A voice for the voiceless: Tony Harrison’s poetic memory

Abstract : Tony Harrison has an unusual place in the British cultural landscape: not only does he write poetry, but he is also a prolific playwright and gifted translator of plays; in addition, he has created 'film-poems', a form of expression at the crossroads between poetry and film documentary, and he has also assumed the role of journalist-poet for the Guardian newspaper. The multidimensional aspect of Harrison's writing reflects a persistent desire to express his poetic voice. Coming from a working-class background in Leeds, then granted a scholarship to attend a rather prestigious Grammar School which was to lead him to study Classics at Leeds University, Harrison's poetry captures the disjunction between his early family life and his later education and professional career. His poetry consequently interlaces differing perspectives: those from his background who seemed to be plagued by issues involving articulation and those of his cherished poets and playwrights from the classical Greek and Roman eras, as well as from more modern times.