GLYN MAXWELL (Poetry/Theatre/Opera) writes prolifically across all media. His recent poetry books include HOW THE HELL ARE YOU? (Picador), THE BIG CALLS (Live Canon), PLUTO (Picador), and HIDE NOW (Houghton Mifflin), all nominated for either the Forward or T. S. Eliot Prizes, and THE NERVE (Picador), which won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. He received the Cholmondeley Prize from the Society of Authors in recognition of his achievement in poetry and the E. M. Forster Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His much-praised critical guidebook ON POETRY (Bloomsbury) was followed by DRINKS WITH DEAD POETS (Oberon). In 2021 he was Chair of Judges for the T. S. Eliot Prize.
For Theatre, Glyn’s many plays include LIBERTY (Shakespeare’s Globe), THE LIFEBLOOD (Riverside Studios and Edinburgh Fringe, British Theatre Guide’s ‘Best Play’), BABETTE’S FEAST (Coronet), BOATMANTOWN (Oxford Everyman) and several plays for the Phoenix Theatre Ensemble in New York City, for whom Glyn is Resident Playwright. His adaptations include ALICE IN WONDERLAND, WIND IN THE WILLOWS, THE BEGGAR’S OPERA and DR JEKYLL & MR HYDE (all Grosvenor Park Theatre, Chester), CYRANO DE BERGERAC (Southwark Playhouse) and THE SECRET SEVEN. WIND IN THE WILLOWS was nominated for ‘Best Play for Young People’ at the Olivier Awards.
For Opera, Glyn has written numerous libretti including THE LION’S FACE (for Elena Langer), THE FIREWORK-MAKER’S DAUGHTER and NOTHING (both for David Bruce), SEVEN ANGELS (for Luke Bedford), THE BIRDS (for Edward Dudley Hughes), ARIADNE, and IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME (both for Elena Langer). THE LION’S FACE won an Argus Angel Award at Brighton Festival, while THE FIREWORK-MAKER’S DAUGHTER and NOTHING were both nominated for ‘Best New Opera’ Olivier Awards.
For Screen, Glyn adapted Henry James’ THE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE (BFI/KeyFilms).
He is Head of Studies on the Writing MA at the Poetry School in London, and writes about poetry and philosophy on his Substack site SILLY GAMES TO SAVE THE WORLD.
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