David Harsent
Encyclopedia
David Harsent is an English
poet
& TV scriptwriter. As Jack Curtis and David Lawrence he has published a number of crime fiction novels.
During his early career he was part of a circle of poets centred around Ian Hamilton
, and forming something of a school, promoting conciseness and imagist
-like clarity in verse, though his work has changed and developed a good deal since then.
He has published nine collections of poetry which have won several literary prizes and awards. Legion won the Forward Prize for best collection 2005 and was shortlisted for both the T.S. Eliot and Whitbread Awards. His work in music theatre has involved collaborations with a number of composers (but most often with Sir Harrison Birtwistle
, the opera
Gawain
being their most notable collaboration) and has been performed at the Royal Opera House
, Carnegie Hall
, the Southbank Centre, The Proms
, the Wiener Kammeroper
, and broadcast on BBC Two
, Channel 4
and Trio (USA). A new opera, The Minotaur
(also with Birtwistle) opened at The Royal Opera House in 2008. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Honorary Research Fellow at Royal Holloway University and in 2005 he was appointed Distinguished Writing Fellow at Sheffield Hallam University
, where he is now a visiting professor.
He lives with his wife, the actor Julia Watson
, and their daughter in London.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
poet
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
& TV scriptwriter. As Jack Curtis and David Lawrence he has published a number of crime fiction novels.
During his early career he was part of a circle of poets centred around Ian Hamilton
Ian Hamilton (critic)
Robert Ian Hamilton was a British literary critic, reviewer, biographer, poet, magazine editor and publisher....
, and forming something of a school, promoting conciseness and imagist
Imagism
Imagism was a movement in early 20th-century Anglo-American poetry that favored precision of imagery and clear, sharp language. The Imagists rejected the sentiment and discursiveness typical of much Romantic and Victorian poetry. This was in contrast to their contemporaries, the Georgian poets,...
-like clarity in verse, though his work has changed and developed a good deal since then.
He has published nine collections of poetry which have won several literary prizes and awards. Legion won the Forward Prize for best collection 2005 and was shortlisted for both the T.S. Eliot and Whitbread Awards. His work in music theatre has involved collaborations with a number of composers (but most often with Sir Harrison Birtwistle
Harrison Birtwistle
Sir Harrison Paul Birtwistle CH is a British contemporary composer.-Life:Birtwistle was born in Accrington, a mill town in Lancashire some 20 miles north of Manchester. His interest in music was encouraged by his mother, who bought him a clarinet when he was seven, and arranged for him to have...
, the opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Gawain
Gawain (opera)
Gawain is an opera with music by Harrison Birtwistle to a libretto by David Harsent. The story is based on the Middle English romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The opera was a commission from the Royal Opera House, London, where it was first performed on 30 May 1991. Rhian Samuel has...
being their most notable collaboration) and has been performed at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, the Southbank Centre, The Proms
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
, the Wiener Kammeroper
Wiener Kammeroper
Wiener Kammeroper is an opera theatre and opera company founded by conductor Hans Gabor. As early as 1948 he initiated the "Vienna Opera Studio" - a company without a theatre of its own...
, and broadcast on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
and Trio (USA). A new opera, The Minotaur
The Minotaur (opera)
The Minotaur is an opera in two acts, with 13 scenes by English composer Harrison Birtwistle to a libretto by poet David Harsent, commissioned by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London. The work premiered at the Royal Opera House on April 15, 2008 and was shown on BBC2 television on June 7,...
(also with Birtwistle) opened at The Royal Opera House in 2008. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Honorary Research Fellow at Royal Holloway University and in 2005 he was appointed Distinguished Writing Fellow at Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield Hallam University is a higher education institution in South Yorkshire, England, based on two sites in Sheffield. City Campus is located in the city centre, close to Sheffield railway station, and Collegiate Crescent Campus is about two miles away, adjacent to Ecclesall Road in...
, where he is now a visiting professor.
He lives with his wife, the actor Julia Watson
Julia Watson
Julia Watson is a British actress known for playing Baz in the BBC medical drama Casualty in 1986, 1995–1998 and again from 2003-2004.-Personal life:...
, and their daughter in London.
Writing as Jack Curtis
- Crow's Parliament
- Glory
- Point of Impact
- Conjure Me
- The Confessor
- Sons of the Morning
Writing as David Lawrence
- Circle of the Dead (also released as: The Dead Sit Round in a Ring)
- Nothing Like the Night
- Cold Kill
- Down into Darkness
Prizes and Awards
- 1967 Eric Gregory AwardEric Gregory AwardThe Eric Gregory Award is given by the Society of Authors to British poets under 30 on submission. The awards are up to a sum value of £24000 annually....
- 1970 Art Council Writer’s Award
- 1977 Geoffrey Faber Memorial PrizeGeoffrey Faber Memorial PrizeThe Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize is a British literary prize established in 1963 in tribute to Geoffrey Faber, founder and first Chairman publisher Faber & Faber...
for Dreams of the Dead - 1978 Art Council Writer’s Award
- 1988 Society of Authors Travel Award
- 1998 Forward Poetry PrizeForward Poetry PrizeThe Forward Poetry Prizes were created in 1991. The aim of the prizes is to extend the audience for contemporary poetry. Until the T.S. Eliot Prize remuneration was increased to £15,000 plus £1000 to each of nine runners-up, the Forward was the United Kingdom's most valuable annual poetry...
(Best Poetry Collection of the Year) (shortlist) for A Bird’s Idea of Flight - 2002 T.S. Eliot Prize (shortlist) for Marriage
- 2002 Forward Poetry Prize (Best Poetry Collection of the Year) (shortlist) for Marriage
- 2005 Forward Prize — Best Poetry Collection of the Year for Legion
- 2005 T.S. Eliot Prize (shortlist) for Legion
- 2005 Whitbread Poetry AwardCosta Book AwardsThe Costa Book Awards are a series of literary awards given to books by authors based in Great Britain and Ireland. They were known as the Whitbread Book Awards until 2005, after which Costa Coffee, a subsidiary of Whitbread, took over sponsorship....
(shortlist) for Legion - 2007 Forward Poetry Prize (Best Single Poem) (shortlist) for The Hut in Question
- 2008 Griffin Poetry PrizeGriffin Poetry PrizeThe Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. The awards go to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language....
(International shortlist) for Selected Poems, 1969–2005 - 2011 Costa Book Awards2011 Costa Book AwardsThe shortlists were announced on 16 November 2011. The winners in each category will be announced in January 2012.-Children's Book:Winner:*TBDShortlist:*Martyn Bedford, Flip*Frank Cottrell Boyce, The Unforgotten Coat...
(Poetry), shortlist, Night
Screenplay Writing
| Production | Episodes | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Midsomer Murders Midsomer Murders Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was... |
2006–2011 | |
| Holby City Holby City Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999... |
|
2008–2010 |
| The Bill The Bill The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work... |
|
2010 |