The reputation of Koraly Dimitriadis’s first poetry book ‘Love and Fck Poems’ has only strengthened with the over a decade old collection earning an award at the 2025 Legacy Book Awards.
Part of American Book Fest in Los Angeles, these awards honour older titles published between 2010 and 2025, with the Cypriot-Australian’s work taking out the best book of narrative poetry category.
Dimitriadis’s book had great demand when it was initially published as a zine back in 2010, notably selling out when she put it in the iconic bookshop Polyester Books on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy.
“It was selling like hot cakes. First it was their bestselling poetry book but then it quickly became one of their bestselling books,” Dimitriadis said in a press release on her award win.
The writer decided to turn it into a book, starting her own publishing company ‘Outside the Box Press’ with the knowledge that other publishers would likely be deterred from taking it on.
“I didn’t send Love and Fck Poems to any publishers, I knew nobody would publish it, especially in Australia. And I was right. Because despite selling thousands of copies of my poetry books, I have struggled to generate any publisher interest in my next poetry books ‘Just Give Me The Pills’ and ‘She’s Not Normal’.”
The poet stated she has come to accept that, appreciating the ability to express herself freely by not restricting herself to fit in with the interests of other publishers.
Love and Fck Poems was also translated into Greek as Ποιήματα για αγάπη και για γαμήσι in 2014, and she published an anniversary edition in 2023 which included the original drawings from her zine.
“When it was first published in Greek through ASTAMAN publishers in Cyprus, journalist Andonis Boskitis wrote about it in Lifo.gr and it caused a massive storm,” she said.
“Half the people were saying I was a Greek goddess, and the other were saying I had insulted the Greek poetic language. There was a lot of debate. It was definitely interesting.”
Dimitriadis is currently in Cyprus as part of a European tour.
She was an invited guest at Chania Book Festival in Crete, and will perform in Derby, UK as part of the spoken word event Word Wise, curated by British-Cypriot Jamie Thrasivoulou, on Friday 25 July at 7.30pm.
