Australian Book Review



Australian Book Review is Australia's leading literary review. Created in 1961 the ABR is an independent non-profit organisation that publishes articles, reviews, commentaries, essays, and new writing. The aims of the magazine are "to foster high critical standards, to provide an outlet for fine new writing, and to contribute to the preservation of literary values and a full appreciation of Australia's literary heritage".

History
Australian Book Review was established by Max Harris and Rosemary Wighton as a monthly journal in Adelaide, Australia, in 1961. In 1971 production was reduced to quarterly releases, and lapsed completely in 1974. In 1978 the journal was revived by the National Book Council and, moving to Melbourne, began producing ten issues per year.

ABR is currently sponsored by Flinders University, and supported by various organisations including the Australia Council for the Arts, Arts Victoria, Arts SA, the Sidney Myer Fund, Arnold Bloch Leibler, and Copyright Agency Limited.

Editors

 * 1961 to 1974 - Geoffrey Dutton, Max Harris and Rosemary Wighton
 * 1978 to 1986 - John McLaren
 * 1986 to 1987 - Kerryn Goldsworthy
 * 1988 - Louise Adler
 * 1989 to 1995 - Rosemary Sorensen
 * 1995 to 2000 - Helen Daniel
 * 2001 to present day - Peter Rose

Calibre Prize for an Outstanding Essay
The Calibre Prize is an annual Australian Book Review initiative intended to generate brilliant new essays and to foster new insights into culture, society, and the human condition. The Prize, first awarded in 2007, is sponsored by Copyright Agency Limited and offers an annual prize pool of AU$10,000.

Entrants to the Calibre Prize include leading Australian authors and commentators, and also emerging writers. All non-fiction subjects are eligible, from life writing to literary studies, history to politics, biography to philosophy, natural history to popular science, travel writing to environmental studies.

Winners

 * 2007 - Elisabeth Holdsworth: 'An die Nachgenborenen: For Those Who Come After'
 * 2008 - Rachel Robertson: 'Reaching One Thousand' and Mark Tredinnick: 'A Storm and a Teacup'
 * 2009 - Kevin Brophy: ‘“What’re yer looking at yer fuckin’ dog”: Violence and Fear in Žižek’s Post-political Neighbourhood’ and Jane Goodall: 'Footprints'
 * 2010 - Lorna Hallahan: 'On being Odd' and David Hansen: 'Seeing Truganini'
 * 2011 - Dean Biron: 'The Death of the Writer' and Moira McKinnon: 'Who Killed Matilda?'

Peter Porter Poetry Prize
Australian Book Review established its annual Poetry Prize in 2005, and in 2010 renamed it the Peter Porter Poetry Prize in memory of the late Australian poet. The Prize is one of Australia’s most lucrative and respected awards for poetry, and guarantees the winning and short-listed entries wide exposure through publication in ABR.

Entrants must submit a single poem of no more than 100 lines. Multiple entries are permitted, and all poems are judged anonymously.

Winners

 * 2005: Stephen Edgar
 * 2006: Judith Bishop
 * 2007: Alex Skovron
 * 2008: Ross Clark
 * 2009: Tracy Ryan
 * 2010: Anthony Lawrence
 * 2011: Judith Bishop and Tony Lintermans

Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize
Australian Book Review revived its annual short story competition in 2010, and in 2011 renamed it the Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize in memory of the late Australian writer. The total prize money for 2011 was $8000, thanks to the support of ABR Patron Mr Ian Dickson.

2011 saw two winners share the Prize, Carrie Tiffany with 'Before He Left the Family' and Gregory Day with 'The Neighbour's Beans'.

Two other stories were shortlisted in 2011: Claire Aman with 'Milk Tray' and Gaylene Carbis with 'What's Richard Ford Got to Do with It?'.

Winners

 * 2011 - Carrie Tiffany: 'Before He Left the Family' and Gregory Day: 'The Neighbour's Beans'
 * 2010 - Maria Takolander: ‘A Roānkin Philosophy of Poetry’

Past Contributors
Past contributors to ABR include:


 * Dennis Altman
 * Neal Blewett
 * J.M. Coetzee
 * Peter Craven
 * Greg Dening
 * Delia Falconer
 * Morag Fraser
 * Raimond Gaita
 * Kerryn Goldsworthy
 * Peter Goldsworthy
 * Lisa Gorton
 * Bridget Griffen-Foley
 * J.S. Harry
 * John Hirst
 * Clive James
 * Barry Jones
 * Gail Jones
 * Nicholas Jose
 * James Ley
 * Patrick McCaughey
 * David McCooey
 * Robert Manne
 * Brenda Niall
 * Dorothy Porter
 * Peter Porter
 * Peter Rose
 * Tim Rowse
 * Craig Sherborne
 * Robyn Williams
 * Geordie Williamson