Cirrus@Austlit

This thesis analyses how literary institutions buttressed the qualitative improvements made in Australian literature between the 1930s and 1960s. It demonstrates that a professional Australian book publishing industry first emerged as a result of the Second World War, dramatically increasing publishing opportunities for Australian writers.When the extraordinary wartime conditions dissipated, a handful of key institutions maintained an improved status for Australian writing. Most prominent was the publisher, Angus & Robertson, which promoted Australian literature through various spheres of influence: in publishing, government, industry and internationally.