John Vasilakakos, as a migrant child, arrived in Australia as a 14-year- old adolescent in 1965 with his family and settled in Melbourne. He had completed Year 1 of high school in Greece and enrolled in Year 2 of high school in Australia. He completed his secondary education in what was then Moreland High School. Hard working and studious, he learnt enough English within the year to write the best essays in his class. Shortly before completing his secondary education, his English teacher asks to see him to tell him that she has not the slightest doubt that he would become a writer that everybody would read.
In the meantime, John Vasilakakos continues not only to write feverishly but to also publish various works (mainly literary) in the Greek press in Australia. What’s surprising, however, is the unprecedented fact that although he lives in an English-speaking country like Australia, thanks to his talent, his writing career from early on attracts the attention of those who are influential in the literary and publishing fields of his adopted country.
So, I would like to focus here briefly on the most significant highlights of Vasilakakos’ career:
- as a writer in English
- as a bilingual writer
- his contribution to Australian letters
- his contribution to multicultural literature in general.
in 1972, the Australian publisher Gold Star in Melbourne offers him a contract for the rights to the English language edition of his novel Never on Resurrection, published in serial form in the Greek language newspaper of Melbourne Greek Times. This is an unprecedented event in the annals of literature and publishing, not only in Australia but internationally. And this is because the writer is only 20 years old, and although the publishers have not read the entire work but only a summary of it in English, they offer him a contract immediately for the English language edition because they have found the plot and the suspense fascinating.
Next, in 1980, John Vasilakakos wins the first prize in an Australia wide competition held by the Melbourne Greek community theatre troupe “Laiki Skini” (“Popular Stage”), for his bilingual one act play The Identity, which deals with the then burning issue of the problem of bilingualism and maintenance of the Greek identity of Greek Australian children. In 1981, the play is performed by the same troupe, is performed all over Australia in hundreds of performances and attracting audiences in their thousands. In 1982, the play is published by the Athens publisher Gutenberg, in a print run of 3,000 copies, and becomes instantly a best seller in Australia selling 500 copies a week! in 1986 it is reprinted in an additional run of 3,000 copies, because now the play is now a set text in the syllabus in secondary and university education in Australia, but also in the Greek community schools, and is taught for many years. It is considered to be the most popular multicultural bilingual play in the annals of the Australian education system.
In acknowledgement of his talent, the Australian Government, through the Literature Board of the Australia Council, begins to reward him with a series of writing grants over a period of 17 years (1982-1999), to write in his own language (prose and plays) and to translate his own works into English and the works of Australian writers into Greek. Finally, his recognition by the Australian Government is sealed when he is called upon to participate as a foundation member of the Australian Multicultural Literature in 1983.
In 1985, John Vasilakakos returns to the Australian literary scene with the English language edition of his book The Shipwreck of the SOS – Profile of Tyranny (Deszery Publications, Adelaide). It’s the translation of his novel of the same name (Navagise to SOS) first published by the Athens publisher Sirius in September 1974, two months before the fall of the Junta. The English language edition, however, includes an additional story, Profile of Tyranny, which still remains untranslated and unknown in Greek. The theme of the book is repression and censorship during the seven years of rule by the Junta in Greece (1967-1974). Because of current news – and not only – the leading Australian mass media are talking about the book. Characteristic is, for instance, an article by George Megalogenis, titled “Play revives a turbulent time” in the newspaper The Sun Weekend (18/10/1986). Critic Helen Allan, also publishes a critical piece full of praise in the literary journal Outrider, describing the work as “… a valuable addition to Australians’ store of modern Greek literature in Australia [since] no one can read this deceptively simple-looking book and not be profoundly shaken,” Leonid Trett also writes very positively about the book in the magazine News Digest – International (September- November 1985). The book is included in the “guide” of best books, The Good Reading Guide (McPhee Gribble, Melbourne 1989) edited by top Australian critic Helen Daniel.
The English language edition of the sensational novel The Set-Up (Black Pepper, Melbourne 1996) is undoubtedly a milestone in John Vasilakakos’ writing career in Australia. The subject of the book is the notorious Greek Pension Scandal in Sydney in 1978, that shook the Greeks of Australia and Australian public opinion in general. The Set Up (To Kolpo) is a psychological thriller that questions the assumptions of the migrant experience. The English critic Philip Grundy observes that “The Set-Up has the potential to become to Australian literature what J’ Accuse…! is for French Literature or 1984 is to English writing.” Many academics, scholars, critics and journalists engage with this book, and many programs and tributes take place on television, on radio and in the press in both Australia and Greece.
It would be a serious omission not to mention the short story collection In Chloe’s Secret Parts – And Other Portents and Monsters (Papyrus Press, Melbourne 2015) as part of John Vasilakakos’ English language output. A large part of the collection deals with migration themes. Criticism full of praise for this collection by Ann Williams and Kosta Plastiras are indicative.
The Australian journalist Zelda Cawthorne, in her whole page tribute to John Vasilakakos titled “Greek writer bears our gifts” in the Herald Sun Literary Supplement (13-1-1996), where she praises the significant work and personality of the writer, remarks among other things: “Though Vasilakakos […] migrated to Australia at the age of 14, he has won an international following”. This assessment is confirmed indisputably with the publication of possibly Vasilakakos’ most pioneering book titled Christos Tsiolkas: The Untold Story- His Life and Work (Conor Court Publishing, Melbourne 2013). It’s the first authorized biography-study on Christos Tsiolkas, the most popular, multiple award winning and most widely read writer of Greek descent in Australia that has seen the light of public attention. This book not only cements Vasilakakos’ authority and fame in the English-speaking arena, but this time it catapults them to international heights. And this is because a plethora of scholars from the international academic community (mainly from the English-speaking world) use this book as a basic and irreplaceable reference tool and work, making its author into one of the most influential in the field of Gender Studies. A brief indicative look at the international bibliography confirms the truth of this claim.
John Vasilakakos as a bilingual writer, with his multi-dimensional work is undoubtedly one of the pioneers and protagonists of multiculturalism in Australia, and he honors equally both Greek letters and Australian Literature.
*Barbara Johnson is a Librarian at Merri-bek Libraries Melbourne. The above text is from her speech on a literary event, celebrating Dr John Vasilakakos’ 51 yeas in multicultural writing, which took place on 27-8-2024.
