1962 in Australian literature
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1962.
Books
- James Aldridge – A Captive in the Land
- Thea Astley – The Well Dressed Explorer
- Martin Boyd – When Blackbirds Sing
- Nancy Cato – But Still the Stream
- Jon Cleary – The Country of Marriage
- Kenneth Cook – Chain of Darkness
- Dymphna Cusack – Picnic Races
- Catherine Gaskin – I Know My Love
- George Johnston – The Far Road
- Elizabeth Kata – Someone Will Conquer Them
- John Naish – The Cruel Field
- John O'Grady – Gone Fishin'
- Nancy Phelan – The River and the Brook
- E. V. Timms – The Big Country
- George Turner – The Cupboard Under the Stairs
- Arthur Upfield – ''The Will of the Tribe''
Short stories
- Thea Astley – "The Scenery Never Changes"
- Peter Cowan – "The Island"
- John Morrison – Twenty-Three : Stories
- Hal Porter
- * A Bachelor's Children : Short Stories
- * "A Double Because it's Snowing"
- * "First Love"
- * "Francis Silver"
- Patrick White
- * "Be Kind to Titina"
- * "The Letters"
- * "Willy-Wagtails by Moonlight"
- Amy Witting – "The Weight of a Man"
Children's and Young Adult fiction
- Nan Chauncy – Half a World Away
- John Gunn – City in Danger
- Ruth Park
- * The Muddle-Headed Wombat
- * The Road Under the Sea
- Joan Phipson
- * The Boundary Riders
- * The Family Conspiracy
- Ivan Southall – Hills End
- P. L. Travers – Mary Poppins from A to Z
- Joan Woodberry – Rafferty Makes a Landfall
- Judith Wright – Range the Mountains High
- Patricia Wrightson – ''The Feather Star''
Poetry
- David Campbell – Poems
- Bruce Dawe
- * "Enter Without So Much as Knocking"
- * No Fixed Address : Poems
- Geoffrey Dutton – Flowers and Fury : Poems
- R. D. Fitzgerald – Southmost Twelve
- Rodney Hall – Penniless Till Doomsday
- Gwen Harwood – "The Wine is Drunk"
- Dorothy Hewett & Merv Lilley – What About the People!
- Oodgeroo Noonuccal – "Colour Bar"
- Roland Robsinson – Deep Well
- Douglas Stewart – Rutherford and Other Poems
- Randolph Stow – Outrider : Poems, 1956-1962
- Francis Webb
- * "Harry"
- * "Pneumo-Encephalograph"
- Judith Wright – ''Birds : Poems''
Biography
- Joan Lindsay – Time Without Clocks
- Douglas Lockwood – I, the Aboriginal
- Alan Marshall – ''This is the Grass''
Non-fiction
Drama
- Morris West – Daughter of Silence
- Patrick White – ''The Season at Sarsaparilla''
Awards and honours
Literary
Children and Young Adult
| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
| Children's Book of the Year Award | Older Readers | L. H. Evers | The Racketty Street Gang | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Children's Book of the Year Award | Older Readers | Joan Woodberry | Rafferty Rides a Winner | M. Parrish, London |
| Children's Book of the Year Award | Picture Book | No award |
Poetry
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
| Grace Leven Prize for Poetry | R. D. Fitzgerald | Southmost Twelve | Angus and Robertson |
Births
A list, ordered by date of birth of births in 1962 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.- 17 April — Joanna Murray-Smith, playwright
- Matthew Condon, novelist
- Alison Croggon, novelist
- Luke Davies, novelist
- Charmaine Papertalk Green, poet and artist
- Craig Sherborne, poet and playwright
Deaths
A list, ordered by date of death of deaths in 1962 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.- 4 February — Nita Kibble, librarian
- 8 March – Jean Devanny, novelist
- 9 September – H. M. Green, poet and critic
- 3 December – Mary Gilmore, poet
- Margaret Fane, novelist and poet