Peter Skrzynecki was born in 1945 in Germany and came to Australia in 1949. He has published fifteen books of poetry and prose and won several awards including the Grace Leven Poetry Prize and the Henry Lawson Short Story Award. In 1989 he was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit by the Polish government. In 2002 he received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his contribution to multicultural literature. His books of poetry include Easter Sunday (1993) and Time's Revenge (2000). Other titles include Night Swim (1989) and Immigrant Chronicle (1975) which has been a set text on the New South Wales Higher School Certificate for many years. He has also published two collections of short stories and two novels, the most recent being The Cry of the Goldfinch (1996). He has also edited two anthologies of contemporary Australian writing, including Joseph's Coat- An Anthology of Multicultural Writing in Australia (1985). In 2005 his collection of short stories, The Wild Dogs was published in Poland to enthusiastic reviews, and his memoir, The Sparrow Garden (2004) was shortlisted for the National Biography Award. He is an adjunct associate professor in the School of Humanities and Languages at the University of Western Sydney.