# 1976 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1976.

## Major publications
### Books

* Robert Drewe – The Savage Crows
* David Ireland – The Glass Canoe
* Thomas Keneally – Season in Purgatory
* Frank Moorhouse – Conference-Ville
* Gerald Murnane – A Lifetime on Clouds
* Christina Stead – Miss Herbert (The Suburban Wife)
* Morris West – The Navigator
* Patrick White – A Fringe of Leaves

### Short stories

* Elizabeth Jolley – Five Acre Virgin and Other Stories
* Dal Stivens – The Unicorn and Other Tales

### Science Fiction and Fantasy

* A. Bertram Chandler – The Way Back
* Lee Harding
** The Altered I : An Encounter with Science Fiction (edited)
** Beyond Tomorrow (edited)
** Future Sanctuary
* David Lake – Walkers on the Sky

### Children's and Young Adult fiction

* Hesba Brinsmead – Under the Silkwood
* Elyne Mitchell – Son of the Whirlwind
* Eleanor Spence – The October Child

### Poetry

* John Blight – Selected Poems, 1939-1975
* Geoffrey Lehmann – Selected Poems
* Les Murray
** "The Buladelah-Taree Holiday Song Cycle"
** Selected Poems: The Vernacular Republic
* Judith Wright – Fourth Quarter

### Drama

* Dorothy Hewett – The Tatty Hollow Story
* Peter Kenna – Mates
* Steve J. Spears – The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin
* Ric Throssell – For Valour (first performed 1960)
* David Williamson
** The Club
** A Handful of Friends

### Non-fiction

* Donald Horne – Death of the Lucky Country
* Gavin Souter – Lion and Kangaroo
* Hugh Stretton – Capitalism, Socialism and the Environment

## Awards and honours
### Lifetime achievement

| Award | Author |
| Christopher Brennan Award | A. D. Hope |
| Patrick White Award | John Blight |

### Literary

| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
| The Age Book of the Year Award | A. D. Hope | A Late Picking : Poems 1965-1974 | Angus & Robertson |
| The Age Book of the Year Award | Hugh Stretton | Capitalism, Socialism and the Environment | Cambridge University Press |
| ALS Gold Medal | No award | | |
| Colin Roderick Award | Gavin Souter | Lion and Kangaroo | Collins |

### Fiction

| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
| The Age Book of the Year Award | A. D. Hope | A Late Picking : Poems 1965-1974 | Angus & Robertson |
| Miles Franklin Award | David Ireland | The Glass Canoe | Macmillan |

### Children and Young Adult

| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
| Children's Book of the Year Award | Older Readers | Ivan Southall | Fly West | Angus and Robertson |
| Children's Book of the Year Award | Picture Book | Dick Roughsey | The Rainbow Serpent | Collins |

### Science fiction and fantasy

| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
| Australian SF Achievement Award | Best Australian Science Fiction | A. Bertram Chandler | The Big Black Mark | DAW Books |

### Poetry

| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
| Grace Leven Prize for Poetry | John Blight | Selected Poems 1939–1975 | Nelson |

### Non-fiction

| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
| The Age Book of the Year Award | Hugh Stretton | Capitalism, Socialism and the Environment | Cambridge University Press |

## Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1976 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.
* 26 May — Marieke Hardy, writer
Unknown date
* Kate Morton, novelist

## Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1976 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.
* 18 February — Catherine Shepherd, playwright (born 1901)
* 16 April – Nina Murdoch, poet and biographer (born 1890)
* 2 June – Lyndall Hadow, short story writer and journalist (born 1903)
* 6 August — George Farwell, novelist (born 1911)
* 14 August — James Devaney, novelist (born 1890)
* 22 August – Ella McFadyen, poet (born 1887)
* 15 October – James McAuley, poet (born 1917)
* 23 October – Ian Mudie, poet (born 1911)