1981 in Australian literature
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1981.
Events
- Peter Carey won the 1981 Miles Franklin Award for ''Bliss''
Major publications
Literary novels
- Peter Carey — Bliss
- Blanche d'Alpuget — Turtle Beach
- Sumner Locke Elliott — Signs of Life
- David Foster — Moonlite
- Miles Franklin — On Dearborn Street
- David Ireland — City of Women
- Elizabeth Jolley — The Newspaper of Claremont Street
- Colleen McCullough — An Indecent Obsession
- Morris West — ''The Clowns of God''
Crime and mystery
- Marshall Browne — Dragon Strike
- Peter Corris — ''White Meat''
Science fiction and fantasy
- John Brosnan — Skyship
- David Lake — The Man Who Loved Morlocks
- Keith Taylor — Bard
- George Turner — ''Vaneglory''
Children's and young adult fiction
- Jan Ormerod — Sunshine
- Ruth Park — The Muddle-Headed Wombat is Very Bad
- Eleanor Spence – The Seventh Pebble
- Colin Thiele — ''The Valley Between''
Poetry
- Alan Gould — Astral Sea
- Gwen Harwood — The Lion's Bride
- Geoffrey Lehmann — ''Nero's Poems: Translations of the Public and Private Poems of the Emperor Nero''
Drama
- Louis Nowra
- *Inside The Island
- *''The Precious Woman''
Non-fiction
- Albert Facey — A Fortunate Life
- Henry Reynolds — The Other Side of the Frontier
- Eric Charles Rolls — A Million Wild Acres
- Gavin Souter — A Company of Heralds
- Patrick White — ''Flaws in the Glass''
Awards and honours
Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)
Member of the Order of Australia (AM)
- Dymphna Cusack
- Beatrice Deloitte Davis
- David Ireland
- Jack Lindsay
- Alan Marshall
- Stephen Murray-Smith
- Leslie Rees
- Ivan Southall
- Joan Woodberry
Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
Poetry
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
| Anne Elder Award | Gig Ryan | The Division of Anger | Transit Press |
| Anne Elder Award | Jenny Boult | The Hotel Anonymous | Bent Enterprises |
| Grace Leven Prize for Poetry | Geoffrey Lehmann | Nero's Poems: Translations of the Public and Private Poems of the Emperor Nero | Angus & Robertson |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards | Alan Gould | Astral Sea | Angus & Robertson |
Births
A list, ordered by date of birth of births in 1981 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.- 7 April — Lili Wilkinson, author of young adult fiction
- Zana Fraillon, novelist for children and young adults
- Alice Pung, novelist and memoir writer, editor and lawyer
Deaths
A list, ordered by date of death of deaths in 1981 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.- 14 January — John O'Grady, writer, best known as Nino Culotta, author of They're a Weird Mob
- 29 March — Clive Sansom, poet and playwright
- 19 April — Louis Kaye, novelist and short story writer
- 29 April — Leonard Mann, poet and novelist
- 29 August — Wal Stone, book publisher, collector and supporter of Australian literature
- 19 October — Dymphna Cusack, novelist and playwright
- Edith Mary England, novelist and poet
- Ada Verdun Howell, author and poet