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Helen Macdonald

ヘレン・マクドナルド

Helen Macdonald

Profile

Gender
Unknown
Born
1970-01-01 （Camberley, Surrey, England, UK）
Nationality
British
Languages
English
Residence History
Hawkedon, Suffolk, England, UK

Career

Occupations
writer, nature writer, poet, naturalist, broadcaster
Active Years
1993-
Affiliations
Jesus College, Cambridge (honorary fellow), Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge (affiliated research scholar)
Influenced By
T. H. White

Education

New Hall (now Murray Edwards College), University of Cambridge
English / Department of English
Degree: BA
Period: 1989-1992
Year of Graduation: 1992
Country: United Kingdom
Undergraduate degree in English

Awards

Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction
2014
Work: H is for Hawk
Organization: Samuel Johnson Prize
Result: 受賞
Costa Book Award
2014
Work: H is for Hawk
Organization: Costa Book Awards
Result: 受賞
Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger
2016
Work: H is for Hawk
Organization: French literary prize
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

H is for Hawk

2014 non-fiction / memoir / nature writing 352 pages

Describes the year the author spent training a Eurasian goshawk named Mabel after her father's death, interwoven with biographical material about naturalist/writer T. H. White; a meditation on grief and the human relationship with the natural world.

griefnaturebirds of preymemory
Adaptations
  • [film (in production)] H Is for Hawk (2024)
  • [TV documentary (BBC)] H is for Hawk: A New Chapter (2017)
Translations
  • French translation (won Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger, 2016)
  • Japanese translation (available)

Falcon

2006 natural history / essay

An exploration of birds of prey and the human relationship with them; essays on ecology and cultural history of falcons.

birds of preyhuman-nature relationship

Shaler's Fish

2001 poetry

Early poetry collection featuring poems on nature and personal memory.

naturememoryobservation

Vesper Flights

2020 essay collection

A collection of essays about the human relationship to the natural world, offering insights on creatures and landscapes through short pieces.

naturerelationshipsobservation

Prophet

2023 novel / science fiction (co-authored)

A novel co-written with Sinistra Blaché; a satirical, high-octane science fiction thriller.

technologysocial satire

Bibliography

  • Shaler's Fish. Etruscan Books. 2001.
  • Falcon. Reaktion Books. 2006.
  • H is for Hawk. Jonathan Cape. 2014.
  • Falcon (new edition). Reaktion Books. 2016.
  • Vesper Flights. Jonathan Cape. 2020.
  • Prophet (with Sinistra Blaché). Jonathan Cape. 2023.
  • Simple objects. Peter Riley. 1993.

Adaptations

  • H Is for Hawk (film adaptation, in production)
  • H is for Hawk: A New Chapter (BBC documentary, 2017)
  • The Hidden Wilds of the Motorway (BBC Four, 2020)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical nature writingmeditative and observational proseblend of personal memoir and natural history
Recurring Motifs
birds of prey (hawks)loss and mourningmemory and reconstruction of the pastBritish landscapes

Health

  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
    The author has stated that ADHD affects aspects of their writing and public life.

Legacy

Helen Macdonald achieved international recognition with H is for Hawk and is regarded as a leading contemporary nature writer and memoirist, praised for combining bird study with personal grief.

In Popular Culture

  • Film adaptation of H is for Hawk (Claire Foy attached to star; principal photography began 2024)
  • Appearances in BBC documentaries (Birds Britannia, Natural World, etc.)

Quotes

  • “No place has so indelibly shaped my writing life.”
    Source: The Guardian (interview, 2018) (2018)

Trivia

  • The goshawk central to H is for Hawk was named Mabel; Mabel died of aspergillosis in 2014.
  • Macdonald identifies as non-binary and uses they/she pronouns.
  • Won the Samuel Johnson Prize and Costa Book Award in 2014 for H is for Hawk.
  • Elected an honorary fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge in 2022.