David Harsent

David Harsent is an English poet whose work spans original collections, dramatic writing, opera libretti, and English versions of international poetry. A Broken Man in Flower gathers his versions of poems by Yannis Ritsos, many written during imprisonment or house arrest under successive Greek regimes. Bloodaxe Books published the collection in 2023 with an introduction by John Kittmer, Harsent’s Greek-speaking collaborator. Kittmer supplied close linguistic knowledge and historical context, while Harsent shaped English poems from that foundation and his long engagement with Ritsos. The collection was shortlisted for the London Hellenic Prize in 2024. Harsent’s own poetry includes Legion, winner of the Forward Prize, and Fire Songs, winner of the T. S. Eliot Prize. He has also collaborated repeatedly with composer Harrison Birtwistle and is Professor Emeritus at Roehampton. A Broken Man in Flower connects those strands of his career: compressed lyric speech, political pressure, collaboration across art forms, and close attention to what a new English version can preserve or transform.