Chris Greenhalgh is a British

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

Life

Chris Greenhalgh was born in 1963 and brought up in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. After studying

English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

at university, he lived and worked for five years in Italy and

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. Upon his return to England, he completed his doctoral thesis on the poetry of Frank O'Hara. He has since pursued a twin career as a writer and educator. He has published two novels, three books of poetry and a successful film script, and has taught in Athens and at Sevenoaks School, where he was Academic Deputy Head. More recently he was Principal of Southbank International School, London and is currently Principal and CEO of The British School of Milan (Sir James Henderson).

Works

Novels

'' Coco and Igor'' was first published in the UK in 2002 by Headline Review and has since been translated into a dozen languages, including French, Russian, Polish, Greek, and Chinese. The novel is based on the secret affair between

Coco Chanel Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel ( , ; 19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a French fashion designer and Businessperson, businesswoman. The founder and namesake of the Chanel brand, she was credited in the post-World War I era with populari ...

and

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

in Paris in 1920. Greenhalgh’s second novel, ''

Seducing Ingrid Bergman ''Seducing Ingrid Bergman'' is a 2012 novel by Chris Greenhalgh. It dramatises the real-life affair between the actress Ingrid Bergman and the war photographer Robert Capa. Plot summary The novel opens in 1945, where France has been recently ...

'', is set in Paris and Hollywood, after the end of the Second World War and tells the story of

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, Bergman is often regarded as one of the most influential screen figures in cin ...

and war photographer Robert Capa's intense and ultimately tragic relationship.

Film scripts

Greenhalgh has written a screenplay adapting his novel ''Coco and Igor''. The film ''

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky ''Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky'' is a 2009 French romantic drama film directed by Jan Kounen. It was chosen as the Closing Film of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, and was shown on 24 May 2009. ''Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky'' is based on the 20 ...

'', directed by

Jan Kounen Jan Kounen (born Jan Coenen; 2 May 1964) is a Netherlands-born French film director and Film producer, producer. In France, he is mostly known for his films ''Dobermann (film), Dobermann'' (1997), ''Blueberry, l'expérience secrète, Blueberry, ...

and starring

Anna Mouglalis Anna Mouglalis (; ; born 26 April 1978) is a French actress and model. She is known for being a house ambassador for Chanel since 2002, and for portraying the fashion designer Coco Chanel in the 2009 film '' Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky'', and a ...

and

Mads Mikkelsen Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen (; born 22 November 1965) is a Danish actor. He rose to fame in Denmark as an actor for his roles such as Tonny in the first two films of the Pusher (film series), ''Pusher'' film trilogy (1996, 2004), Detective Sergea ...

held the prestigious closing slot at the

2009 Cannes Film Festival The 62nd Cannes Film Festival took place from 13 May to 24 May 2009. French actress Isabelle Huppert served as jury president for the main competition. Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for the dram ...

selected ''Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky'' to be shown in its prestigious closing slot, on 24 May 2009. His second novel was optioned in 2014 by YRF and is currently scheduled to be directed by James Mangold(Walk the Line, Wolverine, Girl Interrupted...)

Poetry

Greenhalgh has published three volumes of poetry, all with

Bloodaxe Books Bloodaxe Books is a British publishing house specializing in poetry. History Bloodaxe Books was founded in 1978 in Newcastle upon Tyne by Neil Astley, who is still editor and managing director. Bloodaxe moved its editorial office to Northumbe ...

. *''Stealing the Mona Lisa'' (1994) *''Of Love, Death and the Sea-Squirt'' (2000) *''The Invention of Zero'' (2007)

Prizes and awards

Eric Gregory Award The Eric Gregory Award is a literary award given annually by the Society of Authors for a collection by United Kingdom poets under the age of 30. The award was founded in 1960 by Dr. Eric Gregory to support and encourage young poets. Past winne ...

for poetry from the

Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. Membership of the society is open to "anyon ...

(1992)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenhalgh, Chris Living people Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century English novelists English screenwriters English male screenwriters English male poets 1963 births English male novelists 21st-century British screenwriters 21st-century English male writers