1985 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1985.

Events

 * Christopher Koch won the 1985 Miles Franklin Award for The Doubleman

Novels

 * Thea Astley — Beachmasters
 * Peter Carey — Illywhacker
 * Sumner Locke Elliott — About Tilly Beamis
 * David Foster — Dog Rock
 * Kate Grenville — Lilian's Story
 * Barbara Hanrahan — Annie Magdalene
 * Thomas Keneally — A Family Madness
 * Christopher Koch — The Doubleman

Short story collections

 * David Malouf — Antipodes
 * Olga Masters — A Long Time Dying

Crime and mystery

 * Peter Corris — Make Me Rich

Science fiction and fantasy

 * Victor Kelleher — The Beast of Heaven

Children's and young adult fiction

 * Pamela Allen — A Lion in the Night
 * Duncan Ball — Selby's Secret
 * Thurley Fowler – The Green Wind
 * Robin Klein — Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left
 * Gillian Rubinstein — Space Demons

Poetry

 * Robert Gray — Selected Poems 1963–1983
 * Chris Wallace-Crabbe — The Amorous Cannibal

Drama

 * Jack Davis — No Sugar
 * Michael Gow — The Astronaut’s Wife
 * Louis Nowra — The Golden Age
 * David Williamson — Sons of Cain

Non-fiction

 * John Bryson — Evil Angels

Awards and honours

 * Jack Davis, for "service to Aboriginal literature and theatre"
 * Frank Moorhouse, for "service to Australian literature"
 * Morris West, for "service to literature"

Births
A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1985 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

Unknown date
 * Hannah Kent, historical novelist

Deaths
A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1985 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.


 * 26 January — Anne Spencer Parry, pioneer fantasy writer (born 1931)
 * 14 February — Douglas Stewart, poet, short story writer, essayist and literary editor (born 1913)
 * 19 April — John Manifold, poet and critic (born 1915)
 * 5 May — Carter Brown, writer of detective fiction (born in England, 1923)
 * 18 July — F. B. Vickers, novelist (born 1903)
 * 29 July — Judah Waten, novelist (born 1911)
 * 11 September — Eleanor Dark, novelist (born 1901)
 * 4 November — A. A. Phillips, writer, critic and teacher, best known for coining the term "Cultural Cringe" (born 1900)