Australian and indigenous literature

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visitors are kindly advised that this website includes images, sounds and names of people who have passed.

All users should be aware that some topics or historical content may be culturally sensitive, offensive or distressing, and that some images may contain nudity or are of people not yet identified. Certain words, terms or descriptions may reflect the author's/creator's attitude or that of the period in which they were written, but are now considered inappropriate in today's context.

Key to library resources

	Log in as a Library member (NSW residents only) or visit the Library
	Visit the Library
	Freely accessible eresource

Use these eresources to find:

Articles on Australian authors published in Australian journals and magazines
Many articles available in full text that you can read online

Most databases have tools to help you manage citations and referencing for your bibliography.

AustLit [eresource]
Read literary criticism, scholarly research, reviews and biographical information on Australian writing and writers in this specialised Australian resource. Browse categories such as Creative Writing, Criticism, BlackWords, Stage and Screen, and Children’s and YA Fiction, or use the Advanced search screen. Searching by author is the easiest way to navigate. Not all material on AustLit is full text; those resources that are have a blue arrow next to results. Use the library catalogue to follow up references without full text published in journals and books. See specific AustLit resources to the right on this page, and under Film and Media.
Informit [eresource]
Find criticism, reviews and literary work in this Australian database. It contains the best new writing in all genres published in Australian literary and cultural journals, literary criticism, reviews and cultural debate. Use the advanced search screen to combine search terms.
Australasian Literature: Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands [eresource]
Find literature from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s to present. This resource contains works of fiction and poetry, with some commentaries and author interviews.
Australian Book Review [eresource]
Read contemporary book reviews, critical essays, interviews and creative writing. The publication includes extended reviews of film, theatre, art and performing arts. Full online access is offered in the Library only, but some content from each issue is free to read online.
Reading Australia [external website]
Explore this resource on Australian writing of all genres and historical periods for ideas for your related texts or Extension research. It features essays by academics and authors, which you can search by author or text. Choose 'Books' to browse genres such as poetry, narrative history, graphic novels or short stories.
Cordite Poetry Review [external website]
Read new work from established and emerging poets, book reviews, interviews and criticism in this journal of Australian and international poetry.

Other resources on Australian literature

BlackWords (through AustLit database)
- This link opens in a new window
Learn about the works and lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers and storytellers, and the literary cultures and traditions that influenced them. Find information on all forms of creative writing, plus film, television, criticism and scholarship, both by and about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers. Includes nine full-text essays by Dr Anita Heiss.
Guide to using BlackWords
View this slideshow for tips on how to search for authors or works.

AustLit Anthology of Criticism (through AustLit database)
Read critical essays on major Australian texts and writers studied at senior secondary level in Australian schools. Writers include David Malouf, Judith Wright, Kenneth Slessor and Tim Winton.

Featured journal

Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature (JASAL)
Find peer-reviewed academic essays on Australian literature in all its forms (fictional, critical, print, filmic etc), and in terms of its socio-political and cultural contexts. You can search within the whole archive.