Author Biography | Interview | Books by this Author | Readalikes
Matt Haig's writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The
Independent, and The Sydney Morning
Herald. The Dead Fathers Club was
his American debut but his second
published novel following The Last
Family in England (2004), a
reworking of Henry IV, Part I from the
point of view of a black Labrador named
Prince.
Shadow Forest, his first book for
children, was published in the UK in May
2007; and in the USA as Samuel Blink
and the Forbidden Forest in June
2007
His next book for adults was The Possession of Mr Cave in May 2008, followed by The Radleys.
He now lives in Leeds but grew up in
Newark-on-Trent, where he went to a
school much like Philip's in The Dead
Fathers Club.
About This Biography
This biography was last updated on 07/09/2016. We try to keep BookBrowse's biographies both up to date and accurate, but with over 2500 lives to keep track of it's inevitable that some won't be as current or as complete as we would like. So, please help us - if the information about a particular author is out of date, inaccurate or simply very short, and you know of a more complete source, please let us know. Authors and those connected with authors:
If you wish to make changes to your bio, send your complete biography as you would like it displayed so that we can replace the old with the new.
A Conversation with Matt Haig
In The Dead Fathers Club, you have chosen to reimagine not merely a classic but arguably the classic work of English literature. Where does one get the daring to wrestle with a giant, and how did you go about making Shakespeare’s story into your own?
Well, I didn’t begin with a conscious desire to rewrite Hamlet. I began with the desire to tell a story about grief from a child’s perspective and I found myself gravitating increasingly toward these grand Shakespearean themes. And yes, it’s a massive risk, and I’m not the one to judge if I’ve pulled it off. But I think all writers feel the ghosts of literature breathing down their neck, so I figured it might as well be Shakespeare looking over my shoulder as anyone else.
In your opinion, how important is it to your readers’ enjoyment that they have read or reread Hamlet recently?
My intention was to write a story that connects with people emotionally and hopefully that connection works the same with or without an in-depth knowledge of Hamlet. After all, Shakespeare himself was the king of rewrites, and Hamlet itself echoes earlier vengeance stories.
One of the greatest challenges a writer faces is sustaining a...
Niccolò Ammaniti was born in Rome in 1966. He is the author of three novels, as well as a collection of short stories. At thirty-four, he was the youngest ever winner of the prestigious Viareggio-Repaci prize for I'm ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
The Dead Fathers Club
Try:
I'm Not Scared
by Niccolò Ammaniti
Rachel DeWoskin is the author of Foreign Babes in Beijing, a memoir about her inadvertent notoriety as the star of a Chinese soap opera (and has been optioned by HBO for a television series); and two novels: her debut, Repeat... (more)
If you enjoyed:
The Dead Fathers Club
Try:
Big Girl Small
by Rachel DeWoskin
We recommend 9 similar authors
The Tea Planter's Wife
by Dinah Jefferies
An utterly engrossing, compulsive page-turner set in 1920s Ceylon.
An intoxicatingly vivid portrait of colonial Kenya and its privileged inhabitants.
About the book
Blood at the Root
"A gripping, timely, and important examination of American racism."
- PW Starred Review
Visitors can view some of BookBrowse for free. Full access is for members only.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends books that we believe to be best in class. Books that will whisk you to faraway places and times, that will expand your mind and challenge you -- the kinds of books you just can't wait to tell your friends about.
Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info & giveaways by email.
