1974 in Australian literature

This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1974.

• The Patrick White Award is presented for the first time. White used his 1973 Nobel Prize in Literature award to establish a trust for this prize.^[1]
• The Age Book of the Year Awards are presented for the first time. The first set of awards consisted of the Fiction (or Imaginative Writing) Award and the Non-fiction Award. In addition, one of the two award winners was also named The Age Book of the Year.^[2]

• James Aldridge – Mockery in Arms^[3]
• Jon Cleary – Peter's Pence
• David Foster – The Pure Land
• Catherine Gaskin – The Property of a Gentleman ^[4]
• David Ireland – Burn^[5]
• Thomas Keneally – Blood Red, Sister Rose
• Colleen McCullough – Tim
• Ronald McKie – The Mango Tree
• Gerald Murnane – Tamarisk Row^[6]
• Morris West – Harlequin
• Thea Astley - A Kindness Cup

• Peter Carey – The Fat Man in History^[7]
• Frank Moorhouse – The Electrical Experience : A Discontinuous Narrative^[8]
• Patrick White – The Cockatoos : Shorter Novels and Stories

• A. Bertram Chandler – The Bitter Pill^[9]
• Cherry Wilder – "The Ark of James Carlyle"^[10]

• James Aldridge – The Marvellous Mongolian^[11]
• Mavis Thorpe Clark – The Sky is Free^[12]
• Ruth Park – Callie's Castle^[13]
• Joan Phipson – Helping Horse^[14]
• Colin Thiele
  • Albatross Two^[15]
  • Magpie Island^[16]

• Bruce Beaver – Lauds and Plaints : Poems (1968-1972)^[17]
• Robert Gray – Creekwater Journal^[18]
• Clive James – Peregrine Prykke's Pilgrimage Through the London Literary World : A Tragedy in Heroic Couplets^[19]
• Jennifer Maiden – Tactics ^[20]
• David Malouf – Neighbours in a Thicket : Poems
• Les Murray – Lunch and Counter Lunch^[21]

• Louis Nowra – The Death of Joe Orton^[22]
• David Williamson – The Department^[23]

• Ivan Southall – Fly West

A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1974 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.

• 9 June — Anna Goldsworthy, writer, teacher and classical pianist^[32]
• 14 June — Scott Monk, author^[33]
• 2 July — Matthew Reilly, author^[34]

Unknown date

• Alyssa Brugman, author of fiction for young adults^[35]
• Shaun Tan, artist and author^[36]

A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1974 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.

• 7 January – Nan McDonald, writer for children (born 1921)^[37]
• 21 January – R. G. Howarth, poet and critic (born 1906)^[38]
• June – Eve Langley, novelist and poet (born 1904)^[39]

• 1974 in Australia
• 1974 in literature
• 1974 in poetry
• List of years in Australian literature
• List of years in literature