Blake Morrison grew up near Skipton in Yorkshire and was formerly literary editor of the Observer and the Independent on Sunday. His first book was a critical study of the Movement poets, including Philip Larkin. Other books include two bestselling memoirs, And When Did You Last See Your Father? (made into a film with Jim Broadbent and Colin Firth) and Things My Mother Never Told Me; two opera libretti and several song sequences, written for the composer Gavin Bryars; a children’s book, The Yellow House; a study of the James Bulger murder case, As If; collection of essays and stories, Too True; the poetry collections Dark Glasses, The Ballad of the Yorkshire Ripper and Shingle Street; and four novels, including The Last Weekend (which was dramatised for television).
His play adaptations for Northern Broadsides include The Cracked Poet, Lisa’s Sex Strike and We Are Three Sisters. He has won various awards, including the Eric Gregory, EM Forster and JR Ackerley prizes. His latest memoir, Two Sisters, came out in 2023 along with the poetry pamphlets Skin & Blister and Never the Right Time. He was Professor of Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths University from 2003-2023. Author photo © Charles Moriarty
This biography of Blake Morrison is taken from the C&W Agency website.
