1944 in Australian literature explained

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1944.

Events

• The Ern Malley literary hoax is conceived when Angry Penguins editor Max Harris publishes the poems of the fictitious poet Ern Malley in the Autumn 1944 edition of his magazine. The poems had been concocted in 1943 by Australian writers James McAuley and Harold Stewart.^[1]

Books

• Bernard Cronin – The Shadows Mystery^[2]
• Zora Cross – This Hectic Age^[3]
• Zane Grey – Wilderness Trek: A Novel of Australia^[4]
• Nevil Shute – Pastoral
• Christina Stead – For Love Alone

Short stories

• Alan Marshall – "Trees Can Speak"^[5]
• Katharine Susannah Prichard – Potch and Colour^[6]

Children's and Young Adult fiction

• Peg Maltby
  • Peg's Fairy Book^[7]
  • Introducing Pip and Pepita^[8]

Poetry

See main article: 1944 in poetry.

• Rosemary Dobson – In a Convex Mirror: Poems^[9]
• Geoffrey Dutton – Night Flight and Sunrise^[10]
• E. M. England – Queensland Days : Poems^[11]
• R. D. Fitzgerald – "The Face of the Waters"^[12]
• Nora Kelly – 1940–1942^[13]
• Will Lawson – Bill the Whaler and Other Verse^[14]
• James McAuley – "The Blue Horses"^[15]
• Ern Malley – The Darkening Ecliptic^[16]
• Ian Mudie – Poets at War: An Anthology of Verse by Australian Servicemen (edited)^[17]
• Elizabeth Riddell – "The Children March"^[18]
• Kenneth Slessor
  • "Beach Burial"
  • One Hundred Poems: 1919–1939^[19]
• Judith Wright
  • "Bora Ring"^[20]
  • "Brother and Sisters"^[21]
  • "Bullocky"

Biography

• James Devaney – Shaw Neilson^[22]
• Miles Franklin and Kate Baker – Joseph Furphy: The Legend of a Man and His Book^[23]
• Alan Marshall – These are My People^[24]

Awards and honours

Literary

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1944 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 3 January – Blanche d'Alpuget, novelist and biographer^[26]
• 20 January – Caroline Caddy, poet^[27]
• 17 February – Robert Dessaix, novelist and journalist^[28]
• 25 March – Tim Thorne, poet (died 2021)^[29]
• 22 April – Damien Broderick, novelist and journalist^[30]
• 15 May – David Foster, novelist^[31]
• 22 May – John Flanagan, novelist^[32]
• 23 July – Alex Buzo, playwright (died 2006)^[33]
• 27 July – Andrew Burke, poet (died 2023)^[34]
• 25 December – Ross Fitzgerald, novelist and historian^[35]
• 29 December – Gerard Windsor, novelist^[36]

Unknown date

• Bruce Elder, journalist^[37]
• Morag Fraser, journalist and critic^[38]

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1944 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 11 April — James Picot, poet and critic (born 1906)^[39]
• 13 April – Ambrose Pratt, novelist (born 1874)^[40]
• 5 June – Capel Boake, novelist (born 1889)^[41]
• 20 August — C. H. Souter, poet (born 1864)^[42]
• 27 December – Agnes Littlejohn, poet and short story writer (born 1865)^[43]

See also

• 1944 in Australia
• 1944 in literature
• 1944 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature

Notes and References

1. Web site: Austlit — Ern Malley . Austlit. 22 September 2024.
2. Web site: The Shadows Mystery by Bernard Cronin. National Library of Australia. 24 September 2024.
3. Web site: This Hectic Age by Zora Cross. National Library of Australia. 24 September 2024.
4. Web site: Wilderness Trek: A Novel of Australia by Zane Grey. National Library of Australia. 24 September 2024.
5. Web site: "Trees Can Speak" by Alan Marshall. Austlit. 24 September 2024.
6. Web site: Potch and Colour by Katharine Susannah Prichard. National Library of Australia. 24 September 2024.
7. Web site: Peg's Fairy Book by Peg Maltby. National Library of Australia. 24 September 2024.
8. Web site: Introducing Pip and Pepita by Peg Maltby. National Library of Australia. 24 September 2024.
9. Web site: In a Convex Mirror: Poems by Rosemary Dobson. National Library of Australia. 23 September 2024.
10. Web site: Night Flight and Sunrise by Geoffrey Dutton. National Library of Australia. 23 September 2024.
11. Web site: Queensland Days : Poems by E. M. England. National Library of Australia. 23 September 2024.
12. Web site: "The Face of the Waters" by R. D. Fitzgerald. Austlit. 23 September 2024.
13. Web site: 1940–1942 by Nora Kelly. National Library of Australia. 23 September 2024.
14. Web site: Bill the Whaler and Other Verse by Will Lawson. National Library of Australia. 23 September 2024.
15. Web site: "The Blue Horses" by James McAuley. Austlit. 23 September 2024.
16. Web site: The Darkening Ecliptic by . National Library of Australia. 23 September 2024.
17. Web site: Poets at War: An Anthology of Verse by Australian Servicemen by Ian Mudie. National Library of Australia. 23 September 2024.
18. Web site: "The Children March" by Elizabeth Riddell. Austlit. 12 November 2024.
19. Web site: One Hundred Poems: 1919–1939 by Kenneth Slessor. National Library of Australia. 23 September 2024.
20. Web site: "Bora Ring" by Judith Wright. Austlit. 23 September 2024.
21. Web site: "Brother and Sisters" by Judith Wright. Austlit. 23 September 2024.
22. Web site: Shaw Neilson by James Devaney. National Library of Australia. 24 September 2024.
23. Web site: Joseph Furphy: The Legend of a Man and His Book by Miles Franklin and Kate Baker. National Library of Australia. 24 September 2024.
24. Web site: These are My People by Alan Marshall. National Library of Australia. 24 September 2024.
25. Web site: ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners . Association for the Study of Australian Literature. 22 May 2024.
26. Web site: Austlit — Blanche d'Alpuget . Austlit. 22 September 2024.
27. Web site: Austlit — Caroline Caddy . Austlit. 22 September 2024.
28. Web site: Austlit — Robert Dessaix . Austlit. 22 September 2024.
29. Web site: Timothy Colin THORNE Death Notice . 2024-02-19 . The Advocate.
30. Web site: Austlit — Damien Broderick . Austlit. 22 September 2024.
31. Web site: Austlit — David Foster . Austlit. 22 September 2024.
32. Web site: Austlit — John Flanagan . Austlit. 22 September 2024.
33. Web site: Alex Buzo (1944-2006). 2024-02-19 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
34. Web site: Andrew Burke (1944-2023). 2024-02-19 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
35. Web site: Austlit — Ross Fitzgerald . Austlit. 22 September 2024.
36. Web site: Austlit — Gerard Windsor . Austlit. 22 September 2024.
37. Web site: Austlit — Bruce Elder . Austlit. 22 September 2024.
38. Web site: Austlit — Morag Fraser . Austlit. 22 September 2024.
39. Web site: James Picot (1906-1944). Austlit. 12 October 2023.
40. Web site: Pratt, Ambrose Goddard Hesketh (1874–1944) by Diane Langmore . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 30 July 2023.
41. Web site: Kerr, Doris Boake (1889–1944) by John Arnold . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 12 August 2023.
42. Web site: Souter, Charles Henry (1864–1944) by Vivian Smith . Australian Dictionary of Biography. 12 August 2023.
43. Web site: Agnes Littlejohn (1865-1944). Austlit. 19 July 2023.