This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2008.

Events

*"The Bulletin" magazine publishes its last issue, the first was in 1880
/ref> *The Australia Council for the Arts announces

Christopher Koch Christopher John Koch AO (16 July 1932 – 23 September 2013) was an Australian novelist, known for his 1978 novel '' The Year of Living Dangerously'', which was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film by the same name for which he co-wro ...

and

Gerald Murnane Gerald Murnane (born 25 February 1939) is an Australian novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist. Perhaps best known for his 1982 novel ''The Plains'', he has won acclaim for his distinctive prose and exploration of memory, identity and ...

as recipients of its 2008 emeritus writers awards *The Australian Federal Government announces funding for a new chair of Australian Literature based at the University of Western Australia *

Clunes, Victoria Clunes is a town in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 36 kilometres north of Ballarat, in the Shire of Hepburn. At the 2016 Australian census, 2016 census it had a population of 1,728. Clunes is best known as the site of Victoria's ...

, holds its second Booktown weekendThe book of regenesis
/ref> *The first Crime and Justice Festival in held in Melbourne over the weekend of 19–20 JulyCrime and Justice Festival
/ref> *Australia wins the right to host the 2010 World SF convention in MelbourneAussiecon 4
/ref> *A number of previously unknown Banjo Paterson poems are found in an old cash book dating back to the Boer War
/ref> *UNESCO names Melbourne as its second

City of Literature UNESCO's City of Literature programme is part of the wider Creative Cities Network. The ''Network'' was launched in 2004, and now has member cities in seven creative fields. The other creative fields are: Crafts and Folk Arts, Design, Film ...

, after Edinburgh received the first such award in 2004Write at the centre
/ref> * Caro Llewellyn, a former director of the Sydney Writers' Festival and PEN World Voices Festival in New York, is appointed as director of the new Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas (now called the

Wheeler Centre The Wheeler Centre, originally Centre of Books, Writing and Ideas, is a literary and publishing centre founded as part of Melbourne's bid to be a Unesco Creative City of Literature, which designation it earned in 2008. It is named after its pa ...

) in MelbourneCentre for writing and books gains services of a mind much travelled
/ref> * The Indie Book Awards are presented for the first time

Major publications

Literary fiction

* Debra Adelaide – ''The Household Guide to Dying'' *

Murray Bail Murray Bail (born 22 September 1941) is an Australian writer of novels, short stories and non-fiction. In 1980 he shared the Age Book of the Year award for his novel ''Homesickness''. He was born in Adelaide, South Australia, a son of Cyril Li ...

– ''

The Pages The Pages is an island group in the Australian state of South Australia consisting of two small islands and a reef located in Backstairs Passage, a strait separating Kangaroo Island and the Fleurieu Peninsula. The island group has been locate ...

'' * Geraldine Brooks – ''

People of the Book People of the Book, or ''Ahl al-Kitāb'' (), is a classification in Islam for the adherents of those religions that are regarded by Muslims as having received a divine revelation from Allah, generally in the form of a holy scripture. The clas ...

'' * Peter Carey – '' His Illegal Self'' *

Luke Davies Luke Davies (born 1962) is an Australian writer of poetry, novels and screenplays. His best known works are '' Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction'' (which was adapted for the screen in 2006) and the screenplay for the film ''Lion'', which ea ...

– ''God of Speed'' *

Robert Drewe Robert Duncan Drewe (born 9 January 1943) is an Australian novelist, non-fiction and short story writer. Biography Robert Drewe was born on 9 January 1943 in Melbourne, Victoria. At the age of six, he moved with his family to Perth. He grew up ...

– ''The Rip'' *

Richard Flanagan Richard Miller Flanagan (born 1961) is an Australian writer, who won the 2014 Man Booker Prize for his novel ''The Narrow Road to the Deep North (novel), The Narrow Road to the Deep North'' and the 2024 Baillie Gifford Prize for ''Question 7'', ...

– '' Wanting'' *

Helen Garner Helen Garner (née Ford, born 7 November 1942) is an Australian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist. Garner's debut novel, first novel, ''Monkey Grip (novel), Monkey Grip'', published in 1977, immediately established her ...

– ''

The Spare Room ''The Spare Room'' is a 2008 novel by Australian writer Helen Garner, set over the course of three weeks while the narrator, Helen, cares for a friend dying of bowel cancer. Plot summary The novel is told from the first person perspective o ...

