Christopher Fry
born December 18, 1907, Bristol,
Gloucestershire, England
died June 30, 2005, Chichester, West Sussex
British writer of verse plays.
Fry adopted his mother’s surname after he
became a schoolteacher at age 18, his father
having died many years earlier. He was an
actor, director, and writer of revues and
plays before he gained fame as a playwright
for The Lady’s Not for Burning (1948), an
ironic comedy set in medieval times whose
heroine is charged with being a witch. A
Phoenix Too Frequent (1946) retells a tale
from Petronius Arbiter. The Boy with a Cart
(1950), a story of St. Cuthman, is a legend
of miracles and faith in the style of the
mystery plays. A Sleep of Prisoners (1951)
and The Dark Is Light Enough (1954) explore
religious themes. After many years of
translating and adapting plays—including
Ring Round the Moon (produced 1950; adapted
from Jean Anouilh’s L’Invitation du
château), Duel of Angels (produced 1963;
adapted from Jean Giraudoux’s Pour Lucrèce),
and Peer Gynt (produced 1970; based on Johan
Fillinger’s translation of Henrik Ibsen’s
play)—Fry wrote A Yard of Sun, which was
produced in 1970.
Fry also collaborated on the screenplays
of the epic films Ben Hur (1959) and
Barabbas (1962), and he wrote plays for both
radio and television. His Can You Find Me: A
Family History was published in 1978.
