1940 in Australian literature

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This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1940.

For an overview of Australian literature see List of years in Australian_literature

For an overview of world literature see 1940 in literature.

See also: 1939 in Australian literature, 1940 in Australia, 1941 in Australian literature.

Events

• Meanjin magazine publishes its first issue in Brisbane.

Books

• Martin Boyd — Nuns in Jeopardy
• Dulcie Deamer — Holiday
• Arthur Gask
  • The House on the Fens
  • The Tragedy of the Silver Moon
• Michael Innes
  • The Secret Vanguard
  • There Came Both Mist and Snow
• Nevil Shute
  • Landfall: A Channel Story
  • An Old Captivity
• Helen Simpson — Maid No More
• Christina Stead — The Man Who Loved Children
• Arthur Upfield — Bushranger of the Skies

Children's

• Mary Grant Bruce — Peter & Co.
• May Gibbs — The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie
• P. L. Travers — Happy Ever After
• Dorothy Wall — Blinky Bill Joins the Army

Poetry

Main article: 1940 in poetry

• Mary Gilmore — "No Foe Shall Gather Our Harvest"
• Max Harris — The Gift of Blood
• Eve Langley — "Native-Born"
• Ian Mudie — Corroboree to the Sun
• Roderic Quinn — "Tyrrell's Bookshop"
• Kenneth Slessor
  • "Metempsychosis"
• Douglas Stewart — Elegy for an Airman

Awards and honours

Literary

Award	Author	Title	Publisher
ALS Gold Medal	William Baylebridge	This Vital Flesh	Tallabila Press

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1940 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 9 February — J. M. Coetzee, novelist
• 19 March — Andrew Taylor, poet
• 12 April — Jack Hibberd, playwright and novelist
• 16 April — Marion Halligan, novelist
• 28 July — Geoffrey Lehmann, poet and writer for children
• 7 July — Geoff Page, poet
• 18 August — Jan Owen, poet

Unknown date

• Carmel Bird, novelist
• Rosaleen Love, critic and short story writer
• Craig Powell, poet
• Ron Pretty, 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 1940 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 27 March — K. Langloh Parker, author (born 1856)
• 3 May — S. Elliott Napier, poet and journalist (born 1870)

See also

• 1940 in poetry
• List of years in literature
• List of years in Australian literature