# 1975 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1975.

## Events

* Radical poet Dorothy Hewett publishes her collection Rapunzel in Suburbia, triggering a successful libel action by her lawyer ex-husband Lloyd Davies.

## Major publications
### Books

* James Aldridge – The Untouchable Juli
* Jessica Anderson – The Commandant
* Jon Cleary – The Safe House
* Frank Hardy – But the Dead Are Many
* Xavier Herbert – Poor Fellow My Country
* Thomas Keneally
** Gossip from the Forest
** Moses the Lawgiver
* David Malouf – Johnno
* William Nagle – The Odd Angry Shot

### Short stories

* Murray Bail
** "A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z"
** Contemporary Portraits and Other Stories
** "The Drover's Wife"
* Peter Carey – "Do You Love Me?"

### Science Fiction and Fantasy

* A. Bertram Chandler
** The Big Black Mark
** The Broken Cycle
* Sumner Locke Elliott – Going
* Cordwainer Smith
** The Best of Cordwainer Smith
** Norstrilia

### Children's and Young Adult fiction

* Elyne Mitchell – The Colt at Taparoo

### Poetry

* Gwen Harwood – Selected Poems
* Dorothy Hewett – Rapunzel in Suburbia
* A. D. Hope – A Late Picking : Poems 1965-1974
* Kate Jennings – Mother I'm Rooted : An Anthology of Australian Women Poets (edited)
* Les Murray – "The Powerline Incarnation"
* Peter Porter
** "An Exequy"
** Living in a Calm Country
* Thomas Shapcott – Shabbytown Calendar

### Drama

* Robert J. Merritt – The Cake Man
* Steve J. Spears – The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin

### Biography

* Charles Perkins – A Bastard Like Me

### Non-fiction

* Geoffrey Blainey – Triumph of the Nomads : A History of Ancient Australia
* Anne Summers – Damned Whores and God's Police

## Awards and honours
### Lifetime achievement

| Award | Author |
| Christopher Brennan Award | Judith Wright |
| Patrick White Award | David Campbell |

### Literary

| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
| The Age Book of the Year Award | Thea Astley | A Kindness Cup | Nelson Books |
| ALS Gold Medal | Not awarded | | |
| Colin Roderick Award | Denis Murphy | T.J. Ryan | University of Queensland Press |

### Fiction

| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
| The Age Book of the Year Award | Thea Astley | A Kindness Cup | Nelson Books |
| Miles Franklin Award | Xavier Herbert | Poor Fellow My Country | Fontana Books |

### Children and Young Adult

| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
| Children's Book of the Year Award | Older Readers | Not awarded | | |
| Children's Book of the Year Award | Picture Book | A. B. Paterson, illustrated by Quentin Hole | The Man from Ironbark | Collins |

### Science fiction and fantasy

| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
| Australian SF Achievement Award | Best Australian Science Fiction | A. Bertram Chandler | The Bitter Pill | Wren Publishing |

### Poetry

| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
| Grace Leven Prize for Poetry | Gwen Harwood | Selected Poems | Angus and Robertson |

### Non-fiction

| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
| The Age Book of the Year Award | Not awarded | | |

## Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1975 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.
* 23 June — Markus Zusak, novelist
Unknown date
* Nardi Simpson, novelist and musician

## Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1975 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.
* 11 January — Paul Grano, poet and journalist (born 1894)
* 25 May — Clive Turnbull, writer and journalist (born 1906)
Unknown date
* Winifred Birkett, novelist (born 1897)