' Who Made Stevie Crye?'' *

Simon Brett Simon Anthony Lee Brett OBE FRSL (born 28 October 1945 in Worcester Park, Surrey, England) is a British author of detective fiction, a playwright, and a producer-writer for television and radio. As an author, he is best known for his mystery s ...

– '' A Shock to the System'' *

David Brin Glen David Brin (born October 6, 1950) is an American scientist and author of science fiction. He has won the Hugo,The Practice Effect'' *

Anita Brookner Anita Brookner (16 July 1928 – 10 March 2016) was an English novelist and art historian. She was Slade Professor of Fine Art at the University of Cambridge from 1967 to 1968 and was the first woman to hold this visiting professorship. She ...

– ''

Hotel du Lac ''Hotel du Lac'' is a 1984 Booker Prize-winning novel by English writer Anita Brookner. It centres on Edith Hope, a romance novelist who is staying in a hotel on the shores of Lake Geneva. There she meets other English visitors, including Mr ...

'' * Tom Clancy – '' The Hunt for Red October'' * Maryse Condé – ''Segou: les murailles de terre'' * Bernard & Judy Cornwell (as Susannah Kells) – ''Fallen Angels'' *

Michel Déon Michel Déon (; 4 August 1919 – 28 December 2016) was a French novelist and literary columnist. He published over 50 works and was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Prix Interallié for his 1970 novel, '' Les Poneys sauvages'' (Th ...

– '' Je vous écris d'Italie'' *

Marguerite Duras Marguerite Germaine Marie Donnadieu (, 4 April 1914 – 3 March 1996), known as Marguerite Duras (), was a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and experimental filmmaker. Her script for the film '' Hiroshima mon amour'' (1959) e ...

– '' L'Amant'' * Louise Erdrich – '' Love Medicine'' * Howard Fast – ''The Outsider'' * Leon Forrest – ''Two Wings to Veil My Face'' *

Frederick Forsyth Frederick McCarthy Forsyth (born 25 August 1938) is an English novelist and journalist. He is best known for thrillers such as ''The Day of the Jackal'', ''The Odessa File'', '' The Fourth Protocol'', '' The Dogs of War'', ''The Devil's Alter ...

– '' The Fourth Protocol'' * John Gardner – '' Role of Honour'' * William Gibson – ''

Neuromancer ''Neuromancer'' is a 1984 science fiction novel by American-Canadian writer William Gibson. Considered one of the earliest and best-known works in the cyberpunk genre, it is the only novel to win the Nebula Award, the Philip K. Dick Award, and ...

'' * William Golding – " The Paper Men" *

Alasdair Gray Alasdair James Gray (28 December 1934 – 29 December 2019) was a Scottish writer and artist. His first novel, ''Lanark: A Life in Four Books, Lanark'' (1981), is seen as a landmark of Scottish fiction. He published novels, short stories, plays ...

– ''

1982, Janine ''1982, Janine'' is a novel by the Scottish author Alasdair Gray. His second, it was published in 1984, and remains his most controversial work. Its use of pornography as a narrative device attracted much criticism, although others, including ...

'' *

Kent Haruf Alan Kent Haruf (February 24, 1943 – November 30, 2014) was an American novelist. Life Haruf was born in Pueblo, Colorado, the son of a Methodist minister. In 1965 he graduated with a BA from Nebraska Wesleyan University, where he would late ...

– '' The Tie That Binds'' * Frank Herbert – '' Heretics of Dune'' * David Hughes – '' The Pork Butcher'' *

John Jakes John William Jakes (born March 31, 1932) is an American writer, best known for American historical and speculative fiction. His Civil War trilogy, ''North and South'', has sold millions of copies worldwide. He is also the author of The Kent Fam ...

– ''Love and War'' * Stephen King,

Peter Straub Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

– '' The Talisman'' *

Russell Kirk Russell Amos Kirk (October 19, 1918 – April 29, 1994) was an American political theorist, moralist, historian, social critic, and literary critic, known for his influence on 20th-century American conservatism. His 1953 book ''The Conservativ ...

– '' Watchers at the Strait Gate'' *

Jaan Kross Jaan Kross (19 February 1920 – 27 December 2007) was an Estonian writer. He won the 1995 International Nonino Prize in Italy. Early life Born in Tallinn, Estonia, son of a skilled metal-worker, Jaan Kross studied at Jakob Westholm Gymnasium ...

– '' Professor Martens' Departure (Professor Martensi ärasõit)'' * Milan Kundera – ''

The Unbearable Lightness of Being ''The Unbearable Lightness of Being'' ( cs, Nesnesitelná lehkost bytí) is a 1984 novel by Milan Kundera, about two women, two men, a dog and their lives in the 1968 Prague Spring period of Czechoslovak history. Although written in 1982, the no ...

