Eugene Trivizas

In 1997, Trivizas won the first stage of a legal battle against The Coca-Cola Company, preventing the multinational company from registering in Greece the title of his TV serial and comic-strip books, Fruitopia, as a trademark for its Fruitopia line of fruit-flavoured beverages. The court decided that Coca-Cola has unlawfully appropriated his intellectual property. Coca-Cola appealed against the decision and in December 1999 the relevant court of appeal ruled once again for Trivizas. He plans to pursue the case beyond Greece.

His first book for children published in the English language was The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury and published by Heinemann in 1993. The Economist wrote about this book that "only the most talented of writers can tamper with a classic nursery tale and produce something almost as amusing and thought-provoking as the original." The Three Little Wolves reached the second place in the American best seller list for picture books, has won many distinctions (including ALA Notable Book and School Library Journal best book, and the "Parents' Choice Gold Award") and has been translated in fifteen languages.

Much of Trivizas' work has been transferred to the stage and serialised for television as well as the radio. He is currently the most frequently performed writer of plays for children in Greece. In 1986 his play The Carecrow was placed on the International Board on Books for Young People's "Honour List", and awarded a Diploma for excellence in writing,

During the past years Dr Trivizas taught part of the course, 'History of Sociological Theory' at the same university. He also taught criminology on a part-time basis at the Polytechnic of Central London and in the London School of Economics (Law Department 1983-4) Since 1992 he is a visiting professor at the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences in Athens.

At the postgraduate level, he taught part of the M.A. course, 'Morals, Law and Elites in Contemporary Society', an option in the University of Reading MA course in Sociology, and the course 'Comparative Criminology' in the Graduate School of European and International Studies and in the MA degree in Criminal Justice. Since 1982, he has been supervising candidates for the degree of PhD and acting as one of the internal examiners for PhD students.

Since 1978, Dr. Trivizas has been responsible for the teaching of criminology in the Department of Sociology at the University of Reading. He is currently teaching a course on crime and society and he has been awarded the titles of director of criminal justice studies and senior research fellow.

Born in Athens, he received his LL.B. degree from the University of Athens in 1969. In 1972 he passed the Athens Bar examinations and in the same year he was called as a barrister to the Athens Bar. In 1973 he received a BSc degree in Politics and Economics from the University of Athens and the following year he received an LL.M. degree in Comparative Criminal Law and Procedure from the University of London (University College) and a diploma in Shipping Law from the City of London Polytechnic. In 1977 he was made a Fellow of the Salzburg seminar in American studies and in 1979 he was awarded his PhD degree in Criminology from the University of London (London School of Economics and Political Science, Law Department).

Eugene Trivizas (Greek: Eυγένιος Τριβιζάς; born 1946) is a Greek sociologist and writer of children's books. For his lasting contribution as a children's writer, Trivizas was a finalist for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2006.