Thomas Harris

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Thomas Harris
BornWilliam Thomas Harris III
(1940-09-22) September 22, 1940 (age 84)
Jackson, Tennessee, U.S.
OccupationNovelist
Alma mater Baylor University
Period1975–present
GenreCrime, horror, suspense
Notable works Black Sunday
Red Dragon
The Silence of the Lambs
Hannibal
Hannibal Rising
Cari Mora
Spouse
Harriet Anne Haley
​
​
(m. 1961;div. 1968)​
PartnerPace Barnes
Children1

William Thomas Harris III (born September 22, 1940) [1] is an American writer. He is the author of a series of suspense novels about Hannibal Lecter. The majority of his works have been adapted into films and television, including The Silence of the Lambs , which became only the third film in Academy Awards history to sweep the Oscars in all of the five major categories. [2]

Contents

His novels have sold more than 50 million copies, with The Silence of the Lambs alone selling 10 million copies, as of 2019.

Biography

Harris was born in Jackson, Tennessee, [3] but moved as a child with his family to Rich, Mississippi. He was introverted and bookish in grade school and then blossomed in high school. [4] He attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he majored in English and graduated in 1964. While in college, he worked as a reporter for the local newspaper, the Waco Tribune-Herald , covering the police beat. In 1968, he moved to New York City to work for the Associated Press until 1974 when he began work on his debut novel, Black Sunday . [2]

Personal life

Harris avoids publicity and conducted few interviews between 1976 and 2019. [5] [6] [7] At Baylor University, he met and married Harriet Anne Haley, a fellow student, in June 1961. They had one daughter, Elizabeth Anne, before they divorced in August 1968. [8] Harris remained close to his mother Polly and called her every night no matter where he was. He often discussed particular scenes from his novels with her. [9] Polly died on December 31, 2011. [10]

Harris lives in South Florida and has a summer home in Sag Harbor, New York. [7] His long-term domestic partner is Pace Barnes, a woman who, according to USA Today , "used to work in publishing and is as outgoing as he is quiet". [11] Harris' friend and literary agent Morton Janklow said of him: "He's one of the good guys. He is big, bearded and wonderfully jovial. If you met him, you would think he was a choirmaster. He loves cooking—he's done the Le Cordon Bleu exams—and it's great fun to sit with him in the kitchen while he prepares a meal and see that he's as happy as a clam. He has these old-fashioned manners, a courtliness you associate with the South." [9]

In his first major interview in 43 years, with The New York Times in 2019 to promote Cari Mora , he revealed himself to be a nature lover, and a long-time visitor and volunteer of the Pelican Harbor Seabird Station, an animal rescue center in Miami, Florida, for 20 years. The staff were not aware of who Harris was until a few years prior to when the interview was conducted. [12] He described fame as "more of a nuisance than anything else". [12]

Approach to writing and critical reception

The Silence of the Lambs came out to a very positive critical reception. The Guardian described it thus: "The Silence of the Lambs stands alone in being, I personally believe, the only FBI-centred novel worth reading." The long-awaited Hannibal received high praise from Stephen King, but John Lanchester claimed that it had a "sense of discontinuity". [13]

Harris has described his own writing process as difficult, "almost passive." [14] Fellow novelist Stephen King remarked that if writing is sometimes tedious for other authors, to Harris it is like "writhing on the floor in agonies of frustration", because for Harris, "the very act of writing is a kind of torment". Novelist John Dunning said of Harris, "All he is is a talent of the first rank." [15] In 2019, Harris elaborated on his process, as well as the difficulty, describing it thus: "...sometimes you really have to shove and grunt and sweat. Some days you go to your office and you're the only one who shows up, none of the characters show up, and you sit there by yourself, feeling like an idiot. And some days everybody shows up ready to work. You have to show up at your office every day. If an idea comes by, you want to be there to get it in." [12]

Bibliography

Hannibal Lecter novels

  1. Red Dragon (1981)
  2. The Silence of the Lambs (1988)
  3. Hannibal (1999)
  4. Hannibal Rising (2006; prequel)

Filmography

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Silence of the Lambs</i> (film) 1991 horror film by Jonathan Demme

The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 American psychological horror thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Ted Tally, adapted from Thomas Harris's 1988 novel. It stars Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee who is hunting a serial killer named "Buffalo Bill", who skins his female victims. To catch him, she seeks the advice of the imprisoned Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. The film also features performances from Scott Glenn, Anthony Heald, and Kasi Lemmons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannibal Lecter</span> Character created by Thomas Harris

Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a character created by American novelist Thomas Harris. Lecter is a brilliant, cannibalistic serial killer and former forensic psychiatrist; after his incarceration, he is consulted by FBI agents Will Graham and Clarice Starling to help them find other serial killers.

