Following the death of Dimitris Tsaloumas last week, historian and author George Zangalis has proposed that the award-winning poet be commemorated with an annual lecture.
In admiration of the literary legacy established by the 94-year-old, Mr Zangalis believes it is the community’s duty to continue honouring his work and contributions.
“Dimitris Tsaloumas has left us a tremendous legacy in his works, and was the first Greek Australian to be contributing to literature in both languages.
“He was always shy when people sang his praises, but it is upon the rest of us to ensure that his memory is not just a matter of a eulogy every now and then, but analysis of his literary work and what he contributed to Australian cultural literary wealth,” Mr Zangalis told Neos Kosmos.
If the annual event is to be established, it has been proposed that it be coordinated with the assistance and sponsorship of the wider community.
So far the author says he has received positive feedback.
“The lecture is not just for the Greek community, but for the wider community, and for many of us to learn more about what he has written.
“I don’t think we’ve exhausted the knowledge of what Tsaloumas has done and hopefully through this lecture and other activities he’ll become better known.”
The poet passed away on Thursday 4 February in his birthplace of Leros.
After migrating to Australia in 1952 due to political persecution, Tsaloumas went on to publish his poetry in both Greek and English, for which he received a number of awards, including the Patrick White Award (1994) and an Emeritus Award from the Literature Board of the Australia Council (2002), among others.