David Malouf was born in Brisbane. His father's family came to Australia from Lebanon in the 1880s and his mother's family from London just before the First World War. He was educated at the Brisbane Grammar School and the University of Queensland. He has won awards for novels and poetry, and has written libretti for two Richard Meale operas: Voss (1986) and Mer de Glace (1991), both of which have been performed by the Australian Opera.
