Alex Buzo

Alex Buzo was born on 23 July 1944 in Sydney. is a Korean studies scholar and former Australian diplomat. The first school Buzo attended was the Middle Harbour Primary School. ==Career==

Playwriting career Buzo started acting with the inner Sydney New Theatre company after being inspired by director Aarne Neeme and the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). In 1966 Buzo wrote The Revolt. and two others in 1972, Macquarie, exploring issues of Australian identity and the past and Tom. At age 28, Buzo became a resident playwright with the Melbourne Theatre Company. Buzo was at the height of his career as his plays were often sold out performances and well received by attending audiences. Buzo's plays have also been performed in south East Asia and the UK. Both Hill and Buzo reconciled in 1990. Books he wrote on the Australian language and life that achieved popularity were Tautology and Meet the New Class both in 1981, Glancing Blows in 1987, The Young Persons Guide to the Theatre in 1988, Kiwese in 1994 and A Dictionary of the Almost Obvious in 1998. In his writing career he wrote for the children's animation show, Arthur and the Square Knights of the Round Table. In 2001, he gave the 3rd annual Tom Brock Lecture. Death Buzo died in Sydney on 16 August 2006 after several years battling cancer. ==Style==

Early in his career, Buzo's writing style and use of wit was similar to his Australian playwright contemporary David Williamson. Like Pinter, Buzo's works were marked by surrealism, use of triviality, colloquial expressions and language. and his articles on many varied subjects including reviews and travel writing were published in all the major newspapers and magazines in Australia. ==Personal life==

Buzo was married for forty years to Merelyn Johnson ("Jock"), an art teacher from Armidale and the couple had three daughters, Emma, Laura and Genevieve and several grandchildren. He supported the North Sydney Bears (later known as the Northern Eagles) and participated in the failed campaign to stop its demotion from the National Rugby League. ==Legacy==

The Alex Buzo Company In 2007, Buzo's eldest daughter Emma formed The Alex Buzo Company. Its aim is to produce, promote and perpetuate the work of Alex Buzo both in Australia and internationally. The company is supported by the Buzo family and manages his estate. It is dedicated to fostering the same level of excellence Buzo achieved in his career in contemporary Australian literature through innovative programs of theatre, education and training. In honour of Buzo's life work, the Alex Buzo Shortlist Prize was created (2006) for Australian writers. ==Awards==

• 1972 Gold Medal from the Australian Literature Society for his history play Macquarie • 1998 an Alumni Award from the University of New South Wales • 2005 Honorary Doctorate of Letters from UNSW for his contribution to Australian Literature. ==Works==

Plays • The Revolt (1967) • Norm and Ahmed (Currency Press, 1968) • The Front Room Boys (Currency Press, 1970) • Macquarie (Currency Press, 1971) • ''Batman's Beach-Head'' (1973) • Rooted (Currency Press, 1973) • Roy Murphy Show (Currency Press, 1973) • Coralie Lansdowne Says No (Currency Press, 1974) • Tom (Angus & Robertson, 1975) • Vicki Madison Clocks Out (Currency Press, 1976) • Martello Towers (Currency Press, 1976) • Makassar Reef (Currency Press, 1978) • Big River (Currency Press, 1985) • The Marginal Farm (Currency Press, 1985) • Stingray (Currency Press, 1987) • Shellcove Road (1989) • Pacific Union (Currency Press, 1995) Non-fiction • Legends of the Baggy Green (Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2004) • A Dictionary of the Almost Obvious (The Text Publishing Company, Melbourne, 1998) • Kiwese (Mandarin, Port Melbourne, 1994) • The Longest Game: A Collection of the Best Cricket Writing from Alexander to Zavos, from the Gabba to the Yabba, co-edited with Jamie Grant (Mandarin, Port Melbourne, 1990, ) • The Young Persons Guide to the Theatre (Penguin, Ringwood, 1988) • Glancing Blows (Penguin, Ringwood, 1987) • Meet the New Class (Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1981) • Tautology (Penguin, Ringwood, 1981) Fiction • Prue Flies North (Mandarin, Port Melbourne, 1991) • The Search for Harry Allway (Angus and Robertson, Sydney 1985) Cartoon scripts • With Rod Hull and others, Arthur! and the Square Knights of the Round Table (1966–1968) Live-action film screenplays • Ned Kelly (1970) (uncredited) Animated film screenplays Out of the eight Dickens adaptations by Burbank Animation Studios, four were adapted by Buzo: • A Christmas Carol (1982) • Great Expectations (1983) • David Copperfield (1983) • The Old Curiosity Shop (1984) ==References==

• A comprehensive list of articles on Alex Buzo can be found on the "Media and Links" page of The Alex Buzo Company website. • • • • == External links ==