'' (first published in French as ''L'Insoutenable légèreté de l'être'') * Sue Limb – ''

Up the Garden Path ''Up the Garden Path'' is a 1984 novel by Sue Limb, which was adapted into a radio series by BBC Radio 4, and later into a television sitcom by Granada TV for ITV. Both the radio and television series comprised three seasons, with the radio se ...

'' *

Robert Ludlum Robert Ludlum (May 25, 1927 – March 12, 2001) was an American author of 27 thriller novels, best known as the creator of Jason Bourne from the original '' The Bourne Trilogy'' series. The number of copies of his books in print is estimated b ...

– '' The Aquitaine Progression'' * Norman Mailer – '' Tough Guys Don't Dance'' * Ruth Manning-Sanders – '' A Book of Magic Horses'' * Gladys Mitchell – '' The Crozier Pharaohs'' * M. T. Vasudevan Nair – '' Randamoozham'' (രണ്ടാമൂഴം, ''Second Turn'') * Mitiarjuk Nappaaluk – '' Sanaaq'' * Robert B. Parker – '' Valediction'' * Milorad Pavić – '' Dictionary of the Khazars'' * Ellis Peters **'' Dead Man's Ransom'' **'' The Pilgrim of Hate'' *

Mario Puzo Mario Francis Puzo (; ; October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author, screenwriter, and journalist. He is known for his crime novels about the Italian-American Mafia and Sicilian Mafia, most notably '' The Godfather'' (1969), whi ...

– '' The Sicilian'' *

Thomas Pynchon Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr. ( , ; born May 8, 1937) is an American novelist noted for his dense and complex novels. His fiction and non-fiction writings encompass a vast array of subject matter, genres and themes, including history, music, scie ...

– '' Slow Learner: Early Stories'' * Christoph Ransmayr – ''

The Terrors of Ice and Darkness ''The Terrors of Ice and Darkness'' () is a 1984 novel by the Austrian writer Christoph Ransmayr. It tells the stories of the 1872–74 Austro-Hungarian North Pole expedition, of a young Italian man who disappeared in 1981 while researching the exp ...

'' *

Pratibha Ray Pratibha Ray (born 21 January 1944) is an Indian academic and writer of Odia-language novels and stories. For her contribution to the Indian literature, Ray received the Jnanpith Award in 2011. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2022. Life ...

– '' Yajnaseni'' * Bob Shea and Robert Anton Wilson – ''

The Illuminatus! Trilogy ''The Illuminatus! Trilogy'' is a series of three novels by American writers Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, first published in 1975.''Illuminatus!'' was written between 1969 and 1971, but not published until 1975 according to Robert Anto ...

'' (collected edition) * Michael Slade – '' Headhunter'' * Danielle Steel – '' Full Circle'' * Neal Stephenson – '' The Big U'' (debut novel) * Botho Strauß – '' The Young Man'' * Robert Swindells – '' Brother in the Land'' * Antonio Tabucchi – '' Indian Nocturne'' (''Notturno indiano'', novella) * John Updike – '' The Witches of Eastwick'' *

Gore Vidal Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his epigrammatic wit, erudition, and patrician manner. Vidal was bisexual, and in his novels and e ...

– ''

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

'' *

Tim Winton Timothy John Winton (born 4 August 1960) is an Australian writer. He has written novels, children's books, non-fiction books, and short stories. In 1997, he was named a Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia, and has won the Miles Fr ...

– '' Shallows'' * Janusz Zajdel – '' Paradyzja''

Children and young people

* Chris Van Allsburg – '' The Mysteries of Harris Burdick'' *

Sandra Cisneros Sandra Cisneros (born December 20, 1954) is an American writer. She is best known for her first novel, ''The House on Mango Street'' (1983), and her subsequent short story collection, '' Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories'' (1991). Her work e ...

- '' The House on Mango Street'' *

Helen Cresswell Helen Cresswell (11 July 1934 – 26 September 2005) was an English television scriptwriter and author of more than 100 children's books, best known for comedy and supernatural fiction. Her most popular book series, '' Lizzie Dripping'' and '' T ...

– ''The Secret World of Polly Flint'' *

Kevin Eastman Kevin Brooks Eastman (born May 30, 1962) is an American comic book artist and writer best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Peter Laird. Eastman was also formerly the editor and publisher of the magazine '' Heavy Meta ...

and

Peter Laird Peter Alan Laird (born January 27, 1954) is an American comic book writer and artist best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with writer and artist Kevin Eastman. Early life and career Laird was born on January 27, 1954, in ...

– ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after It ...

'' (

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

) *

Mem Fox Merrion Frances "Mem" Fox, AM (born Merrion Frances Partridge; 5 March 1946) is an Australian writer of children's books and an educationalist specialising in literacy. Fox has been semi-retired since 1996, but she still gives seminars and ...

– ''

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge ''Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge'' is a 1984 children's picture book by Mem Fox. It is about a boy, Wilfrid, who helps an elderly friend, Nancy, to regain some of her memory. In 1998, American company Weston Woods Studio released a film ada ...

'' *

Patricia Reilly Giff Patricia Reilly Giff (April 26, 1935 – June 22, 2021) was an American author and teacher born in Brooklyn, New York, United States. She was educated at Marymount Manhattan College, where she was awarded a B.A. degree, and St. John's Univers ...

– ''The Beast in Ms. Rooney's Room'' (first in '' Polk Street School'' series) *

Michelle Magorian Michelle Magorian (born 6 November 1947) is an English author of children's books. She is best known for her first novel, '' Goodnight Mister Tom'', which won the 1982 Guardian Prize for British children's books and has been adapted several ti ...

– '' Back Home'' * Bill Peet – ''Pamela Camel'' *

Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
'' The Butter Battle Book ''The Butter Battle Book'' is a rhyming story written by Dr. Seuss and published by Random House on January 12, 1984. It is an anti-war story; specifically, a parable about arms races in general, mutually assured destruction and nuclear wea ...

'' * J. R. R. Tolkien (with Michael Hague) – ''

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the ''N ...

Drama

Howard Barker Howard Barker (born 28 June 1946) is a British playwright, screenwriter and writer of radio drama, painter, poet, and essayist writing predominantly on playwriting and the theatre. The author of an extensive body of dramatic works since the 197 ...

– '' Scenes from an Execution'' * Howard Brenton – '' Bloody Poetry'' *Dario Fo – ''Elizabeth: Almost by Chance a Woman (Quasi per caso una donna: Elisabetta)'' *Michael Frayn – ''Benefactors (play), Benefactors'' *Beth Henley – ''The Miss Firecracker Contest'' *Elfriede Jelinek – ''Illness or Modern Women'' (''Krankheit oder Moderne Frauen'', published) *Joshua Sobol – ''Ghetto (play), Ghetto'' *Tom Stoppard – ''Rough Crossing''

Poetry

*John Ashbery – ''A Wave'' * Louise Erdrich – ''Jacklight'' *Christopher Gilbert – ''Across the Mutual Landscape'' *Paulette Jiles – ''Celestial Navigation'' *Sharon Olds – ''The Dead and the Living''

Non-fiction

*Church in Wales – Book of Common Prayer (1984), ''Book of Common Prayer for use in the Church in Wales'' *Morrill Cody and Hugh Ford – ''The Women of Montparnasse, the Americans in Paris'' *Roald Dahl – ''Boy (book), Boy'' an autobiography *Louise Hay – ''You Can Heal Your Life'' *Lee Iacocca – ''Iacocca: An Autobiography'' *Steven Levy – ''Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution'' *Audre Lorde – ''Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches'' *Robin Morgan (ed.) – ''Sisterhood Is Global'' *M. Alice Ottoboni – ''The Dose Makes the Poison: A Plain-Language Guide to Toxicology'' *Derek Parfit – ''Reasons and Persons'' *Joan Peters – ''From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict over Palestine'' *Herbert Jay Stern – ''Judgment in Berlin'' *E. O. Wilson – ''Biophilia: The Human Bond with Other Species'' *Charles Berlitz – ''Atlantis: The Eighth Continent''

Births

*February 19 - Marissa Meyer, American science-fiction author *April 16 – Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, American novelist *May 9 – Ezra Klein, American journalist and columnist *May 21 – Jackson Pearce, American young-adult novelist *June 5 – Simon Rich, American humorist, novelist and screenwriter *July 11 - Marie Lu, American young-adult novelist *July 12 – Amanda Hocking, American fantasy novelist *August 8 – Owen Jones (writer), Owen Jones, English columnist and author and commentator *October 13 - Lauren DeStefano, American young-adult author *November 20 – Halley Feiffer, American playwright and actress *December 10 – Helen Oyeyemi, English novelist and playwright

