2009_in_Australian_literature
2009 in Australian literature
Literature-related events in Australia during the year of 2009
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2009.
- HarperCollins takes over ABC Books – the publishing arm of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.[1]
- Caro Llewellyn, resigns as director of the new Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas (now called the Wheeler Centre) in Melbourne before taking up the role.[2] Chrissy Sharp, the Australian general manager of Sadler's Wells Theatre in London, is appointed to take her place.[3]
- The Australia-Asia Literary Award, based in Western Australia, is suspended.[4]
Literary fiction
- Steven Amsterdam – Things We Didn't See Coming
- Peter Carey – Parrot and Olivier in America
- Steven Carroll – The Lost life
- Brian Castro – The Bath Fugues
- Nick Cave – The Death of Bunny Munro
- Tracy Crisp – Black Dust Dancing
- Deborah Forster – The Book of Emmett
- Andrea Goldsmith – Reunion
- Marion Halligan – Valley of Grace
- Sonya Hartnett – Butterfly
- Eva Hornung – Dog Boy
- Katherine Johnson – Pescador's Wake
- Tom Keneally – The People's Train
- Kate Legge – The Marriage Club
- David Malouf – Ransom
- Alex Miller – Lovesong
- Jennifer Mills – The Diamond Anchor
- Sonia Orchard – The Virtuoso
- Susan Varga – Headlong
Children's and Young Adult fiction
- Allan Baille – Krakatoa Lighthouse
- Alyssa Brugman – Girl Next Door
- Judith Clarke – The Winds of Heaven
- Mem Fox – Hello, Baby!, The Goblin and the Empty Chair
- Paul Jennings – The Nest
- Justine Larbalestier – How to Ditch Your Fairy
- Sophie Masson – The Madman of Venice
- David Metzenthen – Jarvis 24
- Tohby Riddle – The Lucky Ones
- Sean Williams – The Scarecrow
Crime and Mystery
- Robert G. Barrett – High Noon in Nimbin
- Sydney Bauer – Move to Strike
- Marshall Browne – The Iron Heart
- Peter Corris – Deep Water
- Garry Disher – Blood Moon
- Kathryn Fox – Blood Born
- Leah Giarratano – Black Ice
- Bronwyn Parry – Dark Country
Romance
- Michelle Douglas – The Aristocrat and The Single Mom
- Nicola Marsh – Two Weeks in the Magnate's Bed
- Katherine Scholes – The Hunter's Wife
- Maxine Sullivan – Valente's Baby
Science Fiction and Fantasy
- Trudi Canavan – The Magician's Apprentice
- Kim Falconer – The Spell of Rosette
- Pamela Freeman – Full Circle
- Traci Harding – Being of the Field
- Deborah Kalin – Shadow Queen
- Glenda Larke – The Last Stormlord
- Juliet Marillier – Heart's Blood
- K. J. Taylor – The Dark Griffin
- Shaune Lafferty Webb – Bus Stop on a Strange Loop
- Sean Williams – The Grand Conjunction
Drama
- Angela Betzien – The Dark Room
- Matt Cameron & Tim Finn – Poor Boy
- Joanna Murray-Smith – Rockabye
- Richard Tulloch – The Book of Everything
- David Williamson – Let the Sunshine
Poetry
- Emily Ballou – The Darwin Poems
- Judith Beveridge – Storm and Honey
- Emma Jones – The Striped World
- Jennifer Maiden – Pirate Rain
- Dorothy Porter – The Bee Hut
- Peter Porter – Better Than God
Biographies
- Roger Averill – Boy He Cry: An Island Odyssey
- Stephen Cummings – Will It Be Funny Tomorrow, Billy?: Misadventures in Music
- Jacqueline Kent – The Making of Julia Gillard
- Harry M. Miller with Peter Holder – Harry M Miller: Confessions of a Not-So-Secret Agent
- Mark McKenna – Manning Clark: A Life
- Don Walker – Shots
- Jonathon Welch – Choir Man
- George Whaley – Leo 'Rumpole' McKern: An Accidental Actor
- Kristin Williamson – David Williamson: Behind the Scenes
Lifetime achievement
More information Award, Author ...
| Award | Author |
|---|---|
| Christopher Brennan Award[5] | Jennifer Strauss |
| Melbourne Prize for Literature[6] | Gerald Murnane |
| Patrick White Award[7] | Beverley Farmer |
Close
Literary
More information Award, Author ...
