Biography

Blake Morrison is a British poet and author who has published in a wide range of fiction and non-fiction genres. His greatest success came with the publication of his memoirs And When Did You Last See Your Father?. He has also written a study of the James Bulger murder, As If. Since 2003, Morrison has been Professor of Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Morrison was born in Skipton, North Yorkshire to an English father (Arthur) and an Irish mother. His parents were both physicians; his mother's maiden name was Agnes O'Shea, but her husband persuaded her to change "Agnes" to "Kim". The details of his mother's life in Ireland, to which he had not been privy, and his parents WWII courtship formed the basis for his autobiographical novel, Things My Mother Never Told Me.

Blake Morrison studied English Literature at the University of Nottingham and UCL before working for the Times Literary Supplement (1978-81), The Observer (1981-89) and the Independent on Sunday (1989-95). He has also contributed articles to The New Yorker, the London Review of Books, the New Statesman, the New York Times and Poetry Review. Since 2001, he has written regularly for The Guardian.

His first book was The Movement: English Poetry and Fiction of the 1950s (Oxford University Press, 1980). This was followed in 1982 by a critical guide to Seamus Heaney's poetry. Also in 1982 he co-edited The Penguin Book of Contemporary British Poetry with Andrew Motion. His first book of poetry, Dark Glasses was published by Chatto in 1984. Other published works include Ballad of the Yorkshire Ripper (1986), written in Yorkshire dialect and Pendle Witches (1996), illustrated with etchings by Paula Rego. His poems have also appeared in several anthologies, including Penguin Modern Poets 1 (1995).

His first novel was The Justification of Johann Gutenberg (Chatto & Windus, 2000); his most recent South of the River was published in April 2007. Morrison has also written for the theatre, film and television.

Morrison is married, with three children, and lives in Blackheath, London.

Writing Awards: 1980 Eric Gregory Award, 1985 Dylan Thomas Award, 1985 Somerset Maugham Award for Dark Glasses, 1988 E.M. Forster Award, 1993 Esquire/Volvo/Waterstone's Non-Fiction Book Award for And When Did You Last See Your Father?, 1994 J.R. Ackerley Prize for Autobiography for And When Did You Last See Your Father?
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