Matt Haig
| Matt Haig | |
|---|---|
 Matt Haig at Foyle'sBookstore, London February 2016 | |
| Born |
3 July 1975 Sheffield, U.K. |
| Residence | Brighton, U.K. |
| Alma mater | University of Hull |
| Occupation | Journalist, author |
| Spouse(s) | Andrea Semple |
| Children | 2 |
Matt Haig (born 3 July 1975) is a British novelist and journalist. He has written both fiction and non-fiction for children and adults often in the speculative fiction genre.
Early life
Haig was born on 3 July 1975 in Sheffield.[1][2] He studied English and History at the University of Hull.[3]
Career
Haig is the author of both fiction and non-fiction for children and adults often in the speculative fiction[4] genre. 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, A Boy Called Christmas, is currently being adapted for film, produced by Studio Canal and Blueprint Pictures.
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.[5] He followed it with the sequel, Runaway Troll, in 2008.
Haig's vampire novel The Radleys, was published in 2011.[6] 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.
Personal life
Haig is married to Andrea Semple; they have two children.[3][7] He resides in Brighton, U.K..[7] He homeschools his children,[8] and he is an atheist.[7] He suffered from major depressive disorder at the age of 24.[7]
Works
Novels
- The Last Family in England (Jonathan Cape, 2004); US title, The Labrador Pact
- The Dead Fathers Club (Cape, 2006)
- Shadow Forest (2007); US title, Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest
- The Possession of Mr Cave (The Bodley Head, 2008)
- Runaway Troll (Cape, 2008); US title, Samuel Blink and the Runaway Troll
- The Radleys (Bodley, 2010)
- The Humans (Canongate Books, 2013)
- Echo Boy (Bodley, 2014)
- A Boy Called Christmas (Canongate, 2015)
Non-fiction
- How Come You Don't Have An E-Strategy (Kogan Page, 2002)
- Brand Failures (Kogan Page, 2003)
- Brand Royalty (Kogan Page, 2004)
- Brand Success (Kogan Page, 2011)
- Reasons to Stay Alive (Canongate Books, 2015)
References
- ↑ Matt Haig (@matthaig1) (3 July 2014). "IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!! I AM TYPING THIS ON A NEW COMPUTER! I HAVE BOOKS AND SOCKS AND WORLD PEACE. I LOVE YOU. BYE. X". Twitter. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ↑ Kidd, James (November 29, 2015). "Matt Haig interview: The writer hopes his new book will help him banish the ghosts of Christmas past". The Independent. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- 1 2 "Matt Haig: "We live in a world designed to make us feel we're constantly missing out"". Cambridge News. April 2, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ↑ Matt Haig at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Select a title to see its linked publication history and general information. Select a particular edition (title) for more data at that level, such as a front cover image or linked contents. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
- ↑ "Nestlé Children's Book Prize 2007". Book Trust. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ↑ "Shrigley, Matt Haig to Canongate". Archived from the original on 20 April 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
- ↑ Haig, Matt (November 29, 2015). "School's out". The Sunday Times. Retrieved October 2, 2016.