1989 in Australian literature
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1989.
Events
- Peter Carey won the Miles Franklin Award for ''Oscar and Lucinda''
Major publications
Novels
- Jessica Anderson — Taking Shelter
- Mena Calthorpe — The Plain of Ala
- Bryce Courtenay — The Power of One
- Tom Flood — Oceana Fine
- Peter Goldsworthy — Maestro
- Elizabeth Jolley — My Father's Moon
- Tom Keneally — Towards Asmara
- Alex Miller — The Tivington Nott
- Amy Witting — ''I for Isobel''
Short story anthologies
- Liam Davison — The Shipwreck Party
- Brian Matthews — ''Quickening and Other Stories''
Crime and mystery
- Kerry Greenwood — Cocaine Blues, the first in the Phryne Fisher series.
- Jennifer Rowe — ''Murder by the Book''
Science fiction and fantasy
- Judith Clarke — The Boy on the Lake : Stories
- Greg Egan – "The Cutie"
- Rosaleen Love — ''The Total Devotion Machine and Other Stories''
Children's and young adult fiction
- Graeme Base — The Eleventh Hour
- Morris Gleitzman — ''Two Weeks with the Queen''
Poetry
- Robert Adamson — The Clean Dark
- Dorothy Hewett — A Tremendous World in Her Head: Selected Poems
- Dorothy Porter — Driving Too Fast
- Peter Porter — Possible Worlds
- Peter Skrzynecki — "Night Swim"
Drama
- Nick Enright — Daylight Saving
- Jenny Kemp — Call of the Wild
- Peta Murray
- * Spitting Chips
- * Wallflowering
- David Williamson — ''Top Silk''
Non-fiction
- Jill Ker Conway — The Road from Coorain
- Adam Shoemaker — Black Words, White Page: Aboriginal Literature 1929-1988
- Elisabeth Wynhausen — ''Manly Girls''
Awards and honours
- Mary Durack, for "service to the community and literature"
- Les Murray (poet), for "service to Australian literature"
- Thomas Shapcott, for "service to Australian literature and to arts administration"
- Gwen Harwood, for "service to literature, particularly as a poet and librettist"
- Max Harris (poet), for "service to literature"
- Clement Semmler, for "service to Australian literature"
- John Morrison (writer), for "service to literature"
Fiction
International
| Award | Category | Author | Title | Publisher |
| Commonwealth Writers' Prize | Best First Novel, SE Asia and South Pacific region | Gillian Mears | Ride a Cock Horse | Pascoe Publishing |
Poetry
| Award | Author | Title | Publisher |
| Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature | Not awarded | ||
| Anne Elder Award | Mark Miller | Conversing with Stones | Five Islands Press |
| Grace Leven Prize for Poetry | Dorothy Hewett | A Tremendous World in Her Head | Dangaroo Press |
| Mary Gilmore Award | Alex Skovron | The Rearrangement | Melbourne University Press |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards | John Tranter | Under Berlin | University of Queensland Press |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Awards | Gwen Harwood | Bone Scan | Angus and Robertson |
Drama
| Award | Category | Author | Title |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards | FilmScript | Not awarded | |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards | Radio Script | Alana Valentine | The Story of Anger Lee Bredenza |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards | Television Script | Bob Ellis and Stephen Ramsay | The True Believers |
| New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards | Play | Stephen Sewell | Hate |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Awards | Drama | Daniel Keene | Silent Partner |
Births
A list, ordered by date of birth of births in 1989 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.- 2 June — Will Kostakis, author and journalist
- Robbie Arnott, author
Deaths
A list, ordered by date of death of deaths in 1989 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.- 3 June – Connie Christie, children's writer/illustrator, photographer and commercial artist
- 16 August – Donald Friend, artist and diarist