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Blake Morrison is a British poet and writer known for his work across various fiction and non-fiction genres. His memoir, And When Did You Last See Your Father?, brought him significant acclaim. He also authored As If, an examination of the James Bulger murder. Since 2003, he has served as Professor of Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Born in Skipton, North Yorkshire, Morrison is the son of an English father, Arthur, and an Irish mother. Both his parents were doctors. His mother, originally named Agnes O'Shea, changed her name to Kim at her husband's suggestion. Morrison's autobiographical novel, Things My Mother Never Told Me, draws on his mother's life in Ireland, which he had not previously known about, as well as his parents' wartime romance.
Morrison studied English Literature at the University of Nottingham and University College London. He worked for the Times Literary Supplement (1978-81), The Observer (1981-89), and the Independent on Sunday (1989-95). He has contributed to The New Yorker, London Review of Books, New Statesman, New York Times, and Poetry Review, and has been a regular Guardian writer since 2001.
His debut book was The Movement: English Poetry and Fiction of the 1950s (Oxford University Press, 1980), followed by a critical guide to Seamus Heaney's poetry in 1982. That same year, he co-edited The Penguin Book of Contemporary British Poetry with Andrew Motion. His first poetry collection, Dark Glasses, was published by Chatto in 1984. Other works include Ballad of the Yorkshire Ripper (1986), written in Yorkshire dialect, and Pendle Witches (1996), featuring etchings by Paula Rego. His poetry has appeared in numerous anthologies, including Penguin Modern Poets 1 (1995).
Morrison's first novel, The Justification of Johann Gutenberg, was released by Chatto & Windus in 2000. His latest novel, South of the River, came out in April 2007. He has also written for theatre, film, and television.
He is married with three children and resides in Blackheath, London.
Awards include the 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?, and the 1994 J.R. Ackerley Prize for Autobiography for the same memoir.
