2023_in_Australian_literature
2023 in Australian literature
Literature-related events in Australia during the year of 2023
This is a list of historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2023.
- July: Publisher Hachette Australia withdraws from publication the book titled Special Operations Group by Christophe Glasl after Victoria Police expressed concerns about the accuracy of the book[1]
- December: Yumna Kassab is announced as inaugural Parramatta Laureate of Literature for 2024[2]
Literary fiction
- Tony Birch – Women & Children[3]
- Trent Dalton – Lola in the Mirror[4]
- Gregory Day – The Bell of the World[5]
- Kate Grenville – Restless Dolly Maunder[6]
- John Kinsella – Cellnight: A verse novel[7]
- Melissa Lucashenko – Edenglassie[8]
- Kate Morton – Homecoming[9]
- Mirandi Riwoe – Sunbirds[10]
- Tracy Sorensen – The Vitals[11]
- Christos Tsiolkas – The In-Between[12]
- Pip Williams – The Bookbinder of Jericho
- Charlotte Wood – Stone Yard Devotional[13]
- Alexis Wright – Praiseworthy
Short story collections
- Graeme Simsion – Creative Differences: And Other Stories[14]
- Laura Jean McKay – Gunflower[15]
Non-Fiction
- Chanel Contos – Consent Laid Bare[16]
- Robyn Davidson – Unfinished Woman[17]
- Marele Day – Reckless[18]
- Martin Flanagan – The Empty Honour Board[19]
- Clementine Ford – I Don't[20]
- Anna Funder – Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's Invisible Life[21]
- Michael Gawenda – My Life as a Jew[22]
- Stan Grant – The Queen is Dead: The Time has Come for a Reckoning[23]
- Susan Johnson – Aphrodite's Breath[24]
- Sarah Krasnostein – On Peter Carey[25]
- David Marr – Killing for Country: A Family Story[26]
- Matt Preston – Big Mouth[27]
- Margaret Simons – Tanya Plibersek: On Her Own Terms[28]
- Christine Wallace – Political Lives: Australian prime ministers and their biographers[29]
Crime and mystery
- Candice Fox – Fire With Fire[30]
- Chris Hammer – The Seven[31]
- Fiona McIntosh – Dead Tide[32]
- Chris Womersley – Ordinary Gods and Monsters[33]
Science fiction and fantasy
- Greg Egan – Scale[34]
- Shelley Parker-Chan – He Who Drowned the World[35]
Poetry
- Stuart Barnes – Like to the Lark[36]
- John Kinsella – Harsh Hakea: Collected Poems Volume Two (2005–2014)[37]
- David McCooey – The Book of Falling[38]
- Pi O – The Tour[39]
- Grace Yee – Chinese Fish[40]
Note: these awards were presented in the year in question.
Lifetime achievement
Literary
More information Award, Author ...
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Age Book of the Year[42] | Robbie Arnott | Limberlost | Text Publishing |
| ALS Gold Medal[43] | Debra Dank | We Come With This Place | Echo Publishing |
| Colin Roderick Award[44] | Sarah Holland-Batt | The Jaguar | University of Queensland Press |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[45] | Debra Dank | We Come With This Place | Echo Publishing |
| Stella Prize[46] | Sarah Holland-Batt | The Jaguar | University of Queensland Press |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Awards[47] | Jessica Au | Cold Enough for Snow | Giramondo Publishing |
Close
Fiction
More information Award, Author ...
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Australian/Vogel Literary Award[48] | Anna McGahan | Immaculate | Allen & Unwin |
| Barbara Jefferis Award[49] | Not awarded | ||
| Indie Book Awards Book of the Year – Fiction[50] | Geraldine Brooks | Horse | Viking Books |
| Indie Book Awards Book of the Year – Debut Fiction[50] | Tracey Lien | All That's Left Unsaid | HQ Fiction |
| Miles Franklin Award[51] | Shankari Chandran | Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens | Ultimo Press |
| Prime Minister's Literary Awards[52] | Jessica Au | Cold Enough for Snow | Giramondo |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[53] | Katerina GIbson | Women I Know | Scribner |
| Queensland Literary Awards[54] | Alexis Wright | Praiseworthy | Giramondo |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Awards[47] | Jessica Au | Cold Enough for Snow | Giramondo |
Close
Children and Young Adult
More information Award, Category ...
| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Book of the Year Award[55] | Older Readers | Tom Taylor | Neverlanders | Penguin Random House |
| Younger Readers | Craig Silvey | Runt | Allen & Unwin | |
| Picture Book | Zeno Sworder | My Strange Shrinking Parents | Thames & Hudson | |
| Early Childhood | Vikki Conley, illus. Max Hamilton | Where the Lyrebird Lives | Windy Hollow | |
| Eve Pownall Award for Information Books | Jess McGeachin | DEEP: Delve into hidden words | Welbeck Publishing | |
| Prime Minister's Literary Awards[52] | Children's | Jasmine Seymour | Open Your Heart to Country | Magabala Books |
| Young Adult | Sarah Winifred Searle | The Greatest Thing | Allen & Unwin | |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[53] | Children's | Corey Tutt and Blak Douglas | The First Scientists | Hardie Grant |
| Young People's | Lystra Rose | The Upwelling | Hachette | |
| Queensland Literary Awards[54] | Children's | Katrina Nannestad | Waiting for the Storks | ABC Books |
| Young Adult | Biffy James | Completely Normal (and Other Lies) | Hardie Grant | |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Awards[47] | Young Adult Fiction | Kate Murray | We Who Hunt the Hollow | Hardie Grant |
Close
Crime and Mystery
National
More information Award, Category ...
| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davitt Award[56] | Novel | Tracey Lien | All That’s Left Unsaid | HQ Fiction |
| Young adult novel | Fleur Ferris | Seven Days | Puffin | |
| Children's novel | Charlie Archbold | The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-Bottomed Boat | Text Publishing | |
| Non-fiction | Megan Norris | Out of the Ashes | Simon and Schuster Australia | |
| Debut | Hayley Scrivenor | Dirt Town | Pan Macmillan | |
| Readers' choice | Vikki Petraitis | The Unbelieved | Allen & Unwin | |
| Ned Kelly Award[57] | Novel | Jane Harper | Exiles | Pan Macmillan |
| First novel | Shelley Burr | Wake | Hachette Australia | |
| True crime | Sandi Logan | Betrayed | Hachette Australia | |
Close
Non-Fiction
More information Award, Category ...
| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Biography Award[58] | Biography | Ann-Marie Priest | My Tongue Is My Own: A Life of Gwen Harwood | La Trobe University Press / Black Inc. |
| Prime Minister's Literary Awards[52] | Non-Fiction | Sam Vincent | My Father and Other Animals | Black Inc. |
| Indie Book Awards Book of the Year[50] | Non-Fiction | Richard Fidler | The Book of Roads And Kingdoms | ABC Books |
| Illustrated Non-Fiction | Damien Coulthard and Rebecca Sullivan | First Nations Food Companion | Murdoch Books | |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[53] | Non-Fiction | Debra Dank | We Come With This Place | Echo Publishing |
| New South Wales Premier's History Awards[59] | Australian History | Alan Atkinson | Elizabeth and John: The Macarthurs of Elizabeth Farm | NewSouth |
| Community and Regional History | Ian Hodges | He Belonged to Wagga: The Great War, the AIF and returned soldiers in an Australian country town | ASP | |
| General History | Michael Laffan | Under Empire: Muslim lives and loyalties across the Indian Ocean world, 1775–1945 | Columbia University | |
| Queensland Literary Awards[54] | Non-Fiction | Debra Dank | We Come with This Place | Echo Publishing |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Awards[47] | Non-Fiction | Eda Gunaydin | Root & Branch: Essays on inheritance | NewSouth |
Close
Poetry
More information Award, Author ...
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anne Elder Award[60](joint winners) | Harry Reid | Leave Me Alone | Cordite |
| Theodore Ell | Beginning In Sight | RWP | |
| Mary Gilmore Award[61] | Harry Reid | Leave Me Alone | Cordite |
| Prime Minister's Literary Awards[52] | Gavin Yuan Gao | At the Altar of Touch | UQP |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[53] | Kim Cheng Boey | The Singer and Other Poems | Cordite |
| Judith Wright Calanthe Award for a Poetry Collection[54] | Lionel Fogarty | Harvest Lingo | Giramondo |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Awards | Gavin Yuan Gao | At the Altar of Touch | UQP |
Close
Drama
More information Award, Category ...
| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards[53] | Script | Del Kathryn Barton and Huna Amweero | Blaze | Causeway Films |
| Play | Dylan Van Den Berg | Whitefella Yella Tree | Griffin Theatre Company & Currency Press | |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Awards[47] | John Harvey | The Return | Malthouse Theatre |
Close
- 21 January – Gabrielle Williams, author of young adult fiction (born 1963)[62]
- 3 February – Portia Robinson, historian (born 1926)[63]
- 19 April – Lee Harding, novelist (born 1937)[64]
- 21 April – John Tranter, poet, publisher and editor (born 1943)[65]
- 22 April – Barry Humphries, comedian, author, actor and satirist (born 1934)[66]
- 2 May – Gabrielle Carey, novelist (born 1959)[67]
- 22 May – Andrew Burke, poet (born 1944)[68]
- 30 June – Ron Pretty, poet (born 1940)[69]
- 6 August – Elizabeth Webby, scholar of Australian literature (born 1942)[70]
- 18 November – Nan Witcomb, poet and radio. broadcaster (born 1927/1928)[71]
- 21 November – Dale Spender, feminist writer (born 1943)[72]
- 10 December – Michael Blakemore, actor, writer and theatre director (born 1928)[73]
- 12 December – Shirley Barber, children’s author and illustrator (born 1935 in the Channel Islands)[74]
- 30 December – John Pilger, journalist and filmmaker (born 1939) (died in the United Kingdom)[75]
- Steger, Jason (10 July 2023). "Publisher pulls former cop's memoir after police raise doubts over accuracy". The Age. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- Badger, Rosemary (9 December 2023). "Football, ice-cream and the best cafes for writing in to feature in author Yumna Kassab's 'dictionary of Parramatta'". ABC News. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- "Women & Children by Tony Birch". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- "Austlit — Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton". Austlit. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- "The Bell of the World by Gregory Day". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- "Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- "Austlit — Cellnight by John Kinsella". Austlit. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- "Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- "Homecoming by Kate Morton". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- "Sunbirds by Mirandi Riwoe". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- "The Vitals by Tracy Sorensen". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- "The In-Between by Christos Tsiolkas". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- "Austlit — Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood". Austlit. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- "Creative Differences: And Other Stories by Graeme Simsion". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- "Gunflower by Laura Jean McKay". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- "Consent Laid Bare by Chanel Contos". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- "Austlit — Unfinished Woman by Robyn Davidson". Austlit. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- "Reckless by Marele Day". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- "The Empty Honour Board by Martin Flanagan". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- "I Don't by". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- "Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- "My Life as a Jew by Michael Gawenda". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- "The Queen is Dead by Stan Grant". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- "Aphrodite's Breath by Susan Johnson". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- "On Peter Carey by Sarah Krasnostein". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- "Killing for Country by David Marr". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- "Big Mouth by Matt Preston". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- "Tanya Plibersek: On Her Own Terms by Margaret Simons". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- "Political Lives by Christine Wallace". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- "Fire With Fire by Candice Fox". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- "Austlit — The Seven by Chris Hammer". Austlit. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- "Dead Tide by Fiona McIntosh". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- "Ordinary Gods and Monsters by Chris Womersley". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- "Scale by Greg Egan". ISFDB. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- "He Who Drowned the World by Skelley Parker-Chan". ISFDB. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- "Like to the Lark by Stuart Barnes". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- "Harsh Hakea by John Kinsella". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- "The Book of Falling by David McCooey". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- "The Tour by Pi O". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- "Chinese Fish by Grace Yee". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- "Skovron wins 2023 Patrick White Award". Books+Publishing. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- ""'He has produced a gem': An ode to humble Australians wins The Age Book of the Year"". The Age, 4 May 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- "Colin Roderick Award 2023 Long and Short Lists". www.jcu.edu.au. 6 October 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- Dow, Steve (22 May 2023). "'Significantly shocking': debut author Debra Dank breaks records at NSW premier's literary awards". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- "Holland-Batt wins 2023 Stella Prize for 'The Jaguar'". Books+Publishing. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- "Au wins 2023 Victorian Prize for Literature at VPLAs". Books+Publishing. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- "'Immaculate' wins 2023 Vogel". Books+Publishing. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ""Barbara Jefferis Award"". Australian Society of Authors. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ""Indie Book Awards - Winners 2023"". Australian Independent Booksellers. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- Burke, Kelly (25 July 2023). "Shankari Chandran wins 2023 Miles Franklin award for Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- Howard, Alexander (16 November 2023). "The revamped Prime Minister's Literary Awards reward 'fresh ways of seeing' in 2023". The Conversation. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
- Jefferson, Dee (22 May 2023). "One book just won a record four out of 14 prizes at $350,000 NSW literary awards". ABC News. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- "Winners of the 2023 Queensland Literary Awards announced". Media statements. Queensland Government. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- "CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2023 winners announced". Books+Publishing. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
- "Davitt Awards 2023 winners announced". Books+Publishing. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- "Ned Kelly Awards 2022 winners announced". Books+Publishing. 29 August 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- "National Biography Award". State Library of NSW. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- "NSW Premier's History Awards 2023 winners announced". Books+Publishing. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- "Reid, Ell win 2022 Anne Elder Award". Books+Publishing. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- "Mary Gilmore Award". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- "Vale Gabrielle Williams". Books+Publishing. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- "Lee Harding". Austlit. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- "John Tranter Death Notice - Sydney, New South Wales". tributes.smh.com.au. Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- Runciman, Caleb (22 April 2023). "Barry Humphries: Australian comedic legend dies aged 89". The West Australian. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- "Probate Notice: Gabrielle Carey". NSW Probate Index. 4 May 2023 – via Ryerson Index.
- "Andrew Burke". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- Roberts, Mark (4 July 2023). "Vale Ron Pretty". Rochford Street Review. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- "Elizabeth Webby". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- Adelaide former talkback host and poet Nan Witcomb dies aged 95 (subscription required)
- "SPENDER, Dale – Death Notices". My Tributes – The Courier-Mail. 25 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- "Director Michael Blakemore Dies at 95". Playbill. 13 December 2023.
- "Vale Shirley Barber". Books+Publishing. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- "Australian journalist and documentary filmmaker John Pilger dies aged 84". ITVX. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.