1958 in Australian literature
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1958.
Books
- Thea Astley – Girl with a Monkey
- Nancy Cato – All the Rivers Run
- Catherine Gaskin – Blake's Reach
- Frank Hardy – The Four-Legged Lottery
- Elizabeth Harrower – The Long Prospect
- Christopher Koch – The Boys in the Island
- Eric Lambert – The Dark Backward
- Hal Porter – A Handful of Pennies
- Olaf Ruhen – Naked Under Capricorn
- Nevil Shute – The Rainbow and the Rose
- Dal Stivens – The Wide Arch
- Randolph Stow – To the Islands
- E. V. Timms – Robina
- Morris West – ''The Backlash''
Short stories
- A. Bertram Chandler – "Planet of Ill Repute"
- Peter Cowan – The Unploughed Land : Stories
- Frank Hardy – "The Crookest Raffle Ever Run in Australia"
- Roland Robertson – Black-Feller, White-Feller
- Judith Wright
- * "The Colour of Death"
- * "The Lame Duck"
Children's and Young Adult fiction
- Nan Chauncy – Devil's Hill
- John Gunn – Sea Menace
- Elyne Mitchell – The Silver Brumby
- Mary Elwyn Patchett
- * The Brumby
- * The Mysterious Pool
- Eleanor Spence – Patterson's Track
- Judith Wright – ''Kings of the Dingoes''
Poetry
- Bruce Beaver – "White Cat and Brown Girl"
- David Campbell
- * "Hear the Bird of Day"
- * "On the Birth of a Son"
- * "Prayer for Rain"
- Geoffrey Dutton – Antipodes in Shoes
- R. D. Fitzgerald – "The Wind at Your Door"
- Max Harris – "A Window at Night"
- James McAuley – "In a Late Hour"
- David Martin – Poems of David Martin, 1938-1958
- Ian Mudie – "The North-Bound Rider"
- David Rowbotham – Inland : Poems
- Randolph Stow
- * "The Embarkation"
- * "In Praise of Hillbillies"
- John Thompson – The Penguin Book of Australian Verse, edited with Kenneth Slessor and R. G. Howarth
- Francis Webb
- * "Five Days Old"
- * "The Sea"
Biography
- Russell Braddon – End of a Hate
- Ion Idriess – Back o' Cairns
- Elizabeth O'Conner – Steak for Breakfast
- Arthur Mailey – ''10 for 66 and All That''
Non-fiction
Awards and honours
Literary
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
| ALS Gold Medal | Not awarded | ||
| Miles Franklin Award | Randolph Stow | To the Islands | Macdonald |
Children's and Young Adult
| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
| Children's Book of the Year Award | Older Readers | Nan Chauncy | Tiger in the Bush | Oxford University Press |
| Children's Book of the Year Award | Picture Book | Axel Poignant | Piccaninny Walkabout | Angus and Robertson |
Poetry
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
| Grace Leven Prize for Poetry | Geoffrey Dutton | Antipodes in Shoes | Edwards and Shaw |
Births
A list, ordered by date of birth of births in 1958 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.- 6 March – Paul Hetherington, poet
- 6 April – Graeme Base, artist and writer for children
- 16 June – Isobelle Carmody, novelist
- 11 November – Kathy Lette, novelist
- 17 December – Christopher Kelen, novelist and poet
- Debra Adelaide, novelist
- Sarah Day, poet
- Lionel Fogarty, poet
- Steven Herrick, poet
- Kathleen Stewart, novelist and poet
Deaths
A list, ordered by date of death of deaths in 1958 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.- 4 January – Philip Lindsay, historical novelist
- 17 February – Hugh McCrae, poet
- 8 April – Ethel Turner, novelist
- 2 July – Mary Grant Bruce, novelist
- 4 August — Ethel Anderson, poet
- 26 September – Arthur Bayldon, poet