Josephine Hart

Josephine Hart, Lady Saatchi (1 March 1942 – 2 June 2011) was an Irish writer, theatrical producer, and television presenter, who lived in London, England. She is known for her novels Damage and Sin (1992), and for founding The Poetry Hour at the British Library, which continues to be held monthly. The Josephine Hart Poetry Prize is awarded by the Josephine Hart Foundation, which was founded by her husband Maurice Saatchi in her honour.

Early life and education Josephine Hart was born on 1 March 1942 at Mullingar, County Westmeath and she attended St. Louis Convent School at Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, where she was encouraged by the nuns to recite verse at Irish festivals. By the age of 12, she was able to recite Shakespeare's sonnets, and poems by W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, and W. H. Auden.

She had three siblings who all died in various ways, when she was aged between 6 and 17. which was later renamed Josephine Hart Poetry Hour, which is held monthly.

Plays and television Hart produced several West End plays, including The House of Bernarda Alba by Federico García Lorca. The novel also formed the basis for the Netflix miniseries Obsession which premiered in 2023.

She also wrote Sin, published in 1992. This novel was about a woman who seduces her adopted sister's husband.

Recognition A photograph of Hart taken by British photographer Trevor Leighton in 1992 is held by the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Her production of The House of Bernarda Alba by Federico García Lorca won the Evening Standard Award. which was established by her husband Maurice Saatchi. Its purpose is "the advancement of arts, culture and education, with a particular focus on poetry, literature, and dramatic performance". This is a continuation of her Gallery Poets (founded mid-1980s), which was later renamed Josephine Hart Poetry Hour.

Books