Son of Byblos has been shortlisted for the 2023 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, with the Judges’ Comments including remarks that ‘The bare bones of this story might be familiar, but through writing in a Lebanese-Australian cultural context Elazzi has shaped a drama underrepresented on Australian stages and one that is rich in surprise and suspense. His five characters inhabit detailed worlds, from the story-laden dining table of an inner-city family to the anonymous sex of public urinals.’

In this cross-cultural comic drama, James Elazzi examines the forbidden territory of queer sexuality in a Lebanese-Australian family. Son of Byblos gives an inside view into the challenges of being a minority within a minority.

Adam has everything under control. Casual sex when he wants it. His traditional Lebanese parents wrapped around his little finger. His cousin Claire, the only person he can be his true self with, always by his side. As each day passes, he knows what to expect. Until one day, Claire returns from Lebanon engaged to a man she barely knows, a man who doesn’t even speak the same language as her. With this one decision, their truce is shaken. Sex isn’t getting him off, his parents have started asking questions he doesn’t have answers too and Adam begins to lose his grip.

Son of Byblos by James Elazzi was first produced at Belvoir St Theatre S5A on May 4, 2022 to May 21, 2022.

ISBN: 978 1 922424 70 9