Bram Presser

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}

{{Short description|Australian author Bram Presser}}

{{Infobox writer

| name = Bram Presser

| birth_name =

| birth_date = 1976

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| image = Bram Presser (2023).jpg

| caption = Bram Presser (2023)

| occupation = Writer and musician

| language = English

| nationality = Australian

| ethnicity =

| citizenship =

| education =

| alma_mater =

| notableworks =

| awards = 2018 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Christina Stead Prize for Fiction

| years_active = 2011-

}}

Bram Presser (born 1976){{cite web|title= Austlit — Bram Presser |publisher= Austlit|url=https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A144718|access-date= 9 March 2024}} is a Melbourne writer and musician, known for his involvement in the Melbourne music scene and Jewish community.

He fronted the Jewish punk rock prankster band Yidcore and was the singing voice for Mick Molloy in the 2006 Australian comedy film BoyTown. Following the breakup of Yidcore in December 2009, Presser turned to writing. He is a monthly columnist for The Australian Jewish News and is the author of the literary blog Bait For Bookworms.{{Cite web|url=http://baitforbookworms.blogspot.com|title=Bait For Bookworms|website=baitforbookworms.blogspot.com|access-date=2018-12-10}}

His first short story, The Prisoner of Babel, was published in Volume 7 of The Sleepers Almanac and another story, Crumbs, won The Age Short Story Award for 2011.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/books/highwire-view-of-horrors-to-come-20120106-1po06.html|title=High-wire view of horrors to come|last=Steger|first=Jason|date=6 January 2012|website=The Age|language=en|access-date=2018-12-10}} In an interview with The Age, Presser said the story was part of a novel he had been working on for several years.

In 2000, Presser was a Bachelor of Laws Prize recipient, being awarded the Butterworths Prize (Advanced Legal Research).[http://www.law.unimelb.edu.au/news/ugrad/prizewinners.html link Source] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070525211431/http://www.law.unimelb.edu.au/news/ugrad/prizewinners.html |date=25 May 2007 }}

In 2007, Presser was painted by acclaimed Sydney artist and cardiologist Dennis Kuchar for the Archibald Prize.[http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=2614 the Australian Jewish News] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070920105751/http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=2614 |date=20 September 2007 }}

In 2015 he appeared at the Melbourne Jewish Comedy Festival in the show "What’s So Funny? A Literary L’chaim"[https://www.jewishnews.net.au/festival-of-jewish-humour/50055 Melbourne Jewish Comedy Festival] {{ |url=https://www.jewishnews.net.au/festival-of-jewish-humour/50055/ |date=20 July 2015 }}

On 28 August 2017 Presser released his first book, titled The Book of Dirt, a novel about love, family secrets and Jewish myths.[http://mwf.com.au/writer/bram-presser/ Bram Presser The Book Of Dirt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814215741/http://mwf.com.au/writer/bram-presser/ |date=14 August 2017 }} {{ |url=http://mwf.com.au/writer/bram-presser/ |date=20 July 2017 }}

The Book of Dirt won three prizes in the 2018 NSW Premier's Literary Awards: the Christina Stead Prize for fiction, the UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing, and the People's Choice Award.{{cite news|last1=Morris|first1=Linda|title=Stories of ancestral memory storm NSW Premier's Literary Awards|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/stories-of-ancestral-memory-storm-nsw-premier-s-literary-awards-20180430-p4zce9.html|accessdate=1 May 2018|work=Sydney Morning Herald|date=30 April 2018}} It also won the 2018 Voss Literary Prize.{{Cite news|url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2018/12/07/121183/presser-wins-2018-voss-literary-prize-for-the-book-of-dirt/|title=Presser wins 2018 Voss Literary Prize for ‘The Book of Dirt’|date=7 December 2018|access-date=2018-12-11|language=en-AU}} The Book of Dirt was published in the USA in 2018, where it won the National Jewish Book Award for Debut Fiction.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/awards/national-jewish-book-awards/past-winners|title=Past Winners|website=Jewish Book Council|language=en|access-date=2020-01-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200308182757/https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/awards/national-jewish-book-awards/past-winners|archive-date=8 March 2020|url-status=dead}}