Christopher Fry

Fry, Christopher 

Born Dec. 18, 1907, in Bristol. English playwright and theatrical figure.

Fry has written a number of comedies in verse that explore Christian themes, including The Boy With a Cart (1939), The Firstborn (1946), Thor, With Angels (1949), and A Sleep of Prisoners (1951). The plays reveal the influence of the poet and playwright T. S. Eliot. Fry’s poetic style permits the blending of lofty rhetoric and witty dialogue, as well as fantasy and reality. He makes extensive use of symbolism, various levels of meaning, and reflections on the past. He is also the author of the historical drama Curtmantle (1961), musical revues, and screenplays. Fry has also adapted plays by J. Anouilh and J. Giraudoux.

WORKS

Venus Observed. London, 1950.
A Phoenix Too Frequent. London, 1946.
A Yard of Sun. New York, 1970.

REFERENCES

Istoriia angliiskoi literatury, vol. 3. Moscow, 1958. Pages 700–01.
Ivasheva, V. V. Angliiskaia literatura XX v. Moscow, 1967. Pages 394–95.
Roy, E. Christopher Fry. London-Amsterdam [1968].

A. IA. LIVERGANT