1977 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1977.

Events

 * Ruth Park won the 1977 Miles Franklin Award for Swords and Crowns and Rings

Books

 * Jon Cleary – High Road to China
 * Helen Garner – Monkey Grip
 * Thomas Keneally – A Victim of the Aurora
 * Colleen McCullough – The Thorn Birds
 * Ruth Park – Swords and Crowns and Rings

Short stories

 * Frank Moorhouse – Tales of Mystery and Romance

Science fiction and fantasy

 * A. Bertram Chandler
 * The Far Traveller
 * Star Courier
 * Lee Harding — The Weeping Sky
 * David Lake
 * The Right Hand of Dextra
 * The Wildings of Westron
 * Cherry Wilder — The Luck of Brin's Five

Children's and young adult fiction

 * Joan Phipson – Fly into Danger
 * Eleanor Spence – A Candle for St. Antony
 * Patricia Wrightson – The Ice Is Coming

Poetry

 * Robert Adamson – Cross The Border
 * Nancy Keesing – Hails and Farewells
 * Jennifer Maiden – Mortal Details
 * Les Murray – Ethnic Radio
 * John Tranter – Crying in Early Infancy: 100 Sonnets

Drama

 * Dorothy Hewett – The Golden Oldies
 * Peter Kenna
 * Mates
 * Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted
 * Louis Nowra – Inner Voices
 * Patrick White – Big Toys
 * David Williamson – The Club

Non-fiction

 * Blanche d'Alpuget – Mediator: A biography of Sir Richard Kirby
 * Zelda D'Aprano – Zelda: The becoming of a woman
 * Fred Daly – From Curtin to Kerr
 * John Edwards – Life Wasn't Meant to Be Easy: A political profile of Malcolm Fraser
 * Paul Hasluck – Mucking About: An Autobiography

Order of Australia

 * Eleanor Dark appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)
 * Colin Thiele appointed Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)

Births
A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1977 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.


 * 7 August — Patrick Holland, novelist and short story writer

Unknown date
 * Jennifer Mills — novelist, short story writer and poet

Deaths
A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1977 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.


 * 10 July – Alec Chisholm, journalist, ornithologist and encyclopaedist (born 1890)
 * 22 August – Leon Gellert, poet (born 1892)
 * 2 September – Pat Flower, playwright, television scriptwriter and crime novelist (born 1914)
 * 12 September – Les Haylen, politician, playwright, novelist and journalist (born 1898)