Matt Haig | |
|---|---|
 Haig at Foyle's Bookstore, London, February 2016 | |
| Born | 3 July 1975 Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England |
| Occupation | Journalist, author |
| Alma mater | University of Hull |
| Spouse | Andrea Semple |
| Children | 2 |
Matt Haig (born 3 July 1975) is an English author and journalist. He has written both fiction and non-fiction books for children and adults, often in the speculative fiction genre.
Haig was born on 3 July 1975 in Sheffield. [1] [2] He grew up in the Nottinghamshire town of Newark [3] and later went on to study English and History at the University of Hull. [4]
Haig is the author of both fiction and non-fiction for children and adults. [5] His work of non-fiction, Reasons to Stay Alive , was a number one Sunday Times bestseller and was in the UK top 10 for 46 weeks. His bestselling children's novel, Father Christmas and Me, is currently[ when? ] being adapted for film, produced by StudioCanal and Blueprint Pictures.[ citation needed ]
His novels are often dark and quirky takes on family life. The Last Family in England retells Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1 with the protagonists as dogs. His second novel Dead Fathers Club is based on Hamlet , telling the story of an introspective 11-year-old dealing with the recent death of his father and the subsequent appearance of his father's ghost. His third adult novel, The Possession of Mr Cave, deals with an obsessive father desperately trying to keep his teenage daughter safe. His children's novel, Shadow Forest , is a fantasy that begins with the horrific death of the protagonists' parents. It won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize in 2007. [6] He followed it with the sequel, Runaway Troll, in 2008.[ citation needed ]
Haig's vampire novel The Radleys was published in 2011. [7] In 2013, he published The Humans. It is the story of an alien who takes the identity of a university lecturer whose work in mathematics threatens the stability of the planet who must also cope with the home life which accompanies his task.[ citation needed ]
In 2017, Haig published How to Stop Time , a novel about a man who appears to be 40 but has, in fact, lived for more than 400 years and has met Shakespeare, Captain Cook and F. Scott Fitzgerald. In an interview with The Guardian , Haig revealed the book has been optioned by StudioCanal films, and Benedict Cumberbatch had been "lined up to star" in the film adaptation. [8] Reasons to Stay Alive won the Books Are My Bag Readers' Awards in 2016 and How to Stop Time was nominated in 2017. [9] In August 2018, he wrote lyrics for English singer and songwriter Andy Burrows's music album, the title of which was derived from Haig's book Reasons to Stay Alive. [10]
In 2020, Matt Haig released his novel The Midnight Library about a young woman named Nora Seed who is unhappy with her choices in life. During the night she tries to kill herself but ends up in a library managed by her school librarian, Mrs. Elm. The library is between life and death with millions of books filled with stories of her life had she made some decisions differently. In this library, she then tries to find the life in which she's the most content. [11] It was shortlisted for the 2021 British Book Awards "Fiction book of the year". [12] The Midnight Library was adapted for radio and broadcast in ten episodes on BBC Radio 4 in December 2020. [13]
In 2021, Haig appeared on Storybound, accompanied by an original score from Robert Wynia. [14]
The Comfort Book was released on 1 July 2021. [15]
As of 2015 [update] , Haig is married to Andrea Semple, and they lived in Brighton, Sussex, with their two children and a dog. [4] [16] The children were homeschooled. [17]
Haig identifies as an atheist. [16] He has said that books are his one true faith, and the library is his church. [18]
Some of Haig's work — especially part of the non-fiction books — is inspired by the mental breakdown he suffered from when he was 24-years-old. [19] He still occasionally suffers from anxiety. [20] He has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. [21]
The Carnegie Medal for Illustration is a British award that annually recognises "distinguished illustration in a book for children". It is conferred upon the illustrator by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) which inherited it from the Library Association. CILIP is currently partnered with the audio technology company Yoto in connection with the award, though their sponsorship and the removal of Greenaway’s name from the medal proved controversial.
Norman George Lorimer Hunter was a British writer of children's literature. He is particularly known for creating the Professor Branestawm book series.
Nonesuch Press was a private press founded in 1922 in London by Francis Meynell, his second wife Vera Mendel, and their mutual friend David Garnett, co-owner of Birrell & Garnett's bookshop in Soho's Gerrard Street, in the basement of which the press began.
Chris Riddell is a South African-born English illustrator and occasional writer of children's books and a political cartoonist for the Observer. He has won three Kate Greenaway Medals - the British librarians' annual award for the best-illustrated children's book, and two of his works were commended runners-up, a distinction dropped after 2002.
Marjorie Weinman Sharmat was an American children's writer. She wrote more than 130 books for children and teens and her books have been translated into several languages. They have won awards including Book of the Year by the Library of Congress or have become selections by the Literary Guild.
Lynne Reid Banks is a British author of books for children and adults.
Canongate Books is an independent publishing firm based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Catherine Fisher is a Welsh poet and children's novelist. She has also worked as a school and university teacher.
Roderick Langmere Haig-Brown was a Canadian writer and conservationist.
Ursula Dubosarsky is an Australian writer of fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults, whose work is characterised by a child's vision and comic voice of both clarity and ambiguity. She has won nine national literary prizes, including five New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, more than any other writer in the Awards' 30-year history. She was appointed the Australian Children's Laureate for 2020–2021.
My Side of the Mountain is a middle-grade adventure novel written and illustrated by American writer Jean George published by E. P. Dutton in 1959. It features a boy who learns courage, independence, and the need for companionship while attempting to live in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. In 1960, it was one of three Newbery Medal Honor Books (runners-up) and in 1969 it was loosely adapted as a film of the same name. George continued the story in print, decades later.
Patricia Evelyn Hutchins was an English illustrator, writer of children's books, and broadcaster. She won the 1974 Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association for her book The Wind Blew. On screen, she was best known as 'Loopy-Lobes' the second owner of the "Ragdoll boat" in the long-running children's series Rosie and Jim.
Saviour Pirotta is a Maltese-born British author and playwright who resides in England. He is mostly known for the bestselling The Orchard Book of First Greek Myths, an adaptation of the Russian folktale, Firebird, and the Ancient Greek Mysteries Series for Bloomsbury. His books are particularly successful in the UK, Greece, Italy and South Korea.
Jay Asher is an American writer and novelist. He is best known for writing the bestselling 2007 book Thirteen Reasons Why.
Ruth Sanderson is an American illustrator and writer of children's books.
Christopher John Rocco, simply known as John Rocco is an American illustrator of book covers and children's books. He is best known for illustrating the covers of books in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. He is the sole creator of some children's picture books.
Rainbow Rowell is an American author known for young adult and adult contemporary novels. Her young adult novels Eleanor & Park (2012), Fangirl (2013) and Carry On (2015) have been subjects of critical acclaim.
Chris Mould is a British illustrator and occasional writer of children's books. He exhibits his artwork regularly, and commits to an ongoing programme of events. He currently has over 20 books in print between the US and the UK. His notable works include A Boy Called Christmas, A Girl Who Saved Christmas, Father Christmas and Me, The Truth Pixie, The Iron Man, and Animal Farm.
The Midnight Library is a fantasy novel by Matt Haig, published on 13 August 2020 by Canongate Books. It was abridged and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 over ten episodes in December 2020.
The Radleys is a paranormal fantasy novel for young adults by Matt Haig, published 1 July 2010 by Canongate Books.
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