<i>Hannibal</i> (2001 film) 2001 film by Ridley Scott

Hannibal is a 2001 American horror film directed by Ridley Scott, based on the 1999 novel by Thomas Harris. A sequel to the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs, the plot follows disgraced FBI special agent Clarice Starling as she attempts to apprehend the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter before his surviving victim, Mason Verger, captures him. Anthony Hopkins reprises his role as Lecter, while Julianne Moore replaces Jodie Foster as Starling and Gary Oldman plays Verger. Ray Liotta, Frankie R. Faison, Giancarlo Giannini, and Francesca Neri also star.

<i>Red Dragon</i> (2002 film) Thriller film directed by Brett Ratner

Red Dragon is a 2002 psychological thriller film based on the 1981 novel by Thomas Harris. It was directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Tally. A prequel to Hannibal (2001) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991), it is the third film of the Hannibal Lecter franchise. It is the last film of the series distributed by Universal Pictures and the last film to star Anthony Hopkins as Lecter. It is followed by a prequel, Hannibal Rising (2007) which depicts Lecter's youth. The film sees FBI agent Will Graham enlisting the help of serial killer Hannibal Lecter to catch another killer, Francis Dolarhyde. Harvey Keitel, Emily Watson, Mary-Louise Parker, and Philip Seymour Hoffman also star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarice Starling</span> Fictional character created by Thomas Harris

Clarice M. Starling is a fictional character and protagonist of the novels The Silence of the Lambs (1988) and Hannibal (1999) by Thomas Harris.

Buffalo Bill (<i>The Silence of the Lambs</i>) Fictional character from The Silence of the Lambs

Jame Gumb is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Thomas Harris's 1988 novel The Silence of the Lambs and its 1991 film adaptation, in which he is played by Ted Levine. In the film and the novel, he is a serial killer who murders overweight women and skins them so he can make a "woman suit" for himself. In the television series Clarice, he is portrayed by Simon Northwood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Crawford (character)</span> Fictional character

Jack Crawford is a fictional character who appears in the Hannibal Lecter series of novels by Thomas Harris, in which Crawford is the Agent-in-Charge of the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI in Quantico, Virginia. He is modeled after John E. Douglas, who held the same position.

<i>Hannibal Rising</i> (film) 2007 film by Peter Webber

Hannibal Rising is a 2007 psychological horror thriller film and the fifth film of the Hannibal Lecter franchise. It is a prequel to The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Hannibal (2001), and Red Dragon (2002). The film is an adaptation of Thomas Harris' 2006 novel of the same name and tells the story of Lecter's evolution from a vengeful Nazi hunter into a cannibalistic serial killer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Chilton</span> Fictional character

Dr. Frederick Chilton is a fictional character appearing in Thomas Harris's novels Red Dragon (1981) and The Silence of the Lambs (1988), along with the film and television adaptations of Harris's novels.

<i>The Silence of the Lambs</i> (novel) 1988 book by Thomas Harris

The Silence of the Lambs is a 1988 psychological horror crime thriller novel by Thomas Harris. Published August 29, it is the sequel to Harris's 1981 novel Red Dragon, and both novels feature the cannibalistic serial killer and brilliant psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter. This time, however, he is pitted against FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she works to solve the case of the "Buffalo Bill" serial killer. It is the most well-known installment of Harris' Hannibal Lecter series, selling over 10 million copies.

<i>Hannibal</i> (Harris novel) 1999 novel by Thomas Harris

Hannibal is a psychological horror crime thriller novel by American author Thomas Harris, published in 1999. It is the third in his series featuring Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the fourth and final novel in the chronological order of the Thomas Harris novels about Dr. Hannibal Lecter and the second to feature FBI Special Agent Clarice Starling. The novel takes place seven years after the events of The Silence of the Lambs and deals with the intended revenge of one of Lecter's victims. It was adapted as a film of the same name in 2001, directed by Ridley Scott. Elements of the novel were incorporated into the second season of the NBC television series Hannibal, while the show's third season adapted the plot of the novel.

<i>Red Dragon</i> (novel) 1981 novel by Thomas Harris

Red Dragon is a psychological horror novel by American author Thomas Harris, first published in 1981. The story follows former FBI profiler Will Graham, who comes out of retirement to find and apprehend an enigmatic serial killer nicknamed "the Tooth Fairy". The novel introduces the character Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer whom Graham reluctantly turns to for advice and with whom he has a dark past.