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Age Book of the Year[8] | Steven Amsterdam | Things We Didn't See Coming | Sleepers Publishing |
| ALS Gold Medal[9] | Christos Tsiolkas | The Slap | Allen & Unwin |
| Colin Roderick Award[10] | Graham Freudenberg | Churchill and Australia | Pan Macmillan |
| James Boyce | Van Diemen's Land | Black Inc | |
| Nita Kibble Literary Award[11] | Jacqueline Kent | An Exacting Heart: The Story of Hephzibah Menuhin | Viking |
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Fiction
International
More information Award, Region ...
| Award | Region | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth Writers' Prize[12] | SE Asia and South Pacific | Best Novel | Christos Tsiolkas | The Slap | Allen & Unwin |
| Overall winner | Best Novel | Christos Tsiolkas | The Slap | Allen & Unwin | |
Close
National
More information Award, Author ...
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbara Jefferis Award[13] | Helen Garner | The Spare Room | Text Publishing |
| The Age Book of the Year Award[14] | Steven Amsterdam | Things We Didn't See Coming | Sleepers Publishing |
| The Australian/Vogel Literary Award[15] | Lisa Lang | Utopian Man | Allen & Unwin |
| Kristel Thornell | Night Street | Allen & Unwin | |
| Indie Book Awards Book of the Year – Fiction[16] | Craig Silvey | Jasper Jones | Allen & Unwin |
| Indie Book Awards Book of the Year – Debut Fiction[16] | Sonia Orchard | The Virtuoso | Fourth Estate |
| Miles Franklin Award[17] | Tim Winton | Breath | Random House |
| Prime Minister's Literary Award[18] | Nam Le | The Boat | Hamish Hamilton |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards | Joan London | The Good Parents | Hamish Hamilton |
| Queensland Premier's Literary Awards | Richard Flanagan | Wanting | Random House |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Award | Christos Tsiolkas | The Slap | Allen & Unwin |
Close
Crime and Mystery
National
More information Award, Category ...
| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davitt Award[19] | Novel | Malla Nunn | A Beautiful Place to Die | Pan Macmillan |
| Young adult novel | Catherine Jinks | Genius Squad | Allen & Unwin | |
| True crime | Chloe Hooper | The Tall Man | Penguin | |
| Readers' choice | Katherine Howell | The Darkest Hour | Pan Macmillan | |
| Ned Kelly Award[20] | Novel | Peter Corris | Deep Water | Allen & Unwin |
| Kel Robertson | Smoke and Mirrors | Ginninderra Press | ||
| First novel | Nick Gadd | Ghostlines | Scribe | |
| True crime | Chloe Hooper | The Tall Man | Penguin | |
| Lifetime achievement | Shane Maloney | |||
Close
Science Fiction and Fantasy
International
More information Award, Category ...
| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Fantasy Award | Best Novel | Margo Lanagan | Tender Morsels | Knopf |
Close
National
More information Award, Category ...
| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurealis Award | SF Novel | Andrew McGahan | Wonders of a Godless World | Allen & Unwin |
| SF Short Story | Peter M. Ball | "Clockwork, Patchwork and Ravens" | Apex Magazine | |
| Fantasy Novel | Trudi Canavan | The Magician's Apprentice | Orbit Books | |
| Fantasy Short Story | Christopher Green | "Father's Kill" | Beneath Ceaseless Skies | |
| Ian McHugh | "Once a Month, On a Sunday" | Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine | ||
| Horror Novel | Honey Brown | Red Queen | Penguin Books | |
| Horror Short Story | Paul Haines | "Slice of Life – A Spot of Liver" | The Mayne Press | |
| Paul Haines | "Wives" | Coeur de Lion Publishing (X6) | ||
| Ditmar Award | Novel | Margo Lanagan | Tender Morsels | Allen & Unwin |
| Novella/Novelette | Kirstyn McDermott | "Painlessness" | Greatest Uncommon Denominator | |
| Short Story | Margo Lanagan | "The Goosle" | The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy | |
| Collected Work | ed. Jack Dann | Dreaming Again | Voyager | |
| Shadows Award | Kaaron Warren | Slights | Angry Robot |
Close
Non-Fiction
More information Award, Category ...
| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Biography Award | Ann Blainey | I Am Melba | Black Inc. | |
| Indie Book Awards Book of the Year[16] | Non-Fiction | Chloe Hooper | The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island | Hamish Hamilton |
| The Age Book of the Year | Non-fiction | Guy Rundle | Down to the Crossroads | Penguin Books |
| Children's Book of the Year Award | Eve Pownall Award for Information Books | Lincoln Hall | Alive in the Death Zone | Random House |
| Davitt Award | True crime | Chloe Hooper | The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island | Hamish Hamilton |
| Prime Minister's Literary Awards | Non-fiction | Evelyn Juers | House of Exile: The Life and Times of Heinrich Mann and Nelly-Kroeger Mann | Giramondo Publishing |
| Marilyn Lake and Henry Reynolds | Drawing the Global Colour Line | Melbourne University Press | ||
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards | Non-fiction | Chloe Hooper | The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island | Hamish Hamilton |
| New South Wales Premier's History Awards | Australian History | Robin Gerster | Travels in Atomic Sunshine: Australia and the Occupation of Japan | Scribe |
| Community and Regional History | David Bollen | Up on the Hill: A History of St Patrick's College | UNSW Press | |
| General History | Warwick Anderson | The Collectors of Lost Souls: Turning Kuru Scientists into Whitemen | Johns Hopkins University Press | |
| Young People's | Anthony Hill | Captain Cook's Apprentice | Penguin Books | |
| Queensland Premier's Literary Awards | Non-fiction | Chloe Hooper | The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island | Hamish Hamilton |
| History | Jill Roe | Stella Miles Franklin | Fourth Estate | |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Award | Non-fiction | Chloe Hooper | The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island | Hamish Hamilton |
| Western Australian Premier's Book Awards | Non-fiction | Iain McCalman | Darwin's Armada | W.W. Norton |
| Western Australian history | Penelope Hetherington | Paupers, Poor Relief & Poor Houses | UWA Publishing | |
Close
Poetry
More information Award, Author ...
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Age Book of the Year | Peter Porter | Better Than God | Picador |
| Anne Elder Award[21] | Emma Jones | The Striped World | Faber and Faber |
| Grace Leven Prize for Poetry[22] | Not awarded | ||
| Mary Gilmore Prize[23] | Not awarded | ||
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards | L. K. Holt | Man Wolf Man | John Leonard Press |
| Queensland Premier's Literary Awards | Emma Jones | The Striped World | Faber |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Award | Robert Adamson | The Golden Bird | Black Inc. |
| Western Australian Premier's Book Awards | Kate Middleton | Fire Season | Giramondo Publishing |
Close
Drama
More information Award, Author ...
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick White Playwrights' Award | Ian Wilding | Forever Seven | |
Close
- 14 January – Val Vallis, poet (born 1916)[24]
- 3 June – Geoffrey C. Bingham, theological and short story writer (born 1919)[25]
- 3 July – Frank Devine, journalist (born 1931)
- 6 September – Catherine Gaskin, author (born 1929 in Ireland)[26]
- 8 September – Rica Erickson, botanical and historical writer (born 1908)
- 24 November – John West, poet (born 1951)
- "Director closes the book on literature venture". The Age. 4 February 2009. Archived from the original on 26 July 2023.
- "Minister suspends $110,000 State literary prize". Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
- "Austlit — FAW Christopher Brennan Award". Austlit. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- "Austlit — Melbourne Prize". Austlit. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- "Farmer wins literary award". Theage.com.au. 7 November 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- Steger, Jason (22 August 2009). "Apocalyptic novel wins book of the year". The Age. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- "ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- "Colin Roderick Award — Other Winners". James Cook University. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- "Kibble Literary Award". Australian National University. 9 June 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- Flood, Alison (18 May 2009). "Australian takes Commonwealth writers' prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ""Barbara Jefferis Award"". Australian Society of Authors. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- Steger, Jason (22 August 2009). "Apocalyptic novel wins book of the year". The Age. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ""Austlit – Australian/Vogel Award 2009-2012"". Austlit. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ""Indie Book Awards - Winners 2012 & prior"". Australian Independent Booksellers. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- "Tim Winton wins fourth Miles Franklin award". The Guardian. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ""Prime Minister's Literary Awards - Shortlist and winners: 2021-2008"". Creative Australia. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ""LibraryThing: Davitt Awards 2009"". LibraryThing. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
- "2009 Ned Kelly Award Winners". Australian Crime Writers. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
- "Austlit — Anne Eldr Award (2008-2010)". Austlit. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- "Austlit — Grace Leven Poetry prize (2008-2012)". Austlit. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- "Mary Gilmore Award". Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
- "Val Vallis". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- "Geoffrey C. Bingham". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- "Catherine Gaskin". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. The University of Queensland. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
Note: all references relating to awards can, or should be, found on the relevant award's page.