1897 in Australian literature

The year 1897 in Australian literature involves some significant new books, drama, poetry and events.

For an overview of world literature see 1897 in literature.

See also: 1896 in Australian literature, 1897 in Australia, 1898 in Australian literature.

Books

• Louis Becke — Pacific Tales
• Guy Boothby
  • The Fascination of the King
  • The Lust of Hate
  • A Prince of Swindlers
  • Sheilah McLeod: A Heroine of the Back Blocks
• Ada Cambridge
  • At Midnight and Other Stories
  • A Professional Beauty
• Mary Gaunt — Kirkham's Find
• E. W. Hornung
  • My Lord Duke
  • Young Blood
• Louise Mack — Teens: A Story of Australian School Girls
• Rosa Praed — Nulma
• Roderic Quinn — Mostyn Stayne

Poetry

• Arthur A. D. Bayldon — Poems
• Barcroft Boake — Where the Dead Men Lie, and Other Poems
• E. J. Brady — "The Whaler's Pig"
• Christopher Brennan — XXI Poems 1893-1897: Towards the Source
• Victor J. Daley — "A Treat for the London Poor"
• J. Le Gay Brereton — Sweetheart Mine: Lyrics of Love and Friendship
• W. T. Goodge — "The Great Australian Adjective"
• Henry Lawson
  • "The Lights of Cobb and Co."
  • "The Old Bark School"
• Ethel Mills — "The Brumby's Death"
• Breaker Morant — "Who's Riding Old Harlequin Now?"
• John Shaw Neilson — "The Old Man's Worrying"
• Will H. Ogilvie — "The Stockyard Liar"
• A. B. Paterson
  • "The Ballad of the Calliope"
  • "By the Grey Gulf-Water"
  • "Saltbush Bill's Second Fight"
• Charles Thatcher — "Look Out Below!"
• Ethel Turner — "Orphaned by the Sea"
• David McKee Wright — Station Ballads and Other Verses

Short stories

• Guy Boothby
  • "One of the Cloth"
  • "With Three Phantoms"
• Mary Gaunt — "The Lost White Woman: A Pioneer's Yarn"
• Henry Lawson
  • "Mr Smellingscheck"
  • "Two Larrikins"
• A. B. Paterson — "Bill and Jim Nearly Get Taken Down"
• Rosa Praed — "Miss Crosson's Familiar"
• Steele Rudd
  • "Dave's Snake-Bite"
  • "Jack or Cranky Jack"
  • "A Kangaroo Hunt from Shingle Hut"
  • "The Parson and the Scone"
• Price Warung — "The Spread-Eagling of Convict Cunliffe"

Births

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1897 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 16 March — Flora Eldershaw, novelist (died 1956)
• 16 August — Marjorie Barnard, novelist (died 1987)

Unknown Date

• Winifred Birkett, novelist (died 1975)
• Dale Collins, journalist and novelist (died 1956)

Deaths

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1897 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 22 December — William Gay, poet (born 1865)

See also

• 1897 in poetry
• List of years in literature
• List of years in Australian literature

References