Andras Dezsery obtained a Doctorate in Public Administration and Political Science from Pázmány Péter University. He started working as a professional journalist and assistant editor for several Budapest papers as a student and, following the completion of his studies, he worked as press secretary and later editor-in-chief of Levente Hírközpont (a news centre in three languages) and the newspaper Lányok Útja. In 1943/44 he trained as a cavalry officer and was sent to the front as a war correspondent. After the war he came to Australia via Germany, first working in a rubber factory, then establishing himself as a cleaning contractor.
In 1975 he established Dezséry Ethnic Publications, later renamed Dezséry Publications, to make possible the publication of writing by migrants, both in English and other languages. By 1986 he had published over 25 titles in various languages, some in bilingual editions (and six with the assistance of the Literature Board of the Australia Council). He has published his writings in Magyar Élet, Ausztráliai Magyarság, Nemzeti Újság and in SCOPP. An advocate of migrants' rights and active in ethnic and community affairs, he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 1986. He has been a member of PEN International, Free Hungarian Journalists Living Abroad, the Árpád Academy, the Australian Book Publishers' Association, the National Book Council, the Australian Studies Association, Adelaide Writers' Centre, the Multicultural Artworkers group and a founding member and vice president of the Multilingual Authors Association in South Australia.
Dezséry has been a writer-in-residence in Perth in 1986 at the invitation of the Ethnic communities Council of Western Australia and lectured on multicultural authors and book publishing while writing his autobiography. He has also given public lectures in Kecskemét, Hungary at the invitation of the Mother Tongue World Conference and sponsored by the Australia Council. As well, he has organised public readings, concerts and film evenings in Australia and the USA to raise money for the Hungarian Village Retirement Centre. In 1943 his work Bizzatok a Magyar Ifjuságban won a Levente Medal (first class) for writing. In 1980 he was interviewed on television by the Hon. Al Grassby on his early life in Australia and work in publishing after his anthology, English and other than English, won a commendation in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards. He has read in Adelaide (1982 and 1984), Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Los Angeles, Cleveland (Ohio), New York and Kecskemét, Hungary between 1977 and 1989.
