1960 in Australian literature

Literature-related events in Australia during the year of 1960

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1960.

Events

The first Adelaide Writers' Week was held as part of the Adelaide Festival of Arts.

Major publications

Books

Thea Astley – A Descant for Gossips
Russell Braddon – The Proud American Boy
Nancy Cato – Green Grows the Vine
Jon Cleary – North from Thursday
Charmian Clift – Walk to the Paradise Gardens
Nino Culotta – Cop this Lot
Catherine Gaskin – Corporation Wife
Elizabeth Harrower – The Catherine Wheel
George Johnston – Closer to the Sun
Elizabeth O'Conner – The Irishman
Nevil Shute – Trustee from the Toolroom
Arthur Upfield – Valley of Smugglers
Joan Lindsay – Picnic at Hanging Rock (novel)

Short stories

James Aldridge – Gold and Sand : Stories
Ion Idriess – The Wild North
John Morrison – "Dog-Box"
Hal Porter – "Party 42 and Mrs Brewer"

Children's and Young Adult fiction

James Aldridge – The Shark Cage
Nan Chauncy – Tangara
John Gunn
- The Humpy in the Hills
- Peter Kent's Command
Elyne Mitchell – Silver Brumby's Daughter
Eleanor Spence – Lillipilly Hill
Judith Wright – The Day the Mountains Played
Patricia Wrightson – The Rocks of Honey

Poetry

Christopher Brennan – The Verse of Christopher Brennan, edited by A. R. Chisholm and John Joseph Quinn^[1]
David Campbell
- "Town Planning"^[2]
- "Under the Wattles"^[3]
- "Windy Nights"^[4]
Rosemary Dobson – "Ghost Town : New England"^[5]
Geoffrey Dutton – Night Fishing^[6]
R. D. Fitzgerald – "Bog and Candle"^[7]
Gwen Harwood
- "The Glass Jar"^[8]
- "Group from Tartarus"^[9]
A. D. Hope
- "The Coasts of Cerigo"^[10]
- Poems^[11]
Colin Thiele – Man in a Landscape
Judith Wright – Australian Bird Poems^[12]

Drama

Alan Seymour – The One Day of the Year

Non-fiction

F. J. Thwaites – Press on Regardless (travel book)

Awards and honours

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal^[13]	William Hart-Smith	Poems of Discovery	Angus and Robertson
Miles Franklin Award^[14]	Elizabeth O'Conner	The Irishman	Angus and Robertson

Children and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award^[15]	Older Readers	Kylie Tennant, illustrated by Clem Seale	All the Proud Tribesmen	Macmillan

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry^[16]	Colin Thiele	Man in a Landscape	Rigby

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1960 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

25 February – Narelle Oliver, award-winning children's author-illustrator, artist and print maker (died 2016)^[17]
4 August – Tim Winton, novelist^[18]
9 November – Michael Robotham, novelist^[19]

Unknown date

Pamela Freeman, novelist^[20]
Margo Lanagan, novelist and short story writer^[21]
Fiona McIntosh, novelist^[22]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1960 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

12 January – Nevil Shute, novelist (born 1899)^[23]
14 June – E. V. Timms, novelist (born 1895)^[24]
6 November — John Lavington Bonython, newspaper editor and journalist (born 1875)^[25]

References

^ "The Verse of Christopher Brennan edited by A. R. Chisholm and John Joseph Quinn". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
^ "Austlit — "Town Planning" by David Campbell". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
^ "Austlit — "Under the Wattles" by David Campbell". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
^ "Austlit — "Windy Nights" by David Campbell". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
^ "Austlit — "Ghost Town : New England" by Rosemary Dobson". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
^ "Night Fishing by Geoffrey Dutton". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
^ "Austlit — "Bog and Candle" by R. D. Fitzgerald". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
^ "Austlit — "The Glass Jar" by Gwen Harwood". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
^ "Austlit — "Group from Tartarus" Gwen Harwood". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
^ "Austlit — "The Coasts of Cerigo" by A. D. Hope". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
^ "Austlit — Poems by A. D. Hope". Austlit. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
^ "Australian Bird Poems by Judith Wright". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
^ Austlit - Poems of Discovery by William Hart-Smith
^ "When 'The Irishman' Came to Town", The Australian Women's Weekly, 29 March 1978, p11
^ "Kylie Tennant Wins Book of the Year Award", The Canberra Times, 11 July 1960, p3
^ Austlit - Man in a Landscape by Colin Thiele
^ "Narelle Oliver (1960-2016)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
^ "Tim Winton". Austlit. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
^ "Michael Robotham". Austlit. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
^ "Pamela Freeman". Austlit. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
^ "Margo Lanagan". Austlit. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
^ "Fiona McIntosh". Austlit. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
^ "Norway, Nevil Shute (1899–1960) by Julian Croft". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
^ "E. V. Timms (1895-1960)". Austlit. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
^ "Bonython, Sir John Lavington (1875–1960) by W. B. Pitcher". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 3 August 2023.