Eugene Trivizas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eugene Trivizas
Trivizas signing autographs
Born	1946 (age 78–79) Athens, Greece
Occupation	Sociologist, author
Years active	1969–present

Eugene Trivizas (Greek: Eυγένιος Τριβιζάς, Evgenios Trivizas; born 1946) is a Greek sociologist and a famous writer of children's books. He is known for his amazing stories that capture the imagination of young readers.

In 2006, Trivizas was considered for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award. This award is a big honor for children's writers from all over the world.

Early Life and Education

Eugene Trivizas was born in Athens, Greece. He studied law at the University of Athens. Later, he continued his studies in London, England. He earned advanced degrees in law and also in criminology, which is the study of crime and criminals.

Teaching Career

Since 1978, Trivizas has taught criminology at the University of Reading in England. He teaches students about crime and how it affects society. He has also taught at other universities, including the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences in Athens.

He helps students who are working on their PhDs, which are advanced research degrees.

Research on Society and Crime

Eugene Trivizas was one of the first researchers to study how large groups of people behave in England. He looked at how crowds interact with the Police. He also studied how courts treated people involved in these crowd events. This included looking at football crowds, political protests, and music festivals.

To do his research, he spent two years working with the Metropolitan Police in London. He was allowed to see police records and even go with officers during their duties. This helped him understand how police handle crowds and how different types of crowd events were treated.

How Fear Can Prevent Crime

Trivizas also studied a complex idea called general deterrence. This idea suggests that people might avoid committing crimes if they fear being caught and punished. It's a tricky topic to study because it's hard to find the right situations for research.

Trivizas found a unique way to study this. He looked at what happened after terrorist bombs occurred in railway stations and were widely reported. His idea was that people might be less likely to steal luggage right after such events. Why? Because they might fear:

• More police would be watching, making it easier to get caught.
• The luggage itself might contain explosives, putting their lives in danger.

His research showed that immediately after these publicized incidents, there was a quick drop in luggage thefts. This suggested that either increased police presence or the fear of danger had a "deterrent effect," meaning it stopped people from committing the crime.

Literary Works

Eugene Trivizas is one of Greece's most important writers for children. He has written over a hundred books, and they are all still popular today! He has won more than twenty national and international awards for his writing.

Many of his stories have been turned into plays for the stage, and also into TV and radio shows. He is the most often performed children's playwright in Greece. In 1986, his play The Carecrow was recognized internationally for its excellent writing.

The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig

One of his most famous books published in English is The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig. It was illustrated by Helen Oxenbury and came out in 1993. This book cleverly twists the classic tale of the Three Little Pigs.

The Economist magazine praised the book, saying that only a very talented writer could change a classic story and make it just as fun and thought-provoking as the original. The Three Little Wolves became a bestseller in America and won many awards, including the "Parents' Choice Gold Award". It has been translated into fifteen languages!

Interactive Stories

Trivizas also wrote unique books like "The 33 pink rubies" and "The 88 small stuffed vine leaves." These books are called "Parapolymythia" and are part of a series called "Multiclone." They are described as "magic books containing 1000 hidden tales" because they tell a different story each time you read them. They are similar to "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, where your choices change the story.

The Coca-Cola Case

In 1997, Eugene Trivizas won a legal case against The Coca-Cola Company. He stopped the company from using the name "Fruitopia" in Greece for their drinks. "Fruitopia" was already the title of his TV show and comic books.

The court decided that Coca-Cola had unfairly used his creative work. Coca-Cola appealed the decision, but in 1999, the court ruled in Trivizas's favor again. He planned to continue the case beyond Greece.

Published Works

• The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig (with Helen Oxenbury)
  • Original Greek version, with translations in Chinese, Dutch, English, Finnish, Japanese, Portuguese, and Welsh.