David Brooks was born in Canberra but spent his earliest years in Greece and Yugoslavia, where his father was an Australian immigration attaché, before returning to Australia for schooling. He is the author of three novels, with the The Umbrella Club being the most recent (UQP, 2009). He has also published collections of poetry, short fiction, and essays. His second novel, The Fern Tattoo, was shortlisted for the 2008 Miles Franklin Award, and The Balcony, his latest collection of poetry, for the 2009 NSW Premier's Kenneth Slessor Award. He teaches Australian Literature at the University of Sydney, lives in the Blue Mountains, and spends a portion of each year in a village in Istria, Slovenia. He is co-editor of the journal Southerly. His work has been widely anthologised, and translated into several languages.