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Australian literature: print resources

Australian literature

The Library holds a large collection relating to Australian literature. This guide contains selected print works only.

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To search for works about Australian Literature, select the Browse subjects option. Some examples of Browse subjects searches are:

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Reference collection

Available on open access in the Main Reading Room unless otherwise specified.

General

Annals of Australian Literature. 1992.
A chronological listing of events in Australian literary history. Also includes an index of authors. RF 820.16 H789-2.
The Cambridge Companion to Australian Literature. 2000.
Covers indigenous texts, colonial writing and reading, poetry, fiction and theatre throughout two centuries, biography and autobiography, and literary criticism in Australia. NL A 820.9 C178ca (request through the catalogue).
Contemporary Authors. 1962-2002.
Also available online through the Literature Resource Center. RF 809 CON.
The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature. 1994.
An alphabetical sequence of entries on Australian authors and literary works. RF A 820.9 W672-2.
The Oxford Literary Guide to Australia. 1993.
Accounts of geographical features and towns mentioned in Australian literature, both imaginary and real. RF A 820.9 O98xf.
The Oxford Literary History of Australia. 1998.
Aims to place literary texts in the context of the nation’s history. Includes a wide variety of texts from letters, diaries to novels and plays. RF A 820.9 O98xf.
A Readers Guide to Australian Fiction. 1992.
Chronological account of major fiction writers and their works. Includes biographical information plus critical discussion of literary works. RF A 823.009 C587re.
Who's Who of Australian Writers. 1995.
Contains over 5400 entries providing biographical and bibliographical information in one alphabetical sequence. Also includes subject index. RF A 820.9003 W628wh-2.

Bibliographies

ALS Guide to Australian Writers: A Bibliography 1963-1995. 1997.
An extensive listing of bibliographical information on Australian authors. RF A 820.9003 A461al-2.
Australian Literature 1795-1938. 1975.
Two volumes. A descriptive and bibliographical survey of books by Australian authors in poetry, drama, fiction, criticism and anthology. RF A 820.9 M647a-2.
Australian Literature to 1900: A Guide to Information Sources. 1980.
Entries are organised within three main parts: general bibliography; individual authors; and selected non fiction prose. RF A 820.16 A566au.
Bibliography of Australian Literature: A-J. 2001+
First two volumes of a project which aims to record details of all separately published creative literature by Australian writers over the last two centuries. Core genres covered are poetry, fiction, drama and children’s writing. RF 820.16 B582.
Bibliography of Australian Literature Project: List of Australian Writers, 1788-1992. 1995.
Provides a starting point for a fuller bibliographical examination of the approximately 9500 writers currently included in the Bibliography of Australian Literature Project. RFq 823.994 B582.

Poetry

Australian Poets & Their Works: A Reader's Guide. 1996.
Alphabetical entries for selected Australian poets. Includes analyses of many individual works, along with biographical information and complete lists of publications. RF A 821.009 W672au.
Bibliography of Australian Poetry 1935-1955. 1991.
Contains details on more than 1200 books of poetry. The first of a series of Working Papers of the Bibliography of Australian Literature Project. RFq A 821.0080016 M984bi.
The New Oxford Book of Australian Verse. 1996.
Chosen by Les Murray. An anthology designed for general readers of poetry. Includes ballad and folk verse, as well as Aboriginal verse and translated song-texts. RF A 821.008 N532ne-3.

Indigenous literature

Black Words, White Page: Aboriginal Literature 1929-1988. 2004.
Looks at leading figures in the Aboriginal movement such as Jack Davis, Kevin Gilbert, Charles Perkins and Oodgeroo. Provides insights into the socio-political milieu of the period 1929-1988. RF A 820.989915 S559.
The Indigenous Literature of Australia = Milli Milli Wangka. 1997.
A critical survey of the oral and written literature of the Indigenous peoples of Australia. Discusses the work of key players in Indigenous literature in the last 30 years. NL A 820.989915 M945nd (request through the catalogue).
Writing Cultures: Protocols for Producing Indigenous Literature. 2002.
Defines Indigenous literature and discusses its special nature. Looks at the current protection of Indigenous heritage and discusses oral stories and their protection. N 346.0480994 J33 (request through the catalogue).

Children’s literature

Australian Children's Books: A Bibliography. 1992+
In 3 volumes covering the years 1774-2000. RF A 823.3099282 M953.
The Oxford Companion to Australian Children's Literature. 1993.
Includes authors and illustrators who have contributed most to Australian children’s literature and culture. Subjects are listed, as are well known book characters. RF A 820.99282 L487.
Offered to Children: A History of Australian Children’s Literature 1841-1941. 1998.
Complete rewrite of earlier edition. Now genre-based as well as chronological. RF N A 820.99282 S272.
Images of Australia: A History of Australian Children’s Literature 1941-1970. 2002.
Complete rewrite of earlier edition. RF A 820.99292 S272ma.
The Proof of the Puddin': Australian Children's Literature 1970-1990. 1993.
NL A 820.9928209047 S272pr (request through the catalogue).
Who's Who of Australian Children's Writers. 1996.
Contains over 1000 entries providing biographical and bibliographic information on living Australian children’s writers. RF A 820.99282 W628wh-2.

Women writers

Bibliography of Australian Women's Literature 1795-1990: A Listing of Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Non-fiction Published in Monograph Form Arranged Alphabetically by Author. 1991.
There are 3828 authors listed, and their works comprise approximately 11,560. Emphasis is placed on the publications rather than the authors. RF 820.809287 A228.
Women Writers and Australia: A Bibliography of Fiction, 19th Century to 1987. 1988.
A bibliography arranged in three parts: 19th century, 1900-1945, and 1946-1987. Aims to produce as extensive a coverage of works as possible. RFq 823.0099287 M978wo.

Gay and lesbian literature

A Guide to Gay and Lesbian Writing in Australia. 1996.
Over a 1000 detailed entries covering a broad range of writing. Consists of author, title and subject entries arranged in alphabetical order. RF A 820.9353 H965gu.

Multicultural literature

A Bibliography of Australian Multicultural Writers. 1992.
Includes those who command languages other than English in association with cultural traditions which do not derive from the United Kingdom and Ireland. RFq 809.8994016 B582.

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