Read local: Homegrown stories to add to your to-be-read pile
How many books set in Queensland can you name? The streets, suburbs, landscapes and characters of Brisbane and beyond have inspired more stories than you might think, with plenty of local authors turning their corner of the state into literature. Here’s a list of the Queensland authors who deserve a spot on your bookshelf…
Fiction
Zig Zag Street (1996) by Nick Earls
Nick Earls’ second novel follows 28-year-old Richard Derrington, a corporate lawyer living on Red Hill’s Zig Zag Street for which the book is named as he struggles through a harrowing breakup. Told over the course of six weeks, Zig Zag Street offers a slice-of-life structure of Richard’s failures and absurdities, like the accidental concussion he causes with a high-heel. Zig Zag Street won the Betty Trask Award in 1998 and is regarded as a quintessentially Brisbane book by those who know what they’re talking about.
The Comfort of Figs (2008) by Simon Cleary
Dedicated to one of Brisbane’s biggest monuments, The Comfort of Figs follows three young construction workers working on the Story Bridge when a single tragic accident alters the course of their lives. Telling the tale of a city coming to fruition, the power of obsession and the burden of a family secret, The Comfort of Figs was recognised for its impact by being shortlisted for the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards before it was even published.
Johnno (1975) by David Malouf
David Malouf’s semi-autobiographical Johnno is considered one of the best known Brisbane novels ever written. Centring on the relationship between schoolmates, the story explores adolescence and early adulthood in 40s and 50s Brisbane. With regular mentions of Brisbane’s gardens and parkways, as well as the Brisbane River and now-defunct tramways, Johnno is as much as time machine to the Brisbane of olde as a enduring tale of identity.
Edenglassie (2023) by Melissa Lucashenko
Melissa Lucashenko’s Edenglassie chronicles the period of time between two major Queensland events – the end of convict transportations to the state and the establishment of Queensland as an independent colony in 1859, complemented by present day visitations. Following Granny Eddie’s retelling of the whitefella-concocted history of the land, Edenglassie has quickly earned a reputation as an essential Queensland read.
Tirra Lirra by The River (1978) by Jessica Anderson
When this 1978 novel was first published, it won the Miles Franklin Award for the year – which is no mean feat for those unaware of the country’s most prestigious annual literary prize. The story begins in a small country Queensland town, which the protagonist escapes to Sydney with a selfish and sanctimonious husband, followed by another escape to London. In old age, the protagonist returns to her childhood home in Queensland to reflect on the life that she left behind.
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Boy Swallows Universe (2018) by Trent Dalton
Of course, no Queensland book list would be complete without mentioning Trent Dalton and his debut novel Boy Swallows Universe. The story, a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age novel following a traumatised teenager with a complex family dynamic, has won a number of awards and been adapted for both the screen and the stage, the latter of which went on to become the best-selling show in Queensland Theatre’s history.
Praise (1992) by Andrew McGahan
Inspired by the writing of Charles Bukowski, Andrew McGahan’s first novel Praise is a semi-autobiographical story of a relationship haunted by drug and alcohol dependences, that is often credited as the novel that ignited the grunge-lit movement, a title that Andrew himself rejected. Praise won the Australian/Vogel Literary Award in 1991 and the Commonwealth Writer’ Prize for Best First Book, before being turned into a film in 1998.
Tenderfoot (2025) by Toni Jordan
Set in Brisbane’s Morningside in the 70s, Tenderfoot follows the tender and strong character of Andie, as she navigates the dissolution of her childhood world, pinpointed by the family business of greyhound racing. The book received major accolades in 2026 including being long-listed for the Miles Franklin Award and short-listed for the Indie Book Award for Fiction, the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year and the ABA Adult Fiction of the Year.
More Queensland fiction for your shelf
- The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco (1997) by John Birmingham
- Flood Children (1981) by Thomas Shapcott
- Henry Hamlet’s Heart(2021) by Rhiannon Wilde
- Oyster (1996) by Janette Turner Hospital
- Firehead (1999) by Venero Armanno
- Lola in the Mirror (2023) by Trent Dalton
- Gravity Let Me Go (2025) by Trent Dalton
- The Forgotten Garden (2008) by Kate Moreton
- Jam (2012) by Yahztee Crosshaw
- Between You and Me (2023)by Joanna Horton
- The Infernal (1997) by Kim Wilkins
- Burn by Melanie Saward
- The Dead Path by stephen m irwin
- True Love and How to Get it (1981) by Gerard Lee
- Life Drawing (2026) by Emily Lighezzolo
- The Housekeeper (2026) by Janita Cunnington
- Blood River (2019) by Tony Cavanaugh
- Muddy People (2021) by Sara El Sayed
- How to Kill a Client (2023) by Joanna Jenkins
- Skin Deep (2015) by Gary kemble
- Bloody Suspect (2021) by Don Blackley
- The Jono Series (2020-2024) by Harry Colfer
- Vigil (2016) by Angela Slatter
Memoir
He Died with a Felafel in his Hand (1994) by John Birmingham
British-born Australian author John Birmingham made waves when he wrote He Died with a Felafel in his Hand, a novel which shares the author’s dubious and colourful anecdotes about share-housing in Brisbane. The title is a reference to a deceased heroin addict found in one such house, just in case you thought renting in this city was all sunshine and rainbows. The story was adapted into the longest running stage play in Australian history, as well as a film in 2001 – this is Brisbane literary history at its richest.