Deaths

*February 12 – Julio Cortázar, Argentine novelist, short story writer and essayist (born 1914 in literature, 1914) *February 21 – Michail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov, Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1905 in literature, 1905) *February 22 **Uwe Johnson, German writer in England (born 1934 in literature, 1934) **Jessamyn West (writer), Jessamyn West, American novelist (born 1902 in literature, 1902) *March 4 – Odd Bang-Hansen, Norwegian novelist and children's writer (born 1908 in literature, 1908) *March 8 – Eleanor Graham, English children's writer and editor (born 1896 in literature, 1896) *March 12 – Arnold Ridley, English playwright and actor (born 1896 in literature, 1896) *March 26 – Branko Ćopić, Bosnian Serb writer (suicide, born 1915 in literature, 1915) *April 1 – Elizabeth Goudge, English writer (born 1900 in literature, 1900) *April 15 – Alexander Trocchi, Scottish writer (born 1925 in literature, 1925) *April 21 **Marcel Janco, Romanian–Israeli artist, art theorist, essayist and poet (born 1895 in literature, 1895) **Manuel Mujica Láinez, Argentine novelist (born 1910 in literature, 1910) *May 16 – Irwin Shaw, American playwright, screenwriter and novelist (born 1913 in literature, 1913) *May 19 – John Betjeman, English poet laureate (born 1906 in literature, 1906) *June 6 – A. Bertram Chandler, English-Australian soldier and author (born 1912 in literature, 1912)) *June 10 – Halide Nusret Zorlutuna, Turkish poet and novelist (born 1901 in literature, 1901) *June 30 – Lillian Hellman, American playwright (born 1905 in literature, 1905) *July 6 – Denys Val Baker, Welsh novelist and short story writer (born 1917 in literature, 1917) *August 14 – J. B. Priestley, English novelist and playwright (born 1894 in literature, 1894) *August 25 – Truman Capote (Truman Streckfus Persons), American fiction writer (born 1924 in literature, 1924) *September 7 – Liam O'Flaherty, Irish novelist and short story writer (born 1896 in literature, 1896) *October 31 – Eduardo De Filippo, Italian playwright (born 1900 in literature, 1900) *November 6 – Gastón Suárez, Bolivian novelist and dramatist (born 1929 in literature, 1929) *November 10 – Xavier Herbert, Australian novelist (born 1901 in literature, 1901) *November 12 – Chester Himes, American writer (born 1909 in literature, 1909) *December 4 – Ștefan Voitec, Romanian politician and journalist (born 1900 in literature, 1900) *December 6 – Gray Barker, American writer on paranormal (born 1925 in literature, 1925) *December 14 – Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1898 in literature, 1898)

Awards

*Nobel Prize in Literature: Jaroslav Seifert

Australia

*The Australian/Vogel Literary Award: Kate Grenville, ''Lilian's Story'' *Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry: Les Murray (poet), Les Murray, ''The People's Other World'' *Miles Franklin Award:

, '' Shallows''

Canada

*See 1984 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.

France

*Prix Goncourt:

, '' L'Amant'' *Prix Médicis French: Bernard-Henri Lévy, ''Le Diable en tête'' *Prix Médicis International: Elsa Morante, ''Aracoeli''

Spain

*Miguel de Cervantes Prize: Ernesto Sabato

United Kingdom

*Betty Trask Award, established by Society of Authors, Prize: Ronald Frame, ''Winter Journey'', Clare Nonhebel, ''Cold Showers'' *Booker Prize:

, ''

'' *Carnegie Medal (literary award), Carnegie Medal for children's literature: Margaret Mahy, ''The Changeover'' *Cholmondeley Award: Michael Baldwin (poet), Michael Baldwin, Michael Hofmann, Carol Rumens *Eric Gregory Award: Martyn Crucefix, Mick Imlah, Jamie McKendrick, Bill Smith, Carol Ann Duffy, Christopher Meredith, Peter Armstrong, Iain Bamforth *James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction:

, ''

'', and Angela Carter, ''Nights at the Circus'' *James Tait Black Memorial Prize for biography: Lyndall Gordon, ''Virginia Woolf: A Writer's Life'' *1984 Whitbread Awards, Whitbread Best Book Award: James Buchan, ''A Parish of Rich Women''

United States

*Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize: Arthur Smith, ''Elegy on Independence Day'' *Frost Medal: Jack Stadler *Nebula Award: William Gibson, ''

'' *Newbery Medal for children's literature: Beverly Cleary, ''Dear Mr. Henshaw'' *Pulitzer Prize for Drama: David Mamet, ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' *Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: William Kennedy (author), William J. Kennedy – ''Ironweed (novel), Ironweed'' *Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Mary Oliver: ''American Primitive''

Elsewhere

*Premio Nadal: José de Tomás García – ''La otra orilla de la droga''

References

{{Year in literature article categories 1984 books, Years of the 20th century in literature