It was with great sadness that we have learned of the passing of Australian literary giant and ANZAAB Patron of Honour David Malouf AO. On behalf of the ANZAAB Board and membership, I extend sincere condolences to his family and friends.
ANZAAB members have fond memories of Mr Malouf attending the rare book fairs in the past with warm and supportive comments about the books on display. He was always pleasant, convivial and happy to be involved.
Mr Malouf, who turned 92 on March 20, is perhaps best remembered for his 1975 debut novel and mid-century portrait of Brisbane, Johnno. He had already published his first collection of poetry, Bicycle, in 1970 and several novels and collections were to follow, including Fly Away Peter, Remembering Babylon and his memoir 12 Edmonstone Street. After dividing his time between Sydney and Tuscany for many years, he returned to Queensland in 2017 and lived in an apartment tower overlooking the beach at Surfers Paradise, "where he first read Jane Eyre as a 12-year-old on summer holidays". (ABC online)
The media landscape has been flooded with obituaries (links below), a testament to his status as a beloved writer and member of the international literary scene and the Australian arts community. As Penguin Australia notes, in addition to writing poetry, essays, novels, short stories and librettos, he was a passionate supporter of Opera Australia, Adelaide Writers Week and the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. And he was, of course, our ANZAAB Patron of Honour.
Sincerely,
Dawn Albinger
President
ANZAAB
Obituaries & Notices