Thomas Harris
Thomas Harris (* 11. April 1940 in Jackson , Mississippi ) is an American writer who, through his Hannibal Lecter - tetralogy became famous. Most of his books have been made into films.
life and work
Thomas Harris was born in Jackson in 1940 and grew up in the nearby town of Rich, where his father worked as a farmer . He studied at Baylor University in Waco (Texas), where he graduated in 1964 with a bachelor's degree. Even during his school days he worked for a local newspaper.
After graduating, he toured Europe for some time before starting to work as a crime reporter for the Associated Press in New York . Already at this time he began to write short macabre crime stories for magazines in which he already showed his attention to detail.
In 1975 his first novel Black Sunday was published , the German translation of which was published in the same year under the title Schwarzer Sonntag . The aim of this book is to prevent an attack by Arab terrorists during the Super Bowl that has been prepared in great detail . The book was filmed in 1977 under the direction of John Frankenheimer .
In 1981 the first book came the Hannibal Lecter of Fallot, Red Dragon ( Red Dragon ), to market. In 1986 Michael Mann made the film Manhunter , based on this book , which initially only brought in half of its production costs. The figure of Dr. Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter, a multiple serial killer who is serving a life sentence in the high-security section of the prison for mentally disturbed offenders, is still of secondary importance in this novel.
The second part of the tetralogy The Silence of the Lambs ( The Silence of the Lambs ) was published in 1988. This was Dr. Hannibal Lecter already plays a more important role. Lecter is supposed to lead the FBI agent in training, Clarice Starling, on the trail of the serial killer Buffalo Bill and dares a spectacular escape attempt herself. With this book at the latest, Thomas Harris achieved his final breakthrough. Harris received several important literary prizes for The Silence of the Lambs . The film adaptation , directed by Jonathan Demme with Anthony Hopkins (Dr. Hannibal Lecter) and Jodie Foster (Clarice Starling), made the fictional character Lecter unforgettable. The film received a total of five Academy Awards for best adapted screenplay, best film, best director, best leading actress and best leading actor. For "Buffalo Bill" Harris was inspired by a real serial killer, Ed Gein .
The third part, Hannibal , published eleven years later (1999) depicts the character of Dr. Lecter takes center stage by highlighting a series of gruesome murders carried out by Lecter. FBI agent Clarice Starling, the only one who really understands him, is on his trail on behalf of her superiors. The book was filmed with Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore (Clarice Starling) in 2001 and directed by Ridley Scott . Critics and fans criticized the deviations from the novel and the too detailed depiction of violence ( FSK 18 ).
In 2002, Red Dragon was remade, again starring Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Lecter and Edward Norton (ex-FBI agent Will Graham). The remake, directed by Brett Ratner , is more based on the literary original than the first film adaptation under the name Manhunter , but also adds scenes from the book Hannibal to the plot to give the person of Hannibal Lecter more presence.
The fourth "Hannibal Lecter" novel " Hannibal Rising " deals with the "career" of Hannibal Lecter. It is therefore a so-called “ prequel ”, a kind of sequel, which, however, takes place before the previously published books (or films). Harris wrote a script for the book, which has since been filmed by the British Peter Webber . In this film adaptation of " Young Hannibal: Hannibal Rising " the youth of Lecters, played by Gaspard Ulliel , is the theme of his childhood in Lithuania until he moved to the USA at the age of 25.
Only thirteen years (2019) after the last “Hannibal Lecter” novel was a new work published with “Cari Mora”. The focus is on the German sadist Hans-Peter Schneider and the Colombian ex- child soldier Cari Mora. The plot is a kind of treasure hunt story set in Miami .
Works
Books
- 1975: Black Sunday (in Germany 1975)
- 1981: Roter Drache (Red Dragon; in Germany 1988)
- 1988: The Silence of the Lambs (The Silence of the Lambs; in Germany 1990)
- 1999: Hannibal
- 2006: Hannibal Rising
- 2019: Cari Mora
Filmography
- 1977: Black Sunday
- 1986: Manhunter (script based on Red Dragon )
- 1991: The Silence of the Lambs
- 2001: Hannibal
- 2002: Red Dragon
- 2007: Hannibal Rising - How it all began
Awards
- 1988: Bram Stoker Award in the Best Novel category for The Silence of the Lambs
- 1989: World Fantasy Award nomination for Best Novel for The Silence of the Lambs
- 1989: Anthony Award in the Best Novel category for The Silence of the Lambs
- 1991: Grand prix de littérature policière for The Silence of the Lambs (International category)
- 1991: Prix Mystère de la critique for The Silence of the Lambs (International category)
- 1999: Bram Stoker Award nomination in the category Best Novel for Hannibal
- 2001: Finnish detective award for the Hannibal Lecter trilogy
literature
- John McCarthy: Movie Psychos and Madmen: Film Psychopaths from Jekyll and Hyde to Hannibal Lecter. Carol Publications, New York 1993, ISBN 0-8065-1392-6 .
- David Sexton: The Strange World of Thomas Harris. Short Books, London 2001, ISBN 0-571-20845-2 .
- Helen Morrison: My Life Among the Serial Killers. Inside the Minds of the World's Most Notorious Murderers. Morrow, New York 2004, ISBN 0-06-052407-3 .
Web links
- Literature by and about Thomas Harris in the catalog of the German National Library
- Thomas Harris in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Website by Thomas Harris
- Bibliography, with images (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Harris, Thomas |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American writer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 11, 1940 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Jackson, Mississippi , USA |