Matt Haig

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Matt Haig

Matt Haig (born 3 July 1975) is a British author and journalist. He has written both fiction and non-fiction for children and adults, often exploring themes of mental health, depression, and the human condition. Haig's work has been translated into over 40 languages.

Early Life and Education

Matt Haig was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. He attended Hull University, where he studied English and History.

Career

Haig's first novel, The Last Family in England, was published in 2004. The book is a retelling of William Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1 from the perspective of a dog. His second novel, The Dead Fathers Club, published in 2006, is a modern take on Hamlet.

In 2015, Haig published Reasons to Stay Alive, a memoir about his struggle with depression and anxiety. The book became a bestseller and has been credited with helping to destigmatize mental health issues.

Haig's 2020 novel, The Midnight Library, explores the concept of parallel universes and the choices that shape our lives. The book received critical acclaim and won the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction.

Personal Life

Matt Haig lives in Brighton with his wife, Andrea Semple, and their two children. He is an advocate for mental health awareness and frequently speaks about his own experiences with depression and anxiety.

Bibliography

Novels

• The Last Family in England (2004)
• The Dead Fathers Club (2006)
• The Radleys (2010)
• The Humans (2013)
• How to Stop Time (2017)
• The Midnight Library (2020)

Non-fiction

• Reasons to Stay Alive (2015)
• Notes on a Nervous Planet (2018)
• The Comfort Book (2021)

Children's Books

• Shadow Forest (2007)
• The Runaway Troll (2008)
• A Boy Called Christmas (2015)
• The Girl Who Saved Christmas (2016)
• Father Christmas and Me (2017)

Awards and Recognition

• Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (2007) for Shadow Forest
• Blue Peter Book Award (2009) for Shadow Forest
• Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction (2020) for The Midnight Library

See Also

• List of British writers
• Mental health in literature
• Parallel universes in fiction