The Authors of The Turn of the Screw

HENRY JAMES (Author) was born in 1843 in New York City, but much of his youth was spent traveling in and around Europe. He briefly attended Harvard law school, but ultimately preferred literature to the law, publishing his first short story at the age of 21. James would go on to become a prolific writer of essays, short stories, letters and novels, and is known as one of the key figures of 19th century realism. His most famous works include: Daisy Miller (1879), The Portrait of a Lady (1881), The Bostonians (1886), What Maisie Knew (1897), The Wings of the Dove (1902), and he was a regular contributor to The Atlantic Monthly. His novella, The Turn of the Screw, was originally published in 1898, and has been retold countless times on film and stage, even inspiring an opera. James never married, and in his own words was “hopelessly celibate.” In 1876 he moved to England, living first in London and then retiring to Rye in Sussex. James officially became a British citizen in 1915 after the outbreak of World War I. He was awarded the Order of Merit January 1, 1916. Sadly, his health was already failing and he died February 28, 1916. His ashes are interred in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

JEFFREY HATCHER (Playwright) Broadway: Never Gonna Dance (book). Off-Broadway: Three Viewings and A Picasso at Manhattan Theatre Club; Scotland Road and The Turn of the Screw at Primary Stages; Tuesdays with Morrie (with Mitch Albom) at The Minetta Lane; Murder by Poe, The Turn of the Screw, and The Spy at The Acting Company; Neddy at American Place; and Fellow Travelers at Manhattan Punchline. Other Plays/Theaters: Compleat Female Stage Beauty, Mrs. Mannerly, Murderers, Mercy of a Storm, Smash, Armadale, Korczak’s Children, To Fool the Eye, The Falls, A Piece of the Rope, All the Way with LBJ, The Government Inspector, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and others at The Guthrie, Old Globe, Yale Rep, The Geffen, Seattle Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Cleveland Playhouse, South Coast Rep, Arizona Theater Company, San Jose Rep, The Empty Space, Indiana Rep, Children’s Theater Company, History Theater, Madison Rep, Intiman, Illusion, Denver Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Rep, Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Actors Theater of Louisville, Philadelphia Theater Company, Asolo, City Theater, Studio Arena and dozens more in the U.S. and abroad. Film/ TV: Stage Beauty, Casanova, The Duchess, and episodes of Columbo. Grants/Awards: NEA, TCG, Lila Wallace Fund, Rosenthal New Play Prize, Frankel Award, Charles MacArthur Fellowship Award, McKnight Foundation, Jerome Foundation, and Barrymore Award Best New Play. He is a member and/or alumnus of The Playwrights Center, the Dramatists Guild, the Writers Guild, and New Dramatists.