Writing

Tony Harrison

Born April 30, 1937 · Leeds, England, UK

Died September 26, 2025 · aged 88

Tony Harrison was an English poet and playwright.

Known For

The Blue BirdThe Blue Bird · 1976
The Blue Bird
5.51976
MovieAdventureFamily
Peasant children Mytyl and Tyltyl are led on a magical quest for the fabulous Blue Bird of Happiness by the fairy Berylune. On their journey, they're accompanied by the anthropomorphized presences of a Dog, a Cat, Light, Fire, and Bread, among other entities.
PrometheusPrometheus · 1999
Prometheus
5.81999
MovieDramaFantasy
Tony Harrison's poetic essay on the working class - in particular the British miners -, its struggles, its dreams and its icononography - at the very end of the 20th century, as interpreted through the myth of Prometheus.
The Blasphemers' BanquetThe Blasphemers' Banquet · 1989
The Blasphemers' Banquet
1989
MovieDocumentary
A film-poem written in response to the controversy surrounding Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses
The OresteiaThe Oresteia · 1983
The Oresteia
10.01983
MovieDrama
Agamemnon returns home from the Trojan war and is murdered by his wife, setting off a chain of revenge that stretches across this trilogy of play. Directed by Peter Brook for the National Theatre, this is an all-male performance with masks.
The Gaze of the GorgonThe Gaze of the Gorgon · 1992
The Gaze of the Gorgon
1992
MovieHistoryDocumentary
Film poem by Tony Harrison which takes the figure of the Gorgon as a metaphor for the "freedom-fixing politics" which have been responsible for so much conflict this century. It starts in 1992 Frankfurt where Harrison speaks through the mouth of the statue of the German Jewish poet Heinrich Heine. At Corfu in Greece he tells of the link between Heine, the Greek Gorgon and Kaiser Wilhelm II.
V.V. · 1987
V.
7.51987
MovieDocumentaryTV Movie
Visualisation of Tony Harrison's poem "v.". v. is about the multiple meanings of the letter - victory, versus, verses, etc. Starting from an incident in a Leeds' graveyard where the poet's parents' headstone has been defaced with graffiti,v. rises to a view of the divisions, antagonisms and aspirations within British society, and the poets own self.
Black Daisies For The BrideBlack Daisies For The Bride · 1993
Black Daisies For The Bride
10.01993
MovieDramaDocumentary
A play written by Tony Harrison as a tribute to sufferers of Alzheimer's disease. Filmed in High Royds Hospital, Menston, Yorkshire, the play combines drama, documentary, song, verse and music to unravel the lives of the residents.
The MysteriesThe Mysteries · 1985
The Mysteries
1985
SeriesDrama
National Theatre Cottesloe production filmed for Channel 4

Filmography

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