University of Melbourne confers Honorary Doctorate on Dr Arnold Zable

Dr Arnold Zable has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate for his contributions to literature, multiculturalism and human rights advocacy.

His writing on refuge, displacement, memory and community has received critical acclaim nationally and internationally. He has written both fiction and non-fiction, including twelve books, as well as essays, works for theatre and collaborations with other writers and artists.

Dr Zable contributes to many cross-cultural projects and workshops for groups including refugees, people experiencing homelessness, the deaf community, problem gamblers, bushfire survivors and other communities, using storytelling as a means of assisting others to achieve self-understanding. Since 1978 he has written extensively on the rights of refugees, the plight of detained asylum seekers and the immigrant experience.

His advocacy extends to his role as a past president of PEN International’s Melbourne Centre, and his work as a key advisor and contributor to the establishment  of Melbourne’s Immigration Museum.

Through his many community contributions and his extensive documentation of the post-war Jewish diaspora in Australia, most notably in his memoir Jewels and Ashes,  and novels Café Scheherazade and Scraps of Heaven, Dr Zable has become a significant figure in Australia’s Jewish community.

Dr Zable’s connections to the University of Melbourne span more than 50 years. He completed his BA at the University in 1968 and has since received a PhD in Creative Writing, lectured within the Faculty of Arts, served as a Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, and delivered numerous guest lectures, seminars, conference and symposium presentations.

Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Jennifer Balint, said: "Dr Arnold Zable has shown a deep commitment to telling the stories of those marginalised in our society, through his extensive contributions to literature and refugee advocacy.”

"A superb, generous and ethical contributor to public discourse, Dr Zable’s award-winning novels and memoirs, and community engagement has transformed the ways in which migrant and refugee voices are heard and listened to in Australia."