David Hare was born in Sussex in 1947. He is the author of twenty-eight plays for the stage, sixteen of which have been presented at the National Theatre. They include Plenty, Pravda (with Howard Brenton), The Secret Rapture, Racing Demon, The Absence of War, Skylight, Amy's View, The Blue Room (from Schnitzler), The Judas Kiss, Via Dolorosa, Stuff Happens, The Vertical Hour, Gethsemane, The Power of Yes and South Downs. He has also written English adaptations of plays by Brecht, Gorky, Chekhov, Pirandello and Lorca. His many screenplays for film and television include Licking Hitler, Wetherby, Damage, The Hours, The Reader and Page Eight.