David Malouf facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Malouf
AO FRSL
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Malouf at the 2019 Perth Festival Writers Week
|
|
| Born | 20 March 1934 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation |
|
| Alma mater | University of Queensland |
| Period | 1962– |
| Genre |
|
| Notable works |
|
| Notable awards | Grace Leven Prize for Poetry 1974 Australian Literature Society Gold Medal 1974 Christina Stead Prize for Fiction 1979 Pascall Prize 1988 Miles Franklin Award 1991 Prix Femina Étranger 1991 Christina Stead Prize for Fiction 1993 Prix Femina Étranger 1994 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction 1994 International Dublin Literary Award 1996 Neustadt International Prize for Literature 2000 Australia-Asia Literary Award 2008 Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature 2016 |
David George Joseph Malouf (born 20 March 1934) is a famous Australian writer. He writes many different kinds of stories. He is known for his poems, novels, short stories, and plays. He also writes libretti, which are the words for operas.
Malouf has won many important awards for his writing. His book The Great World won the Miles Franklin Award in 1991. His novel Remembering Babylon was a finalist for the Booker Prize. It also won the International Dublin Literary Award in 1996. In 2000, he received the Neustadt International Prize for Literature. He also won an award for his lifetime achievements in literature in 2016.
Contents
Early Life and Education
David Malouf was born in Brisbane, Australia. His father was from Lebanon, and his mother was from England. Her family had moved to England from the Netherlands, then to Australia in 1913.
He went to Brisbane Grammar School when he was young. Later, he studied at the University of Queensland. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1955. After university, he taught for a while. He lived in London and Birkenhead in England. In 1968, he came back to Australia. He taught at his old school and at the Universities of Queensland and Sydney.
Where He Has Lived
David Malouf has lived in different places around the world. He spent time living in England and in Tuscany, Italy. For about 30 years, he lived mostly in Sydney, Australia. Now, he lives in Queensland, Australia.
His Writing Journey
David Malouf started his writing career by focusing on poetry. His first work was published in 1962. It was part of a book that included poems by three other Australian writers.
Poetry Collections
His poetry collection called Neighbours in a Thicket: Poems came out in 1974. This book shares memories from his childhood. It also talks about his mother, his sister, and his travels in Europe. This collection won several awards.
In 1992, he published Poems, 1959–1989. Another collection, Revolving Days: Selected Poems, was released in 2008. This book is divided into sections. These sections cover his childhood, his time in Europe, moving to Sydney, and traveling between Europe and Australia.
Novels and Short Stories
Malouf's first novel was Johnno, published in 1975. It tells the story of a young man growing up in Brisbane during the Second World War. The book explores the friendship between Johnno and his friend Dante.
In 1977, David Malouf started writing full-time. His novel An Imaginary Life (1978) is about the last years of the ancient Roman poet Ovid.
In 1982, he wrote a shorter novel called Fly Away Peter. This story is about three people and their experiences during the First World War.
His long novel The Great World (1990) follows the lives of two Australians. It shows their relationship through the challenges of two World Wars. This includes their time as prisoners during World War II.
Remembering Babylon (1993) is a novel that was a finalist for the Booker Prize. It is set in northern Australia in the 1850s. The story is about a group of English farmers. Their quiet life changes when a young white man arrives. He was raised by Indigenous Australians.
Malouf has also written several collections of short stories. One collection, Every Move You Make (2006), was highly praised. A critic named Peter Craven called it a "formidable and bewitching" collection. He said Malouf is a "master" writer. The Complete Stories was published in 2007.
Plays and Operas
David Malouf wrote a play called Blood Relations in 1988.
He has also written the words (libretti) for three operas. One of these is Voss. This opera is based on a novel by Patrick White. Another opera he wrote is Baa Baa Black Sheep. This opera combines a story by Rudyard Kipling with parts of Kipling's Jungle Books.
Memoir
In 1985, Malouf published his memoir, 12 Edmondstone Street. A memoir is a book about a person's own life experiences.
Sharing His Knowledge
David Malouf has also given special talks. In 1998, he delivered the Boyer Lectures on ABC Radio. These lectures are a series of talks given by a prominent Australian.
Themes in His Work
Malouf's stories often take place in Australia. However, they also have a "European feel" to them.
His writing often focuses on how people relate to their surroundings. This includes physical places like buildings or natural landscapes. He has said that each of his novels feels like exploring a new room in a house. He believes that the place you come from is always the most interesting. This is because you can see how many secrets and mysteries are in people's lives there.
Awards and Recognitions
David Malouf has received many awards for his writing. Here are some of them:
- 1974: Grace Leven Prize for Poetry, for Neighbours in a Thicket: Poems
- 1974: Australian Literature Society Gold Medal, for Neighbours in a Thicket: Poems
- 1979: New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, for An Imaginary Life
- 1982: The Age Book of the Year Award, for Fly Away Peter
- 1988: Pascall Prize for Critical Writing
- 1991: Miles Franklin Award, for The Great World
- 1991: Commonwealth Writers' Prize, for The Great World
- 1991: Prix Femina Étranger (France), for The Great World
- 1993: New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, for Remembering Babylon
- 1994: Prix Femina Étranger (France), for Remembering Babylon
- 1994: Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction, for Remembering Babylon
- 1996: International Dublin Literary Award, for Remembering Babylon
- 2000: Neustadt International Prize for Literature
- 2007: The Age Book of the Year Award for Fiction, for Every Move You Make
- 2008: Australia-Asia Literary Award, for The Complete Stories
- 2008: Lloyd O'Neil Award for outstanding service to the Australian book industry
- 2008: Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
- 2016: Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature
See also
In Spanish: David Malouf para niños
