Malouf, David (1934-…), is an Australian novelist and poet. Malouf’s main themes include the contrast between different cultural values, and the connection between past and present. Much of his work reflects his Lebanese ethnic background and his childhood and youth growing up in Queensland.
Malouf became a well-known poet before publishing his first novel, Johnno (1975), which is an autobiographical story set in Brisbane during World War II (1939-1945). His poetry has been collected in Neighbors in a Thicket (1974), First Things Last (1980), and Poems, 1959-89 (published in 1992). His epic novel The Great World (1990) covers 70 years of Australian history as seen through the lives of two friends. Remembering Babylon (1993) is about a white man living in an Aboriginal settlement in the 1840’s. Malouf’s other novels include An Imaginary Life (1978), Harland’s Half Acre (1984), and Conversation at Curlow’s Creek (1997). His short stories were collected in Antipodes (1985). He wrote a play, Blood Relations (1985), and a memoir, Twelve Edmonstone Street (1988).
David George Joseph Malouf was born on March 20, 1934, in Brisbane. He received a B.A. degree from the University of Queensland in 1954. He was a schoolmaster in England from 1962 to 1968. Malouf lectured at the University of Sydney from 1968 to 1977 and then lived in Italy for several years before returning to Australia.