<i>Silence! The Musical</i> Musical by Jon Kaplan , Al Kaplan

Silence! The Musical is a 2005 musical created by Jon Kaplan and Al Kaplan as a parody of the 1991 Academy Award-winning film The Silence of the Lambs, which is in turn based on 1988 novel of the same name by Thomas Harris. The musical is itself based on a parody screenplay of the same name written by Jon Kaplan and Al Kaplan.

Hannibal is an American psychological horror-thriller television series developed by Bryan Fuller for NBC. The series is based on characters and elements appearing in Thomas Harris' novels Red Dragon (1981), Hannibal (1999), and Hannibal Rising (2006) and focuses on the relationship between Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special investigator Will Graham and Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a forensic psychiatrist destined to become Graham's most cunning enemy and, at the same time, the only person who can understand him.

<i>Hannibal Lecter</i> (franchise) Media franchise based on titular serial killer

The Hannibal Lecter franchise is an American media franchise based around the titular character, Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant, cannibalistic serial killer whose assistance is routinely sought out by law enforcement personnel to aid in the capture of other criminals. He originally appeared in a series of novels by Thomas Harris. The series has since expanded into film and television, having four timeline-connected franchise films: The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Hannibal (2001), Red Dragon (2002) and Hannibal Rising (2007), with three starring Anthony Hopkins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mason Verger</span> Fictional character in novel Hannibal

Mason Verger is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Thomas Harris's 1999 novel Hannibal, as well as its 2001 film adaptation and the second and third seasons of the TV series Hannibal. In the film, he is portrayed by Gary Oldman, while in the TV series he is portrayed by Michael Pitt and Joe Anderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Graham (character)</span> Fictional character

Will Graham is a fictional character and protagonist of Thomas Harris' 1981 novel Red Dragon. Graham is also the protagonist of two film adaptations of the novel, Manhunter (1986) and Red Dragon (2002), and the television series Hannibal (2013–2015), which adapted various parts of the Hannibal Lecter franchise.

"Savoureux" is the thirteenth episode and season finale of the first season of the psychological thriller–horror series Hannibal. The episode was written by Steve Lightfoot, series creator Bryan Fuller, and supervising producer Scott Nimerfro, and directed by executive producer David Slade. It was first broadcast on June 20, 2013, on NBC.

"Kaiseki" is the first episode of the second season of the psychological thriller–horror series Hannibal. It is the 14th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Bryan Fuller and executive producer Steve Lightfoot, and directed by Tim Hunter. It was first broadcast on February 28, 2014, on NBC.

<i>Cari Mora</i> 2019 novel by Thomas Harris

Cari Mora is a novel by American author Thomas Harris, published in 2019. It is his first book in 13 years – and only his second overall to not feature Hannibal Lecter. Rather, it is about a young Colombian immigrant in Miami, Caridad "Cari" Mora, who becomes caretaker of a mansion beneath which is hidden twenty-five million dollars in cartel gold. She comes to the attention of Hans-Peter Schneider, a human trafficker and sadistic psychopath.

References

  1. ↑ Hoban, Phoebe (April 15, 1991). "The Silence of the Writer". New York. pp. 48–50.
  2. 1 2 Conklin 1999
  3. ↑ Cowley 2006 p. 45
  4. ↑ Laughlin 1999
  5. ↑ Tom Tivnan (May 15, 2019). "How Thomas Harris defined a genre and created fiction's most likeable villain". Penguin Books Limited.
  6. ↑ Alexandra Alter (May 18, 2019). "Hannibal Lecter's Creator Cooks Up Something New (No Fava Beans or Chianti". The New York Times .
  7. 1 2 Hoban 1991
  8. ↑ Streibling 2001
  9. 1 2 Cowley 2006 p. 45
  10. ↑ Bolivar 2012
  11. ↑ Minzesheimer 1999
  12. 1 2 3 Alter, Alexandra (May 18, 2019). "Hannibal Lecter's Creator Cooks Up Something New (No Fava Beans or Chianti)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  13. ↑ Lanchester, John (July 29, 1999). "Slapping the Clammy Flab". London Review of Books. Vol. 21, no. 15. ISSN   0260-9592 . Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Hannibal Lecter's Creator Cooks Up Something New (No Fava Beans or Chianti) (Published 2019)". May 18, 2019. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  15. ↑ Dunning 1992 p. 159
  16. ↑ Cari Mora, by Thomas Harris. Grand Central Publishing. January 9, 2019. ISBN   9781538750131 . Retrieved January 9, 2019.

Sources

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