Mark Haddon
Mark Haddon (born 26 September 1962) is an English novelist, best known for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003). He won the Whitbread Award, the Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award, the Guardian Prize, and a Commonwealth Writers Prize for his work.
Mark Haddon | |
---|---|
Born | Northampton, Northamptonshire, England | 26 September 1962
Occupation | Writer, illustrator |
Nationality | English |
Education | MA, English Literature |
Alma mater | Merton College, Oxford Uppingham School Spratton Hall School |
Period | 1987–present |
Genre | Novels, children's literature, poetry, screenplays, radio drama |
Notable awards |
|
Spouse | Sos Eltis |
Children | 2 |
Website | |
markhaddon |
Life, work and studies
In 2003, Haddon won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award—in the Novels rather than Children's Books category—for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. He also won the Commonwealth Writers Prize in the Best First Book category, as The Curious Incident was considered his first book written for adults;[1] he also won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a once-in-a-lifetime award judged by a panel of children's writers.[2] The book was furthermore long-listed for the 2003 Man Booker Prize.[3]
The Curious Incident is written from the perspective of an autistic 15-year-old boy, Christopher John Francis Boone. In an interview at Powells.com, Haddon claimed that this was the first book that he wrote intentionally for an adult audience; he was surprised when his publisher suggested marketing it to both adult and child audiences (it has been very successful with adults and children alike).[1]
His short story "The Pier Falls" was longlisted for the 2015 Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award, the richest prize in the world for a single short story.[4]
Personal life
Haddon is a vegetarian. He describes himself as a "hard-line atheist".[5][6]
Haddon lives in Oxford with his wife Sos Eltis, a Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford, and their two sons.[5]
Works
- Gilbert's Gobstopper (1987)
- Toni and the Tomato Soup (1988)
- A Narrow Escape for Princess Sharon (1989)
- Agent Z Meets the Masked Crusader (1993)
- Titch Johnson, Almost World Champion (1993)
- Agent Z Goes Wild (1994)
- At Home
- At Playgroup
- In the Garden
- On Holiday
- Gridzbi Spudvetch! (1992)
- The Real Porky Philips (1994)
- Agent Z and the Penguin from Mars (1995)
- The Sea of Tranquility (1996)
- Secret Agent Handbook
- Agent Z and the Killer Bananas (2001)
- Ocean Star Express (2001)
- The Ice Bear's Cave (2002)
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003)
- Boom! (An improved version of Gridzbi Spudvetch) (2009)
For adults
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003)
- A Spot of Bother (2006)
- The Red House (2012)
- The Pier Falls (2016)
- The Porpoise (2019)
- Social Distance (graphic short story, 2020)[7]
Poetry
- The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea 2007
Play
- Polar Bears (2010)
See also
References
- "The curiously irresistible literary debut of Mark Haddon '", Powells.com. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2003 (top page). The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- Jordan, Justine (15 August 2003). "Booker longlist includes Amis, snubs Carey". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- "World's Richest Story Prize". The Sunday Times. 1 February 2015. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015.
- 'Inside a curious mind', The Times. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
- 'B is for bestseller', The Observer. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
- Haddon, Mark (20 May 2020). "Social Distance: a graphic short story for the coronavirus age by Mark Haddon". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Mark Haddon at British Council: Literature
- Mark Haddon at IMDb
- Mark Haddon discussed the rituals and processes that guides his work.
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (official)
- A Spot of Bother (official)
- Interview: Coming Down the Mountain
- Haddon, Mark. "Writers' rooms: Mark Haddon", The Guardian (London), 29 June 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- Freeman, Hadley. "Novelist Mark Haddon talks to Hadley Freeman", The Guardian (London), 29 May 2006. Retrieved 31 May 2011.