1940 in Australian literature

Literature-related events in Australia during the year of 1940

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1940.

Events

Meanjin magazine publishes its first issue in Brisbane.^[1]

Books

E.C. Allen – Old Eugowra
Martin Boyd – Nuns in Jeopardy
Roy Connolly – Southern Saga
Frank Dalby Davison – The Woman at the Mill (short stories)
Dulcie Deamer – Holiday
Arthur Gask
- The House on the Fens
- The Tragedy of the Silver Moon
Michael Innes
- The Secret Vanguard
- There Came Both Mist and Snow
Josephine Knowles – Leaves in the Wind
Will Lawson - Red Morgan Rides
Eric Lowe - Framed in Hardwood
Nevil Shute
- Landfall: A Channel Story
- An Old Captivity
Helen Simpson – Maid No More
Christina Stead – The Man Who Loved Children
F. J. Thwaites – Whispers in Tahiti
Arthur Upfield – Bushranger of the Skies
Rix Weaver – Behold New Holland

Children's

Mary Grant Bruce – Peter & Co.
May Gibbs – The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie
P. L. Travers – Happy Ever After
Dorothy Wall – Blinky Bill Joins the Army

Poetry

Mary Gilmore – "No Foe Shall Gather Our Harvest"
Max Harris – The Gift of Blood^[2]
Eve Langley – "Native-Born"^[3]
Ian Mudie – Corroboree to the Sun^[4]
Roderic Quinn – "Tyrrell's Bookshop"^[5]
Kenneth Slessor – "Metempsychosis"^[6]
Douglas Stewart – Elegy for an Airman^[7]

Non-Fiction

Malcolm Uren – Sailormen's Ghosts (travel and history)^[8]

Awards and honours

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal^[9]	William Baylebridge	This Vital Flesh	Tallabila 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 1940 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

9 February – J. M. Coetzee, novelist (born South Africa)^[10]
19 March – Andrew Taylor, poet^[11]
12 April – Jack Hibberd, playwright and novelist^[12]
16 April – Marion Halligan, novelist (died 2024)^[13]
28 July – Geoffrey Lehmann, poet and writer for children^[14]
7 July – Geoff Page, poet^[15]
18 August – Jan Owen, poet^[16]
16 October – Ron Pretty, poet (died 2023)^[17]

10 November – Jill Roe, historian (died 2017)^[18]
16 November – Craig Powell, poet (died 2022)^[19]

Unknown date

Carmel Bird, novelist^[20]
Rosaleen Love, critic and short story writer^[21]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1940 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

27 March – K. Langloh Parker, author (born 1856)^[22]
3 May – S. Elliott Napier, poet and journalist (born 1870)^[23]

References

^ "Contemporary Australian Verse", The Courier-Mail, 28 December 1940, p7
^ "The Gift of Blood by Max Harris". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ ""Native-Born" by Eve Langley". Austlit. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ ""Corroboree to the Sun" by Ian Mudie". Austlit. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ ""Tyrrell's Bookshop" by Roderic Quinn". Austlit. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ ""Metempsychosis" by Kenneth Slessor". Austlit. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ "Elegy for an Airman by Douglas Stewart". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ "Sailormen's Ghosts by Malcolm Uren". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
^ "J. M. Coetzee". Austlit. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ "Andrew Taylor". Austlit. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ "Jack Hibberd". Austlit. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ "Marion Halligan". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
^ "Geoffrey Lehmann". Austlit. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ "Geoff Page". Austlit. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ "Jan Owen". Austlit. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ "Ron Pretty (1940-2023)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
^ "Jill Roe (1940-2017)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
^ "Craig Powell (1940-2022)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
^ "Carmel Bird". Austlit. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ "Rosaleen Love". Austlit. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
^ "K. Langloh Parker (1856-1940)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
^ "S. Elliott Napier (1870-1940)". Austlit. Retrieved 25 July 2023.