David George Joseph Malouf AO (; born 20 March 1934) is an Australian poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright and

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...

. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2008, Malouf has lectured at both the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

and the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

. He also delivered the 1998

Boyer Lectures The Boyer Lectures are a series of talks by prominent Australians, presenting ideas on major social, scientific or cultural issues, and broadcast on ABC Radio National. The Boyer Lectures began in 1959 as the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commi ...

. Malouf's 1974 collection '' Neighbours in a Thicket: Poems'' won the Grace Leven Prize for Poetry and the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal. His 1990 novel '' The Great World'' won numerous awards, including the 1991 Miles Franklin Award and Prix Femina Étranger His 1993 novel ''

Remembering Babylon ''Remembering Babylon'' is a book by David Malouf, published in 1993. It won the inaugural International Dublin Literary Award and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Miles Franklin Award. The novel covers themes of isolation, language ...

'' was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the 1994 Prix Femina Étranger, the 1994 ''Los Angeles Times'' Book Prize for Fiction, the 1995 Prix Baudelaire and the 1996

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

. Malouf was awarded the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2000, the Australia-Asia Literary Award in 2008 and the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature in 2016. He has been mentioned as a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Early life

Malouf was born in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, Australia, to a Christian Lebanese father and an English-born mother of Portuguese

Sephardi Jewish Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefa ...

descent. His paternal family had immigrated from Lebanon in the 1880s, while his mother's family had moved to England via the Netherlands, before migrating to Australia in 1913. He attended Brisbane Grammar School and graduated from the

with a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree in 1955. He lectured for a short period before moving to London, where he taught at

Holland Park School Holland Park School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form in Holland Park, London, England. In 2013, it has attained academy status. Opened in 1958, the school became the flagship for comprehensive education, and at one time had ove ...

, before relocating to

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

in 1962. He returned to Australia in 1968, taught at his old school,Gilling, Tom, "David Malouf: Writer", ''

The Weekend Australian Magazine ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatewat ...

'', 2–3 August 2008, p. 28 and lectured in English at the Universities of Queensland and Sydney.

Personal life

Malouf identifies as

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

. He has lived in England and

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

, and for the past three decades spent most of his time in Sydney.

Writing

Though he would later become known abroad for his prose works, Malouf initially concentrated on poetry. His first work appeared in 1962, as part of a book he shared with three more Australian poets. His collection '' Neighbours in a Thicket: Poems'' (1974) features childhood memories, his mother, his sister, travelling in Europe and war. 1992 brought the publication of ''Poems, 1959–1989''. Some of his poetry was also collected in ''Revolving Days: Selected Poems'' (2008), which is divided into four sections: on childhood, then Europe, then relocating to Sydney, then travelling between Europe and Australia. Malouf's first novel, '' Johnno'' (1975), is the semi-autobiographical tale of a young man growing up in Brisbane during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Johnno engages in shoplifting and goes to brothels, which contrasts with his friend Dante's middle class conservatism.

La Boite Theatre La Boite Theatre is an Australian theatre company based in Brisbane, Queensland. La Boite was established in 1925 and is Australia’s longest continuously running theatre company. Playing a vital role in the cultural landscape, La Boite Theat ...

adapted it for stage in 2006. Malouf began writing full-time in 1977. ''

An Imaginary Life ''An Imaginary Life'' is a 1978 novella written by David Malouf. Story outline It tells the story of the Roman poet Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (anci ...

