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| Robert Dessaix | |
|---|---|
| Name | Robert Dessaix |
| Birth date | 1944 |
| Birth place | Hobart |
| Occupation | Writer, essayist, broadcaster, translator |
| Nationality | Australian |
Robert Dessaix is an Australian writer, essayist, broadcaster and translator known for his novels, memoirs and literary criticism. He has published fiction and non-fiction that engage with travel writing, autobiography, translation and cultural commentary. Dessaix's work has intersected with Australian literary institutions, international publishing, and public broadcasting.
Dessaix was born in Hobart and raised in Tasmania. He attended local schools before studying at the University of Sydney, where he read French language and English literature. Dessaix furthered his studies in Paris at institutions associated with Sorbonne-style education and engaged with French literature, including authors linked to Marcel Proust, Jean Cocteau, and Simone de Beauvoir. His education included immersion in European literary circles and exposure to translators connected to the traditions of Gide and Rimbaud.
Dessaix's debut work placed him within Australian contemporary letters alongside figures such as Christos Tsiolkas, Peter Carey, Helen Garner, and Germaine Greer. He published novels, short stories, and essays that dialogued with traditions represented by Virginia Woolf, Marcel Proust, Jorge Luis Borges, and Italo Calvino. His memoirs entered conversations with works by Colm Tóibín, Annie Ernaux, Patrick White, and Tom Keneally. Dessaix also produced translations and adaptations referencing texts by Marivaux, Alain-Fournier, and other French authors, bringing continental literature into Australian readerships through publishers connected to Penguin Books, Allen & Unwin, and HarperCollins.
Dessaix contributed to Australian newspapers and magazines in the company of journalists from The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Guardian (Australia). He appeared on programs aired by Australian Broadcasting Corporation, including discussions alongside presenters from Four Corners and panels associated with ABC Radio National. Dessaix's broadcasting work intersected with networks and festivals such as the Melbourne Writers Festival, the Sydney Writers' Festival, and literary segments on SBS Television.
Dessaix held appointments and gave lectures at universities and literary centers like the University of Tasmania, the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney, and international programs linked to King's College London or University of Paris. He supervised creative writing and translation workshops associated with institutions including International PEN, Australian Society of Authors, and writing programs at the National Gallery of Victoria and state arts councils.
Dessaix's oeuvre explores travel, exile, memory, desire and identity in ways resonant with writers such as Marcel Proust, Vladimir Nabokov, Jean Genet, and Susan Sontag. His style blends lyrical prose, reflective essayism and metafictional devices comparable to Jorge Luis Borges and Italo Calvino. Recurring motifs include journeys through Europe, meditations on Tasmania, encounters with Parisian culture, and interrogations of sexuality akin to narratives by E. M. Forster, James Baldwin, and Christopher Isherwood.
Dessaix has been open about aspects of his personal life, contributing to public discussions about sexuality and identity in Australian cultural debates alongside activists and writers such as Campbell Newman-era commentators, and figures involved with AIDS activism networks. His experiences intersect with communities represented by organizations like the Australian GLBTI advocacy groups and cultural venues in Sydney and Melbourne. Dessaix's biography involves relationships, travel, and a life lived between Tasmania and international cities including Paris and London.
Dessaix's work has been acknowledged by literary awards and institutions commonly associated with Australian letters, including prizes administered by bodies such as the Australia Council for the Arts, state literary awards in New South Wales and Victoria, and festival fellowships from the Melbourne Writers Festival and Sydney Writers' Festival. His books have been shortlisted and celebrated alongside recipients of honors like the Miles Franklin Award, the Stella Prize, and listings by major booksellers and cultural commentators in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian.
Category:Australian writers Category:Australian memoirists Category:People from Hobart