Australian writer David Malouf was BOTD in 1934. Born in Brisbane to a Lebanese-English immigrant family, he studied at the University of Queensland. He moved to London in the 1950s, working as a teacher, returning to Australia in 1968 to teach at Sydney University. He published his first poetry collection Bicycle and Other Poems in 1970, followed by Neighbours in a Thicket, winning the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal. His debut novel Johnno, chronicling the homoerotically-charged friendship of two men, one of whom commits suicide, was based on his relationship with childhood friend John Milliner. One of Australia’s most renowned and prolific writers, he has published poetry, novels, short stories, non-fiction, plays and opera libretti. His 1990 novel The Great World won the Miles Franklin Award, Australia’s greatest literary prize, and his novel Remembering Babylon was nominated for the 1994 Booker Prize. Openly but discreetly gay, he has never spoken publicly about his relationship status. He lives in Sydney.