Moris Farhi

Moris Farhi — Biography

Moris Farhi was born Musa Moris Farhi on 5 July 1935 into a Sephardic Jewish family in Ankara, and went on to become a Turkish-born British author, screenwriter and one-time actor. After completing his secondary and higher education at Robert College, he graduated from its faculty of literature in 1954 and moved to London the same year, training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), from which he graduated in 1956.

Following a brief career on stage, Farhi turned to writing and became a prominent advocate for free expression: he headed the England branch of International PEN's Writers in Prison Committee from 1994 to 1997, served on the organisation's Writing Committee from 1997 to 2000, and was International PEN's vice-president from 2001 until his death. In recognition of this work, he was appointed MBE by the UK government on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II in 2001.

His novel Children of the Rainbow received two honours, the "Amico Rom" prize from Italy's Associazione Them Romano in 2002 and a special award from Germany's Academy of Sciences and Arts in 2003. Moris Farhi died in London on 5 March 2019.