This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1956.
Books
edit- Miles Franklin – Gentlemen at Gyang Gyang : A Tale of the Jumbuck Pads on the Summer Runs
- Nevil Shute – Beyond the Black Stump
- Randolph Stow – A Haunted Land
- Kylie Tennant – The Honey Flow
- E. V. Timms – Shining Harvest
- Arthur Upfield – Man of Two Tribes
- F. B. Vickers – First Place to a Stranger
- Morris West
Short stories
edit- Ethel Anderson – At Parramatta
- Leon Gellert – Year After Year
- Alan Marshall – How's Andy Going?
- Katharine Susannah Prichard – "N'Goola"
- David Rowbotham – Town and City : tales and sketches
- Judith Wright – "The Vineyard Woman"
Children's and Young Adult fiction
edit- Mavis Thorpe Clark – The Brown Land Was Green
Poetry
edit- Bruce Beaver – "Cow Dance"
- David Campbell – The Miracle of Mullion Hill : Poems
- Rosemary Dobson – "Cock Crow"
- R. D. Fitzgerald – "This Night's Orbit"
- Mary Gilmore – "The Waradgery Tribe"
- Gwen Harwood – "The Old Wife's Tale"
- James McAuley
- "Merry-Go-Round"
- "Vespers"
- A Vision of Ceremony : Poems
- Ronald McCuaig – "Betty by the Sea"
- J. S. Manifold – "Fife Tune"
- Vivian Smith
- "For My Daughter"
- The Other Meaning
- Douglas Stewart – "A Country Song"
- Judith Wright
- A Book of Australian Verse (edited)
- "The Forest"
Biography
edit- Charmian Clift – Mermaid Singing
- Ion Idriess – The Silver City
- Jack Lang – I Remember
- Ruth Park & D'Arcy Niland – The Drums Go Bang!
Awards and honours
editLiterary
edit| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALS Gold Medal[1] | Not awarded |
Children's and Young Adult
edit| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Book of the Year Award | Older Readers[2] | Patricia Wrightson, illustrated by Margaret Horder | The Crooked Snake | Angus and Robertson |
| Picture Book[3] | Peggy Barnard, illustrated by Sheila Hawkins | Wish and the Magic Nut | John Sands |
Poetry
edit| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grace Leven Prize for Poetry[4] | James McAuley | A Vision of Ceremony | Angus & Robertson |
Births
editA list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1956 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.
- 9 January – Bill Leak, editorial and political cartoonist, caricaturist and portraitist (died 2017)[5]
- 28 January – Tim Flannery, scientist and science writer[6]
- 25 October – Kerry Reed-Gilbert, poet and author (died 2019)[7]
- 5 November – Gig Ryan, poet[8]
Unknown date
- Judith Beveridge, poet and editor[9]
- Susan Johnson, novelist[10]
Deaths
editA list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1956 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.
- 3 March – Dale Collins, journalist and novelist (born 1897)[11]
- 15 April – Jane Fletcher, poet, nature writer and children's writer (born 1870)[12]
- 25 August – Lilian Turner, writer for children (born 1867)[13]
- 20 September – Flora Eldershaw, novelist (born 1867)[14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ Austlit - The Crooked Snake by Patricia Wrightson
- ^ Austlit - Wish and the Magic Nut by Peggy Barnard
- ^ "Austlit — A Vision of Ceremony by James McAuley". Austlit. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "Bill Leak (1953-2017)". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ "Tim Flannery". Austlit. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "Kerry Reed-Gilbert". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ "Gig Ryan". Austlit. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "Judith Beveridge". Austlit. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "Susan Johnson". Austlit. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "Collins, Cuthbert Quinlan Dale (1897–1956) by Stuart Sayers". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ "Fletcher, Jane Ada (1870–1956) by Leonard Wall". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ "Thompson, Lilian Wattnall (Lil) (1867–1956) by Brenda Niall". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ "Eldershaw, Flora Sydney (1897–1956) by Maryanne Dever". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 7 July 2023.