Tony Harrison was born in Leeds in 1937 and read Classics at the University of Leeds. After spending four years in West Africa and a year in Prague, he returned to England to become the first Northern Arts Literary Fellow, 1967–68. His collection of poems The Loiners was awarded the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize in 1972. He has translated a number of works for the National Theatre, including The Misanthrope and the Oresteia. (updated 1983)