On April 11, 1940 Thomas Harris was born in Jackson, Tennessee. At a young age, Harris’ family moved to Rich, Mississippi. He attended Clarksdale High School in Clarksdale, Mississippi where he studied and improved his reading and writing skills. Upon completion, he traveled to Waco, Texas sometime in the 1960s to attend Baylor University where he studied to become an English major. During his time there as a student, Harris wrote several stories for magazines such as True and Argosy. His writings have always reflected those of dark and Gothic descent.
At this same time, he met his wife to-be who he would later divorce after having a child with her. Also, it was during this time that Harris suffered the unfortunate death of his father. After his studies at the university, Harris moved all the way to New York where he worked as an in-depth writer for the state’s Associated Press.
Thomas Harris is known for his intricately drawn out and detailed horror accounts of characters such as his fictional Hannibal creation. His readers are intrigued not only by the mysterious and enthralling stories themselves but also by how he tells them.
He published his first book Black Sunday in 1975. The story follows the account of an Arab terrorist’s plot to bomb the Super Bowl. In 1977, John Frankenheimer produced a live-action film based off of Harris’ successful book.
After many years of thorough study and research, Harris added another book to his name called the Red Dragon in 1981. The story centers around an FBI agent and his daunting hunt for a serial killer. This written masterpiece was also brought to the big screen by movie directer Brett Ratner on October 4, 2002.
Then in 1988, the Red Dragon sequel known as The Silence of the Lambs was published. The story contains a strong female character who is falsely accused by the FBI for a crime she didn’t commit in order to cover up the organization’s own secret actions. In 1991, Jonathan Demme adopted the story as a hit film production.
In 1999, the suspenseful account in The Silence of the Lambs was carried over to its own successor Hannibal. It’s based on a ferocious criminal named Hannibal Lecter and is probably one of Harris’ most praised works.
Finally, in 2006, the publication of Hannibal Rising was announced to mark the completion of the much anticipated book series.
I have a fond respect for Thomas Harris because I feel that as a fellow writer, I can relate to his hard work and dedication. Because much of his time was dedicated to researching the topics that he wished to write about, Harris showed that patience and accuracy are key qualities for achieving the reputation of a good writer. Furthermore, his books have taught me how important it is to put a lot of careful thought and planning into my writing just as he did in his breath-taking pieces of literature.
Thomas Harris was gifted with the skill and creativity for writing and I believe he did the best he could to show that to the world.