Matt Haig
Encyclopedia
Matt Haig is a British novelist and journalist.
. As a journalist, he collaborated with The Guardian
, The Sunday Times
, The Independent
, The Sydney Morning Herald
and The Face
.
His novels, the first of which was published in 2005, are often dark and quirky takes on family life. The Last Family in England tells the story of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1
with the protagonists as dogs. It was a best-seller in the UK and the film rights have been sold to Brad Pitt's Plan B production company. 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.
Haig's latest work, the vampire novel The Radleys, was published in the summer of 2010. A film adaptation of The Radleys has been announced, with Alfonso Cuarón
attached to produce.
Biography
Haig was born in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
. As a journalist, he collaborated with The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
and The Face
The Face (magazine)
The Face was a British music, fashion and culture monthly magazine started in May 1980 by Nick Logan.-1980s:Logan had previously created the teen pop magazine Smash Hits, and had been an editor at the New Musical Express in the 1970s before launching The Face in 1980.The magazine was influential in...
.
His novels, the first of which was published in 2005, are often dark and quirky takes on family life. The Last Family in England tells the story of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V...
with the protagonists as dogs. It was a best-seller in the UK and the film rights have been sold to Brad Pitt's Plan B production company. His second novel Dead Fathers Club is based on Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
, 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
Shadow Forest
Shadow Forest is a children's novel by Matt Haig, published in 2007. It won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Gold Award, was shortlisted for the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize and has been nominated for the Carnegie Medal.- Audiobook :...
, is a fantasy that begins with the horrific death of the protagonists' parents. It won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize in 2007.
Haig's latest work, the vampire novel The Radleys, was published in the summer of 2010. A film adaptation of The Radleys has been announced, with Alfonso Cuarón
Alfonso Cuarón
Alfonso Cuarón Orozco is a Mexican film director, screenwriter and film producer, best known for his films Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Y tu mamá también, and A Little Princess.- Early life :...
attached to produce.
Novels
- The Last Family in England/The Labrador Pact (2005)
- Dead Fathers Club (2007)
- Shadow ForestShadow ForestShadow Forest is a children's novel by Matt Haig, published in 2007. It won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Gold Award, was shortlisted for the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize and has been nominated for the Carnegie Medal.- Audiobook :...
(2007) - The Possession of Mr Cave (2008)
- Runaway Troll (2008)
- The Radleys (2010)
External links
- Official website
- Matt Haig at House of Legends
- Matt Haig at Random House Australia
- BBC Leeds interview
- Random House Reading Group Guide for The Last Family In England
- Hamlet, is that you? Guardian Books review of Dead Fathers Club