Alexander Buzo (Alexander John Buzo) Biography

Australian dramatist, born in Sydney, educated at the University of New South Wales. Three Plays (1973) contains Norm and Ahmed (1969), Rooted (1969), and the Roy Murphy Show (1971), the best-known of his earlier Absurdist treatments of alienating conflicts between the individual and society. The Brechtian historical play Macquarie (1971) marks the closer approach to naturalistic realism which is sustained without the sacrifice of experimentation in Tom (1972), Coralie Landsdowne Says No (1974), and Martello Towers (1976); these with Buzo's other plays of the 1970s, dramatize critical examinations of social and cultural values in contemporary Australia. Big River (1980) and The Marginal Farm (1981), published together in 1985, centre on the quest for personal viability in a period of accelerating change in Australia. His other plays include Batman's Beach-head (1973) and Shellcove Road (1989). Among Buzo's other publications are the humorous novels The Search for Harry Allway (1985) and Prue Flies North (1991), and Tautology (1981), a study of Australian English.