'' *

Peter Goldsworthy Peter David Goldsworthy (born 1951) is an Australian writer and medical practitioner. He has won major awards for his short stories, poetry, novels, and opera Libretto, libretti. He is known for his novels ''Honk If You Are Jesus'', and ''Thr ...

– ''Everything I Knew'' *

Kate Grenville Catherine Elizabeth Grenville (born 1950) is an Australian author. She has published fifteen books, including fiction, non-fiction, biography, and books about the writing process. In 2001, she won the Orange Prize for Fiction, Orange Prize for ...

– ''

The Lieutenant ''The Lieutenant'' is an American television program, television series, the first created by Gene Roddenberry. An hour-long drama, it aired on NBC on Saturday evenings in the 1963–1964 television schedule. It was produced by Arena Product ...

'' * Vicki Hastrich – ''The Great Arch'' * Wendy James – ''The Steele Diaries'' * Susan Johnson – ''Life in Seven Mistakes'' * Toni Jordan – ''Addition'' * Sofie Laguna – ''One Foot Wrong'' * Nam Le – '' The Boat'' * Joan London – '' The Good Parents'' *

Louis Nowra Mark Doyle, better known by his stage name Louis Nowra, (born 12 December 1950) is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist. He is best known as one of Australia's leading playwrights. His works have been performed by all o ...

– ''

Ice Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...

'' * Kevin Rabelais – ''The Landscape of Desire'' * Claire Thomas – ''fugitive blue'' * Steve Toltz – ''

A Fraction of the Whole ''A Fraction of the Whole'' is a 2008 novel by Steve Toltz. It follows three generations of the eccentric Dean family in Australia and the people who surround them. Characters Jasper Dean Jasper Dean is Martin Dean's illegitimate son and ...

'' * Ian Townsend – ''The Devil's Eye'' *

Christos Tsiolkas Christos Tsiolkas is an Australian author, playwright, and screenwriter. He is especially known for '' The Slap'', which was both well-received critically and highly successful commercially. Several of his books have been adapted for film and t ...

– '' The Slap'' *

Tim Winton Timothy John Winton (born 4 August 1960) is an Australian writer. He has written novels, children's books, non-fiction books, and short stories. In 1997, he was named a Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia, and has won the ...

– ''

Breath Breathing (spiration or ventilation) is the neuroscience of rhythm, rhythmical process of moving air into (inhalation) and out of (exhalation) the lungs to facilitate gas exchange with the Milieu intérieur, internal environment, mostly to flu ...

'' * Arnold Zable – ''Sea of Many Returns''

Children's and young adult fiction

Isobelle Carmody Isobelle Jane Carmody (born 16 June 1958) is an Australian writer of science fiction, fantasy, children's literature, and young adult literature. She is recipient of the Aurealis Award for best children's fiction. Biography Isobelle Carmody ...

– '' The Stone Key'' *

Kate Constable Kate Constable (born 1966) is an Australian author. Her first novel was '' The Singer of All Songs'', the first in the ''Chanters of Tremaris'' trilogy. It was later followed by '' The Waterless Sea'' and ''The Tenth Power''. Biography Constabl ...

– ''Always Mackenzie'' * Alison Croggon — ''The Singing'' *

Mem Fox Merrion Frances "Mem" Fox AM (; born 5 March 1946) is an Australian writer of children's books and an educationalist specialising in literacy. Fox has been semi-retired since 1996, but she still writes and gives seminars. She lives in Adelaide ...

and Helen Oxenbury – ''Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes'' * Jackie French – ''A Rose for the ANZAC Boys'' * Mark Greenwood and Frane Lessac – ''Simpson and His Donkey'' *

Sonya Hartnett Sonya Louise Hartnett (born 23 March 1968) is an Australian author of fiction for adults, young adults, and children. She has been called "the finest Australian writer of her generation". For her career contribution to "children's and young adu ...

– '' Sadie and Ratz'' *

Jack Heath Jack Heath is an Australian writer of fiction for children and adults who is best known for the Danger, Scream, Liars and Timothy Blake series. He has been shortlisted for the ACT Book of the Year Award, CBCA Notable Book Award, Nottinghamshire ...

– ''Money Run'' * Simone Howell – ''Everything Beautiful'' *

Catherine Jinks Catherine Jinks (born 1963) is an Australian writer of fiction books for all age groups. She has won many awards including the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award four times, the Victorian Premier's Literary Award, the ...

