Australasian Literature Online | Alexander Street
Australasian Literature Online

Australasian Literature Online

Australasian Literature Online optimizes the study of literature by uniting nearly a century of quintessential literary works into one expansive online resource. With a strong focus on Indigenous Australians, Maori, Pacific Islanders, and female voices, the collection delivers more than 120,000 pages of poetry and fiction that capture the vibrancy of Australasia. Designed with academic audiences in mind, Australasian Literature Online pairs primary-source literature with supplementary materials—including author interviews, documentaries, scholarly writings, and other related multimedia—and makes the full content available instantly on any computer or mobile device.

What’s Included

The collection contains hundreds of the most influential literary works from across the region—from Australia, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand to Vanuatu, Samoa, and Hawaii—penned from the 1930s to present day. Featured writers include:

  • Allen Curnow—poetic voice and literary critic of New Zealand
  • Peter Cowan—distinguished West Australian novelist, author of The Hills of Apollo Bay
  • Morgan Yasbincek—celebrated contemporary Australian poet and novelist, and winner of the Anne Elder and the Mary Gilmore poetry awards
  • Albert Wendt—contemporary Pacific poet, novelist, short-story writer, playwright, painter, and academic, named Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2001 for his literary service
  • Sia Figiel—Samoan poet, novelist, and painter, past winner of the Polynesian Literary Competition and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for fiction
  • Robin Hyde—New Zealand author, poet, journalist, and outspoken activist, best known for her novels Passport to HellNor the Years Condemn, and The Godwits Fly
  • And many other writers from across the Pacific, including Alistair Te Ariki Campbell, Imaikalani Kalahele, Karlo Mila, JC Sturm, and Robert Sullivan

Supplementary materials come from many of the most important multimedia archives in the field, including the National Film and Sound Archive in Australia, whose Film Australia Collection provides more than 100 years of documentary content produced by the Australian government.

Tools for Teaching and Scholarship

The functionality behind Australasian Literature Online makes it easy for students and scholars of literature, creative writing, cultural history, and area studies to locate the most relevant materials. With unprecedented ease and clarity, users can contrast texts, discover rare works, and explore new avenues of inquiry. No other resource makes it so easy for researchers to examine how Samoan writings on independence have evolved across the decades, isolate all descriptions of food that appear in Australian fictional works, or delve into historical descriptions of indentured labor practices in Fiji.

Alexander Street's interface provides dozens of additional features, including:

  • Shareable playlists. Add all of your favorite literary works and passages into an online playlist, then easily share the link, or slide it seamlessly into any syllabus or LMS.
  • Easy citation export. Export, download, and email full, accurate citations in a range of formats.
  • Anywhere, anytime access. Explore content from your classroom, library, home computer, or mobile device.

Publication Details

Australasian Literature Online will grow to include the literary works of writers from Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Hawaii, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Rotuma, the Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tahiti, Tokelau, Tonga, Vanuatu, and more.

The collection is available to academic, public, and school libraries worldwide via subscription or one-time purchase of perpetual rights. No special setup or software is required—all you need is an Internet browser.