1988 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1988.

Events

• Peter Carey won the 1988 Booker Prize for Oscar and Lucinda

Major publications

Novels

• Peter Carey, Oscar and Lucinda
• Gerald Murnane, Inland
• Tim Winton, In the Winter Dark

Children's and young adult fiction

• Hesba Fay Brinsmead, When You Come to the Ferry
• Gillian Rubinstein, Beyond the Labyrinth
• Tim Winton, Jesse

Poetry

• Gwen Harwood, Bone Scan
• Judith Rodriguez, New and selected poems: The house by water
• John Tranter, Under Berlin

Drama

• Andrew Bovell, After Dinner
• Jan Cornall, Escape from a Better Place

Awards and honours

• Dorothy Auchterlonie Green AO, for "service to Australian literature, particularly as a writer, critic and teacher"
• Elizabeth Jolley AO, for "service to Australian literature"
• Rosemary Wighton AO, for "public service, to literature and to the community"
• Tom Hungerford AM, for "service to literature"
• David Martin (poet) AM, for "service to Australian literature"
• Gavin Souter AM, for "service to literature and journalism"
• Len Beadell OAM, for "service to the Public service and to literature"

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1988 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 28 February — Kylie Tennant, novelist, playwright, short-story writer, critic, biographer and historian (born 1912)
• 31 July — Stephen Murray-Smith, writer, editor and educator (born 1922)

Unknown date

• Vincent Buckley, poet, teacher, editor, essayist and critic (born 1925)

See also

• 1988 in Australia
• 1988 in literature
• 1988 in poetry
• List of years in literature
• List of years in Australian literature