Alex Buzo

Alexander Buzo (23 July 1944 – 16 August 2006) was an Australian playwright and author who wrote 88 works.^[1]

Early life

Buzo was born in Sydney in 1944 to an Albanian-born father and an Australian mother. He attended The Armidale School in Armidale and the International School of Geneva before graduating from the University of New South Wales.

Playwriting career

Buzo's first play, Norm and Ahmed, explored issues of racism and generational envy and hit the headlines around Australia in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when those involved in productions in Queensland and Victoria were charged with obscenity for use of the word "fucking." The charges were eventually quashed by the Attorney-General. Other plays include Rooted, The Front Room Boys, Macquarie, Tom, Coralie Landsdowne Says No, Martello Towers, Makassar Reef, The Marginal Farm, Big River, Stingray, Shellcove Road and Pacific Union.

Subsequent career

Alex Buzo achieved success in most literary genres. He published many witty and insightful books on Australian life, language and sport, and his articles on many varied subjects including reviews and travel writing were published in all the major newspapers and magazines in Australia.

In his writing career wrote for the children's animation show, Arthur and the Square Knights of the Round Table.^[2]

In 2001 he gave the 3rd annual Tom Brock Lecture.^[3]

The Alex Buzo Company

Buzo died in Sydney on 16 August 2006 after a five-year battle with small-cell carcinoma. In 2007 Buzo's eldest daughter Emma formed The Alex Buzo Company.^[4] 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.

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, 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)

Screenplays

• The Old Curiosity Shop (1984)

Cartoon Scripts

• With Rod Hull and others, Arthur! and the Square Knights of the Round Table

Notes

References

• A comprehensive list of articles on Alex Buzo can be found on the "Media and Links" page of The Alex Buzo Company website.
• "Playwright, Alex Buzo, dies". ABC PM. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
• "Agent Details - Alex Buzo". Austlit. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
• "Author Profile - Alex Buzo". Currency Press. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
• "Plays by Alex Buzo". The Playwrights Database. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-25.