– ''Genius Squad'' * Maureen McCarthy – ''Somebody's Crying'' *

Melina Marchetta Carmelina Marchetta (born 25 March 1965) is an Australian writer and teacher. Marchetta is best known as the author of teen novels, '' Looking for Alibrandi'', '' Saving Francesca'' and '' On the Jellicoe Road''. She has twice been awarded the ...

– ''Finnikin of the Rock'' *

Sophie Masson Sophie Masson is a French-Australian fantasy and children's author. Early life and education Sophie Masson was born in Indonesia of French parents who are of mixed ancestry (French, Basque, Spanish and Portuguese). Masson, the third in a f ...

– ''The Case of the Diamond Shadow'' *

Garth Nix Garth Richard Nix (born 19 July 1963) is an Australian writer who specialises in children's and young adult fantasy novels, notably the ''The Old Kingdom, Old Kingdom'', ''The Seventh Tower, Seventh Tower'' and ''The Keys to the Kingdom, Keys t ...

– ''

Superior Saturday ''Superior Saturday'' is the sixth novel by Garth Nix in his ''The Keys to the Kingdom'' series. It tells part of the story of a boy named Arthur as he tries to gain control of a magical world. Plot Background Arthur Penhaligon is a young ...

'' * Penni Russon – ''The Indigo Girls'' *

Shaun Tan Shaun Tan (born 15 January 1974) is an Australian artist, writer and film maker. He won an Academy Award for '' The Lost Thing'', a 2011 animated short film adaptation of the 2000 picture book he wrote and illustrated. He also wrote and illustrat ...

– ''Tales from Outer Suburbia'' * Lili Wilkinson – ''The (Not Quite) Perfect Boyfriend'' * Sean Williams ** ''The Changeling'' ** ''Dust Devils''

Crime and mystery

Peter Corris Peter Robert Corris (8 May 1942 – 30 August 2018) was an Australian academic, historian, journalist and a novelist of historical and crime fiction. As crime fiction writer, he was described as "the Godfather of contemporary Australian crime-w ...

– ''Open File'' * Leah Giarratano – ''Voodoo Doll'' *

Kerry Greenwood Kerry Isabelle Greenwood (17 June 1954 – 26 March 2025) was an Australian author and lawyer. She wrote many plays and books, most notably a string of historical detective novels centred on the character of Phryne Fisher, which was adapted a ...

– ''Murder on a Midsummer Night'' *

Marion Halligan Marion Mildred Halligan Order of Australia, AM (16 April 1940 – 19 February 2024) was an Australian writer and novelist. She authored twenty-three books, including fiction, short-fiction, and non-fiction. Her novel ''Lovers' Knots'' (1992) won ...

– ''Murder on the Apricot Coast'' * Jarad Henry – ''Blood Sunset'' * Katherine Howell – ''The Darkest Hour'' * Barry Maitland – ''Bright Air'' * PD Martin – ''Fan Mail'' * Camilla Nelson – ''Crooked'' * Alex Palmer – ''The Tattooed Man'' * Bronwyn Parry – ''As Darkness Falls'' * Kel Robertson – '' Smoke and Mirrors'' * Michael Robotham – '' Shatter''

Romance

* Anne Gracie – ''The Stolen Princess'' * Stephanie Laurens – ''The Edge of Desire'' * Margaret Leigh – ''The Heart Divided'' * Estelle Pinney – ''Burnt Sunshine''

Science fiction and fantasy

* K. A. Bedford – ''Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait'' * Honey Brown – ''Red Queen'' * Nathan Burrage – ''Fivefold'' *

Sara Douglass Sara Warneke (2 July 1957 – 27 September 2011), better known by her pen name Sara Douglass, was an Australian fantasy writer who lived in Hobart, Tasmania. She was a recipient of the Aurealis Award for best fantasy novel. Biography A great ...

– ''The Twisted Citadel'' *

Greg Egan Greg Egan (born 20 August 1961) is an Australian science fiction writer and mathematician, best known for his works of hard science fiction. Egan has won multiple awards including the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, the Hugo Award, and the Lo ...

** " Crystal Nights" ** '' Dark Integers and Other Stories'' ** ''

Incandescence Thermal radiation is electromagnetic radiation emitted by the thermal motion of particles in matter. All matter with a temperature greater than absolute zero emits thermal radiation. The emission of energy arises from a combination of electron ...

