The Days of Our Vanity

Richard Leigh Harris grew up in Clifton, Bristol, during the 1960s and 70s. These memoirs and reminiscences chronicle his boyhood as an only child being brought up in a poor single-parent family living, ironically, in a well-heeled suburb.

His student years in Birmingham and Reading were followed by nearly three decades working as a musician, teacher and lecturer in Oxford and, most recently, a return to the city of his birth.

By turns wry, witty, playful and poignant, he reflects on his life through the eyes and ears of being a professional musician. Although frequently dark in tone, Richard Leigh Harris leavens his writing with quirky asides and observations – all of which add up to an idiosyncratic, yet candid and moving, volume of memoirs.

Richard Leigh Harris was born in Bristol in 1956, studied the piano and harpsichord at the Birmingham School of Music and was awarded the degree of M.Mus from Reading University.

Over the years, he has worked in duos with guitarists, harpsichordists, recorder players and singers, as well as many solo recitals. He has performed at the South Bank Centre, London, broadcast on Radio 4, appeared on Japanese television and recorded various CDs, including improvised music.

In his spare time he enjoys a glass of wine and attempts to play chess and golf.