Verity Bargate (1940-1981) was an English writer and theatre director. Her three novels No Mama No (1978), Children Crossing (1979), and Tit for Tat (1981) were all published by Jonathan Cape.

No Mama No was described as “a most outstanding first novel, economic, lucid, frightening, coherent” by the Financial Times and “sharp, intelligent and well-written” by the Daily Telegraph. Verity’s second novel, Children Crossing, was received to further critical acclaim, with the Observer noting “What Ms Bargate does well is to isolate and highlight just enough moments of pleasure, and indeed of goodness… to throw into relief the awful frenzy of a woman betrayed, battered, and pushed beyond hope”. The Daily Mail wrote “I can only read Verity Bargate’s writing at one sitting without stopping for secondary considerations like food or sleep… Her writing haunts and disturbs me long after I’ve read it.”

Verity also co-founded one of London’s leading fringe theatres, the Soho Poly Theatre Company (now known as the Soho Theatre) in 1969 and served as it’s artistic director. In memory of Verity, the Verity Bargate Award was established in 1982. The annual award celebrates new writing in theatre and continues to this day.