1949 in Australian literature

Literature-related events in Australia during the year of 1949

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1949.

Books

James Aldridge – The Diplomat
Martin Boyd – Such Pleasure
Jon Cleary – The Long Shadow
Charmian Clift & George Johnston – High Valley
Jean Devanny – Cindie : A Chronicle of the Canefields
Philip Lindsay
- All That Glitters
- The Loves of My Lord Admiral
Alan Marshall – How Beautiful Are Thy Feet
Ruth Park – Poor Man's Orange
E. V. Timms – The Pathway of the Sun
June Wright – So Bad a Death

Short stories

Vance Palmer – "Mathieson's Wife"
Dal Stivens – "The Pepper Tree"
Judah Waten – "Neighbours"

Poetry

John Blight – "Into the Ark"
David Campbell – Speak With the Sun
Rosemary Dobson
- "Ampersand"
- "The Missal"
Geoffrey Dutton – "Wool-Shed Dance"
Nan McDonald – "Wet Summer : Botanic Gardens"
Kenneth Mackenzie – "Table-Birds"
Elizabeth Riddell
- "News of a Baby"
- "Wakeful in the Township"
Roland Robinson – Language of the Sand : Poems
David Rowbotham – "Nine O'Clock : By the Bunya Mountains"
Douglas Stewart
- "Nodding Greenhood"
- "Terra Australis"
Judith Wright
- "The Old Prison"
- Woman to Man

Drama

Max Afford – Dark Enchantment

Awards and honours

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal^[1]^[2]	Percival Serle	Dictionary of Australian Biography	Angus and Robertson

Children's and Young Adult

Award	Category	Author	Title	Publisher
Children's Book of the Year Award^[3]	Older Readers	No competition

Poetry

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
Grace Leven Prize for Poetry^[4]	Judith Wright	Woman to Man	Angus and Robertson

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1949 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

8 February – Nigel Krauth, novelist and academic
22 March – Alan Gould, novelist
7 April – Jennifer Maiden, poet
30 April – Nadia Wheatley, biographer and writer for children
15 August – Garry Disher, novelist
6 November – Barry Dickins, author and playwright

Unknown date

Ken Bolton, poet
Judith Brett, historian and academic
Steven Carroll, novelist
Jennifer Compton, poet and playwright (in New Zealand)
Laurie Duggan, poet
John Jenkins, poet
Don Watson, author

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1949 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

3 April — Ada Augusta Holman, journalist and novelist (born 1869)^[5]
15 August – Roderic Quinn, poet (born 1867)^[6]
16 September – Marion Knowles, novelist, poet and journalist (born 1865)^[7]
11 October – Sydney Ure Smith, publisher (born 1887)^[8]

References

^ ""News of the Day"". The Age, 3 November 1949, p2. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
^ ""Biographical Work" by Nettie Palmer". The Age, 7 November 1949, p2. Retrieved 13 August 2023. The announcement of the award in "The Age" inadvertently stated that it was for a biography of Australian literature. What he has done, however, and single handed, is a formidable dictionary of Australian biography.
^ ""CBCA Book of the Year Awards 1946 onwards"" (PDF). The Children's Book Council of Australia. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
^ Austlit - Woman to Man by Judith Wright
^ "Holman, Ada Augusta (1869–1949) by Heather Radi". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
^ "Quinn, Roderic Joseph (1867–1949) by Axel Clark". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
^ "Knowles, Marion (1865–1949) by Cecily Close". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
^ "Smith, Sydney George Ure (1887–1949) by Nancy D. H. Underhill". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 21 August 2023.