Dimitris Tsaloumas

Dimitris Tsalousas grew up under the Italian occupation and later ran messages for the Greek resistance against the Germans. In 1952, persecuted for his political beliefs, he left Greece for Australia. After a decade and a half of silence he began publishing his poems in Greek and then in 1988 published Falcon Drinking, his first book of poems written in English. He has published seven volumes of poetry in Australia and since his retirement from teaching, he divides his time between Melbourne and Leros. Among the many prizes he has received for his writing are the National Book Council Award (1983), Patrick White Award (1994) and an Emeritus Award from Literature Board of the Australia Council for outstanding and lifelong contribution to Australian literature (2002).