Pig City: From the Saints to Savage Garden (2004) by Andrew Stafford
It’s no secret that Brisbane has a pretty rich musical offering – Savage Garden, the Saints, Powderfinger, etc – but did you know that some of your favourite local bands were subjected to severe political harassment in their prime? In Pig City, journalist and author Andrew Stafford unpicks the malice and corruption behind Brisbane’s 20th century music scene and the wrath of the Bjelke-Petersen government and the police that saw Brisbane’s musicians, radio announcers and political activists in the firing line. The Go-Betweens’ singer and co-founder Robert Forster even described the book as the best portrayal of 70s–00s Brisbane that he’s ever read. Could you possibly find a better testimonial than that? We think not.
12 Edmondstone Street (1985) by David Malouf
Inspired by his childhood home, David Malouf explores his complex history through the household jokes and family anecdotes, old habits and superstitions that made him who he was. Revisiting 30s and 40s Queensland, 12 Edmondstone Street is credited with legitimising Brisbane and suburban Queensland as a serious, lyrical subject for Australian writing.
Over the top with Jim (1989) by Hugh Lunn
Hugh Lunn never expected the story of his childhood in 40s and 50s Brisbane to resonate so strongly and with so many readers, but the impact of Over the top with Jim is far-reaching. The memoir of a family’s cake shop business and a son’s friendship with his new Russian classmate has influenced at least two readers to name their children after the author, convinced one Adelaide accountant to make the move to Brisbane and enthralled readers the world over with its nostalgic recollections of Brisbane’s Annerley.
Brisbane (2010) by Matthew Condon
Subscribe for updatesMatthew Condon’s Brisbane is the third book in a series where leading Australian authors offer a literary take on their home cities. In returning to the city of his childhood after many years away, Matthew leads the reader through contemporary Brisbane while unearthing historical tidbits of the laid-back capital city that often has the charm of a big country town.
The Mayne Inheritance (1997) by Rosamond Siemon
The Mayne Inheritance is a non-fiction narrative that tells the story of Patrick Mayne, a young man who migrated to Australia from Ireland in 1841. Following his move to Brisbane, The Mayne Inheritance unfolds like a gothic thriller as details of murder, business empires and scandal are revealed. The story won the Brisbane City Council’s One Book One Brisbane competition in 2003.
Poetry
Reliefs (2022) by Jarad Bruinstroop
This striking debut quickly earned prominence, praise and the Thomas Shapcott Award when it was published in 2022, instantly becoming treasured within Brisbane’s rich poetry scene. In Reliefs, poet Jarad Bruinstroop gets candid and vulnerable about Queer history, beauty, art and pain with a skilful blend of celebration and wit. When he’s not teaching Creative Writing at QUT, Jarad is likely growing his collection of contributions to the country’s most lauded literary journals, including Meanjin, HEAT, Overland, Rabbit and others.
The Jaguar (2022) by Sarah Holland-Batt
In her third poetry collection, Sarah Holland-Batt confronts her grief and immortalises her father in poetry as she reflects on his battle with Parkinson’s Disease. The collection opens and closes with the moments before and after Sarah’s father’s death, and full of stark vignettes of humanity and the strength of familial love. The Jaguar also won Sarah a slew of accolades, including the 2023 Stella Prize, the 2023 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award, ‘The Australian’ Book of the Year 2022 and the Queensland Premier’s Award for a Work of State Significance at the 2023 Queensland Literary Awards.
Critical State (2022) by B. R. Dionysius
B. R. Dionysius wrote his first poem in place of an analytical essay in Grade 11 – now the poet, editor and educator has appeared in numerous national and international journals and magazines, with no sign of stopping anytime soon. His 2022 poetry collection, Critical State, concerns Queensland as a whole, in particular its habitat loss, local extinct species and the ever diminishing diversity of our environment, told through rich metaphor and razor-sharp details.
Throat (2020) by Ellen van Neerven
Ellen van Neerven’s second verse collection made waves in Australia’s poetry world when it was released in 2020, instantly finding an audience that fell in love with Throat‘s exploration of love, language and land. Shining a light on Australia’s unreconciled past, Ellen navigates our country’s precarious present with an apt mixture of heart and humour. Throat‘s fiercely loyal tone won it the 2020 Quentin Bryce Award, among others.
Minjerribah (2022) by Madeleine Onraet
Queensland poet and journalist Madeleine Onraet had been visiting North Stradbroke Island, Minjerribah with her growing family for more than twenty years when she decided to memorialise her relationship with the island in verse. Minjerribah is Madeleine’s personal response to the unique landscape and animals, as the natural world guides her and her family deeper in their connection with one another and life itself.
Additional collections of Queensland poetry for your perusal
- Gap (2014) by Rebecca Jessen
- Sweeping the Light Back into the Mirror (2006) by Nathan Shepherdson
- An Open Book (2018) by David Malouf
- Gardening on Mars (2025) by Jane Frank
- Selected Poems (2017) by Thea Astley
To finish, we’d like to bring this sweet little nugget to your attention – a few lines that the renowned English journalist and novelist Rudyard Kipling wrote about our very own Brisbane, as part of his famous poem 1896 ‘The Song of The Cities’, which are as follows;
The northern stock beneath the southern skies—
I build a Nation for an Empire’s need,
Suffer a little, and my land shall rise,
Queen over lands indeed!
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