'' ** " Lost Continent" * Jennifer Fallon – ''The Chaos Crystal'' * Pamela Freeman – ''Deep Water'' * Alison Goodman – '' The Two Pearls of Wisdom'' * Traci Harding – ''The Dragon Queens'' * Simon Haynes – ''Hal Spacejock: No Free Lunch'' * Margo Lanagan – '' Tender Morsels'' * Juliet Marillier – ''Heir to Sevenwaters'' * K. E. Mills – ''The Accidental Sorcerer'' *

Cat Sparks Catriona (Cat) Sparks (born 11 September 1965, Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australians, Australian science fiction writer, editor and Publishing, publisher. Publishing As manager and editor of Agog! Press with her partner, Australian horr ...

– " Sammarynda Deep" * Sean Williams – ''Earth Ascendant''

Drama

* John Doyle – ''The Pig Iron People'' * Alexandra Edmondson – '' Cruising'' * Joanna Murray-Smith – ''Ninety''

Poetry

''See also 2008 in poetry'' * Robert Adamson – ''The Golden Bird: New and Selected Poems'', winner of the C.J. Dennis Prize for Poetry in the 2009 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, shortlisted for the 2009 ''Age'' Book of the Year Awards * Michael Brennan – ''Unanimous Night'' * David Brooks – ''The Balcony'', finalist for the 2008 Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry; University of Queensland Press, * Elizabeth Hodgson – ''Skin Painting'', winner of the 2007 David Unaipon Award; University of Queensland Press, *

Sarah Holland-Batt Sarah Holland-Batt (born 1982) is a contemporary Australian poet, critic, and academic. Early life and education Born in Southport, Queensland, Sarah Holland-Batt grew up in Australia and Denver, Colorado. She was educated at the University o ...

– ''Aria'' *

Clive James Clive James (born Vivian Leopold James; 7 October 1939 – 24 November 2019) was an Australian critic, journalist, broadcaster, writer and lyricist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1962 until his death in 2019.John Kinsella – ''Divine Comedy'', University of Queensland Press, * Anthony Lawrence – ''Bark'', University of Queensland Press, *

David Malouf David George Joseph Malouf (; born 20 March 1934) is an Australian poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright and Libretto, librettist. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2008, Malouf has lectured at both the University ...

– ''Revolving Days'', University of Queensland Press, * Peter Rose editor – ''The Best Australian Poems 2008'' Black Inc.,

Non-fiction

Germaine Greer Germaine Greer (; born 29 January 1939) is an Australian writer and feminist, regarded as one of the major voices of the second-wave feminism movement in the latter half of the 20th century. Specializing in English and women's literature, she ...

– ''On Rage'' * Chloe Hooper – '' The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island'' * John Silvester and Andrew Rule – ''Underbelly: The Gangland War''

Biographies

Peter Costello Peter Howard Costello (born 14 August 1957) is an Australian businessman, lawyer and former politician who served as the treasurer of Australia in Howard government, government of John Howard from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving trea ...

– ''The Costello Memoirs'' * Jacqueline Kent – ''An Exacting Heart: The Story of Hephzibah Menuhin'' * Andrew Riemer – ''A Family History of Smoking''

Awards and honours

Lifetime achievement

Literary

Fiction

International

National

Children and young adult

National

Crime and mystery

National

Science fiction

Poetry

Drama

Non-fiction

Deaths

* 11 January – Nancy Phelan, author (born

1913 Events January * January – Joseph Stalin travels to Vienna to research his ''Marxism and the National Question''. This means that, during this month, Stalin, Hitler, Trotsky and Tito are all living in the city. * January 3 &ndash ...

) * 27 March – Alan Collins, short story writer (born

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

) * 8 April – John Button, politician and author (born

1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...

) * 26 April – Pamela Bone, journalist and author (born

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *Janu ...

) * 29 April – John Hooker, author (born

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

) * 21 June – Justina Williams, poet (born

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Empire, British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that has been stored ...

) * 24 August – Patricia Rolfe, short story writer and critic (born

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen in Finland, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its ow ...

) * 30 September – Eleanor Spence, writer for children (born

) * 30 October – Jacob Rosenberg, poet and memoirist (born

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

) * 15 November – Ivan Southall, writer for children (born

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

) * 10 December – Dorothy Porter, poet (born

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

)

References

Note: all references relating to awards can, or should be, found on the relevant award's page. {{Years in Australian literature

Literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

Australian literature by year 21st-century Australian literature 2008 in literature