Dreadlocked and heavily pierced, Bram Presser cuts an unique figure in Melbourne's relatively staid Bagel Belt. The lawyer and criminologist made a name for himself in the late 90s and early 00s as frontman of the punk rock band Yidcore. The band became a cult hit in Australia and Israel, playing covers of Jewish and Israeli songs.
It was during a tour of Israel with Yidcore, that Presser plunged himself into the lost world of his Holocaust surviving grandparents. He set out on a writing project that led him on an eight year odyssey to uncover their fate during WWII. The resulting book, The Book of Dirt , was an instant success winning him many awards, including the prestigious National Jewish Book Awards, Goldberg Prize for Debut Fiction.
With a stunning debut novel behind him, the 45-year-old is now chasing after his young daughter and turning his attention to a second book, a novella.