Greek-Australian author Christos Tsiolkas has been named as one of the four finalists for the Melbourne Prize for Literature.

The 56-year-old joins Jordie Albiston, Maxine Beneba Clarke, and Pi O in the running for the $60,000 prize, supported by the Vera Moore Foundation.

The prize is awarded to a Victorian published author, whose work has “made an outstanding contribution to Australian literature and to cultural and intellectual life”.

Mr Tsiolkas is the author of nine books, including Loaded (1995), which was made into the feature film Head-On, The Jesus Man, and Dead Europe, which won another Melbourne Prize in 2006 for Best Writing.

READ MORE: Christos Tsiolkas talks about “Damascus”: The dawn of a new creed

His 2008 novel The Slap was announced as the 2009 Australian Booksellers Association and Australian Book Industry Awards Books of the Year and subsequently turned into an ABC television series featuring actor Alex Dimitriades, before being adapted in the United States.

Mr Tsiolkas’, most recent published work Damascus was released in 2019 and claimed the prize for the fictional category of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award.

The winners in the triennial awards will be announced online at 6:00pm on 10 November.