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Matt Haig

マット・ヘイグ

Matto Heigu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1975-07-03 （Sheffield, South Yorkshire）
Nationality
British
Languages
English
Religion
Atheism
Residence History
Sheffield → Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire → Hull → Brighton, Sussex

Career

Occupations
Author, Journalist
Active Years
2002-2024
Nominations
Books Are My Bag Readers' Awards 2017 (How to Stop Time), British Book Awards 2021 Fiction shortlist (The Midnight Library)

Education

University of Hull
English and History
Country: United Kingdom

Awards

Nestlé Children's Book Prize
2007
Work: Shadow Forest
Category: Gold Award
Organization: Nestlé
Result: winner
Books Are My Bag Readers' Awards
2016
Work: Reasons to Stay Alive
Category: Non-fiction
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Midnight Library

2020 Speculative fiction 288 pages

A young woman unhappy with her life attempts suicide and ends up in a library between life and death, trying out alternate lives based on different decisions.

regretalternate livesmental healthself-discovery

How to Stop Time

2017 Speculative fiction

A man who appears 40 but has lived over 400 years, meeting figures like Shakespeare and Captain Cook.

immortalitytimehistory
Adaptations
  • [Film] TBD / Benedict Cumberbatch (star)

Reasons to Stay Alive

2015 Non-fiction

A non-fiction work about the author's experiences with mental health and reasons to stay alive.

mental healthanxietyrecovery

Shadow Forest

2007 Children's fantasy

A fantasy beginning with the horrific death of the protagonists' parents.

lossadventurefantasy

A Boy Called Christmas

2015 Children's literature

The origin of Christmas in an adventure story.

Christmasadventuremagic
Adaptations
  • [Film] A Boy Called Christmas (2021)

Bibliography

  • The Last Family in England (2004)
  • The Dead Fathers Club (2006)
  • Shadow Forest (2007)
  • The Possession of Mr Cave (2008)
  • The Runaway Troll (2008)
  • The Radleys (2010)
  • The Humans (2013)
  • How to Stop Time (2017)
  • The Midnight Library (2020)
  • The Life Impossible (2024)

Adaptations

  • A Boy Called Christmas film adaptation (StudioCanal, Blueprint Pictures)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
speculative fictiondark and quirky takes on family lifeblend of humor and seriousness
Recurring Motifs
mental healthlife choicesloss and recoveryfamily

Health

  • Mental breakdown
    24歳時 (1999年頃)
    Inspired much of his non-fiction writing.
  • Anxiety
    現在も時折
    Continues to affect his life and work.
  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
    Publicly disclosed.
  • Autism
    Publicly disclosed in 2022.

Legacy

Prominent contemporary British author known for bestsellers, especially on mental health themes. Successful in children's literature with adaptations to film.

Trivia

  • Homeschooled his two children.
  • Owns a dog.
  • Atheist who calls books his 'one true faith'.