'' (1978) is about the final years of

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

. Malouf's 1982 novella about three acquaintances and their experience of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

was titled '' Fly Away Peter''. His epic novel '' The Great World'' (1990) tells the story of two Australians and their relationship amid the turmoil of two World Wars, including imprisonment by the Japanese during World War II. His Booker Prize-shortlisted novel ''

'' (1993) is set in northern Australia during the 1850s amid a community of English immigrant farmers (with one Scottish family) whose isolated existence is threatened by the arrival of a stranger, a young white man raised from boyhood by

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

. Malouf has written several collections of short stories, and a play, '' Blood Relations'' (1988). Australian critic Peter Craven described Malouf's 2007 short-story collection ''Every Move You Make'' as "as formidable and bewitching a collection of stories as you would be likely to find anywhere in the English-speaking world". Craven went on to state that "No one else in this country has: the maintenance of tone, the expertness of prose, the easeful transition between lyrical and realist effects. The man is a master, a superb writer, and also (which is not the same thing) a completely sophisticated literary gent". ''The Complete Stories'' appeared in 2007. Malouf has also written libretti for three operas (including ''

Voss Voss () is a municipality and a traditional district in Vestland county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages include Bolstadøyri, Borstrondi, Evanger, Kvitheim, Mjølfjell, ...

'', an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Patrick White and first produced in the 1986 Adelaide Festival of Arts conducted by Stuart Challender), and ''Baa Baa Black Sheep'' (with music by Michael Berkeley), which combines a semi-autobiographical story by

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

with Kipling's '' Jungle Books''. Malouf published his

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...

, titled ''12 Edmondstone Street'', in 1985.

Lecturing

Malouf delivered the 1998

on ABC Radio.

Themes and subject matter

Malouf's work tends to be set in Australia, though "a European sensibility" is also present. His writing is characterised by a heightened sense of spatial relations, from the physical environments into which he takes his readers—whether within or outside built spaces, or in a natural landscape. He has likened each of his succession of novels to the discovery and exploration of a new room in a house, rather than part of an overarching development. "At a certain point, you begin to see what the connections are between things, and you begin to know what space it is you are exploring." From his first novel '' Johnno'' onwards, his themes focused on "male identity and soul-searching". He said that much of the male writing that preceded him "was about the world of action. I don't think that was ever an accurate description of men's lives". He identified Patrick White as the writer who turned this around in Australian literature—that White's writing was the kind "that goes behind inarticulacy and or unwillingness to speak, writing that gives the language of feeling to people who don't have it themselves". Malouf also said that "I knew that the world around you is only uninteresting if you can't see what is really going on. The place you come from is always the most exotic place you'll ever encounter because it is the only place where you recognise how many secrets and mysteries there are in people's lives". However, after nearly four decades of writing, he concluded that in older writers can sometimes be found "a fading of the intensity of the imagination, and ... of the interest in the tiny details of life and behaviour—you see ritersgetting a bit impatient with that."

Awards and honours

As well as his numous accolades for fiction, Malouf was awarded the Pascall Prize for Critical Writing in 1988. In 2008, Malouf won the Australian Publishers Association's Lloyd O'Neil Award for outstanding service to the Australian book industry. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2008. He is also an Honorary Fellow of the

Australian Academy of the Humanities The Australian Academy of the Humanities was established by Royal Charter in 1969 to advance scholarship and public interest in the humanities in Australia. It operates as an independent not-for-profit organisation partly funded by the Australia ...

. *1974: Grace Leven Prize for Poetry, for '' Neighbours in a Thicket: Poems'' *1974: Townsville Foundation for Australian Literary Studies Award, for '' Neighbours in a Thicket: Poems'' *1974: Australian Literature Society Gold Medal, for '' Neighbours in a Thicket: Poems'' *1974:

Colin Roderick Award The Colin Roderick Award is presented annually by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies at Queensland's James Cook University for "the best book published in Australia which deals with any aspect of Australian life". It was first presente ...

, for '' Neighbours in a Thicket: Poems'' *1979:

New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, t ...

, Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, for ''

'' *1982: ''The Age'' Book of the Year Award, for '' Fly Away Peter'' *1983: Australian Literature Society Gold Medal, for ''Child's Play'' and '' Fly Away Peter'' *1985: Victorian Premier's Literary Award, for ''Antipodes'' *1990: National Library of Australia National Audio Book-of-the-Year Award joint winner, for '' The Great World'' *1991 Miles Franklin Award, for '' The Great World'' *1991: Commonwealth Writers' Prize (South East Asia and South Pacific Region, Best Book from the Region Award), for '' The Great World'' *1991: Commonwealth Writers Prize, Overall Best Book Award, for '' The Great World'' *1991: Prix Femina Étranger, for '' The Great World'' *1991: Honorary doctorate from the

*1992: Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, National Fiction Award, for '' The Great World'' *1993:

, Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, for ''

'' *1993: Booker Prize shortlist, for ''

'' *1994: Prix Femina Étranger, for ''

'' *1994: Commonwealth Writers Prize, South-East Asia and South Pacific Region, Best Book from the Region Award, for ''

'' *1994: ''Los Angeles Times'' Book Prize for Fiction, for ''

'' *1994: National Book Council Banjo Award for Fiction shortlist, for ''

'' *1995: Prix Baudelaire (France), for ''

'' *1996:

, for ''

'' *1996: ''The Age'' Book of the Year Award shortlist, for '' The Conversations at Curlow Creek'' *1997: Miles Franklin Award shortlist, for '' The Conversations at Curlow Creek'' *2000: Neustadt International Prize for Literature *2007: ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'' Book of the Year Award for Fiction, for ''Every Move You Make'' *2007: The Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, Australian Short Story Collection – Arts Queensland Steele Rudd Award *2008: Australia-Asia Literary Award, for ''The Complete Stories'' *2009: Q150 Icons of Queensland for his role as an "Influential Artist", announced as part of the Q150 celebrations *2009: John D. Criticos Prize for Greek literature, for '' Ransom'' *2011:

shortlist, for '' Ransom'' *2011:

International Booker Prize The International Booker Prize (formerly known as the Man Booker International Prize) is an international literary award hosted in the United Kingdom. The introduction of the International Prize to complement the Man Booker Prize was announced ...

shortlist *2014: Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry,

, for ''Earth Hour'' *2016: Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature

Selected bibliography

Novels

* '' Johnno'' (1975) * ''

'' (1978) * ''Harland's Half Acre'' (1984) * '' The Great World'' (1990) * ''

'' (1993) * '' The Conversations at Curlow Creek'' (1996) * '' Ransom'' (2009)

Novella

* '' Fly Away Peter'' (1982)

Short story collections

* ''Child's Play'' (1982) * ''Antipodes'' (1985) * ''Untold Tales'' (1999) * '' Dream Stuff'' (2000) * ''Every Move You Make'' (2006) * ''The Complete Stories'' (2007)

Poetry collections

* ''

Bicycle and Other Poems ''Bicycle and Other Poems'' (1970) is the debut poetry collection by Australian poet and author David Malouf. The collection consists of 41 poems, several of which were previously published in various Australian poetry and general magazines, w ...

'' (1970) * '' Neighbours in a Thicket: Poems'' (1974) * ''Poems 1975–76'' (1976) * ''First Things Last'' (1980) * ''Wild Lemons: Poems'' (1980) * ''Selected Poems 1959–1989'' (1992) * ''Guide to the Perplexed and Other Poems'' ( chapbook: Warners Bay, New South Wales: Picaro Press, 2007, 16pp) * ''Typewriter Music'' (St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 2007, 82pp) * ''Revolving Days: Selected Poems'' (2008) * * ''An Open Book'' (2018), University of Queensland Press,

Non-fiction

* ''12 Edmondstone St'' (

– 1985) * "A Spirit of Play: The Making of Australian Consciousness",

(1998) * * ''Made in England: Australia's British inheritance'' (''

Quarterly Essay ''Quarterly Essay'' is an Australian periodical that straddles the border between magazines and non-fiction books. Printed in a book-like page size and using a single-column format, each issue features a single extended essay of at least 20,000 ...

'', Black Inc – QE12 - November 2003) * ''On Experience'' (''Little Books on Big Themes'' – 2008) * "The Happy Life" (''Quarterly Essay'', Black Inc – 2011) * ''The Writing Life: Book 2'' (2014)

Plays

* '' Blood Relations'' (1988)

Libretti