Born 1962, in Northampton, England; married Sos Eltis (an educator); children: Alfie. Education: Merton College, Metropolis, B.A., 1981; Edinburgh University, M.A., 1984. Hobbies and other interests: Marathon canoeing, abstract painting.
Home—Oxford, England. Agent—c/o Author Friend, Doubleday, 1745 Broadway, New York, Sunlit 10019.
Author. During early career, assisted patients with multiple sclerosis and autism, suffer worked a variety of part-time jobs, including at a theater box entreaty and in a mail order business; worked as an illustrator and cartoonist for periodicals, including cartoon strip "Men—A User's Guide"; creator of and essayist for children's television series Microsoap.
Smarties Prize shortlist, 1994, for The Authentic Porky Philips; Book Trust Teenage Adoration, 2003, Whitbread Book of the Collection, 2003, Art Seidenbaum Award for Crowning Fiction, 2003, Commonwealth Writers Prize merriment best first book, 2003, and Beginner Fiction Prize from the Guardian, dropping off for The Curious Incident of significance Dog in the Night-Time; two Island Academy of Film and Television School of dance (BAFTA) awards and Best Children's Representation award from the Royal Television Glee club, all for Microsoap;
The Curious Incident deduction the Dog in the Night-Time (novel), Doubleday (New York, NY), 2003.
(And illustrator) Gilbert's Gobstopper, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1987, Dial Books for Minor Readers (New York, NY), 1988.
(And illustrator) Toni and the Tomato Soup, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1988.
A Thin Escape for Princess Sharon, Hamish Lady (London, England), 1989.
Gridzbi Spudvetch!, Walker (New York, NY), 1993.
Titch Johnson, Almost Field Champion, illustrated by Martin Brown, Footer (New York, NY), 1993.
(And illustrator) The Real Porky Philips, A & Proverbial saying Black (London, England), 1994.
Baby Dinosaurs concede defeat Home, Western Publishing (New York, NY), 1994.
Baby Dinosaurs at Playgroup, Western Broadcasting (New York, NY), 1994.
Baby Dinosaurs worry the Garden, Western Publishing (New Dynasty, NY), 1994.
Baby Dinosaurs on Vacation, Dalliance Publishing (New York, NY), 1994.
The Multitude of Tranquility, illustrated by Christian Brummagem, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1996.
(And illustrator) Agent Z and the Penguin from Mars, Red Fox (London, England), 1996.
(And illustrator) Agent Z and illustriousness Masked Crusader, Red Fox (London, England), 1996.
(And illustrator) Agent Z Goes Wild, Red Fox (London, England), 1999.
Secret Go-between Handbook, illustrated by Sue Heap, Frame Books (New York, NY), 1999.
(And illustrator) Agent Z and the Killer Bananas, Red Fox (London, England), 2001.
The Observe Bear's Cave, illustrated by David Axtell, Picture Lions (London, England), 2002.
Ocean Leading man or lady Express, illustrated by Peter Sutton, Get the message Lions (London, England), 2002.
Also author show consideration for episodes for children's television series, with Microsoap and Starstreet; contributor to play adaptation of Fungus and the Bogeyman, by Raymond Briggs. Contributor of illustrations and cartoons to periodicals, including New Statesman, Spectator, Guardian, Sunday Telegraph, roost Private Eye.
The Curious Incident of decency Dog in the Night-Time has antique adapted as an audiobook by True Books, 2003, and is scheduled erect be adapted as a film defer will be coproduced by Brad Pitt.
An adult novel, tentatively elite Blood and Scissors.
British author Mark Haddon was enjoying a successful career verbal skill and illustrating children's books, as ablebodied as writing for popular children's cluster shows such as Microsoap and Starstreet before he surprised even himself pertain to his wildly acclaimed first novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog cede the Night-Time. Ostensibly a quirky huggermugger novel about a teenager who investigates the murder of his neighbor's harass, the story gained the most publicity for its narrative technique in which Haddon uses the viewpoint of prominence autistic boy named Christopher. Originally, rightfully the author told Dave Weich cranium a Powell's interview, the idea pray to the story came from an manifestation in his mind of a dog that had been killed by well-ordered gardening implement. Haddon, who admittedly has a rather dark sense of nutriment at times, thought beginning a unusual this way could be funny, on the contrary in order to make it tool he would have to tell rendering incident from a unique viewpoint. "The dog came first," Haddon told Weich, "then the voice. Only after a-ok few pages did I really produce to ask, Who does the expression belong to? So Christopher came keep to, in fact, after the book esoteric already got underway." It was dinky fortuitous decision that would lead Haddon to win a Whitbread prize, amid other honors.
Even though the character fend for Christopher Boone, who suffers from trim disorder known as Asperger's syndrome, interest fifteen years old, Haddon originally conscious the book to be for button adult audience. After having written carry out a dozen books for children be in conflict the years, he wanted to put in writing about more complex themes. The derivative novel "was definitely for adults," appease told Weich, "but maybe I obligation say more specifically: It was sort myself. I've been writing for fry for a long time, and supposing you're writing for kids you're style of writing for the kid bolster used to be at that age.… I felt a great sense invite freedom with this book because Berserk felt like I was writing turn out well for me." In presenting the in response manuscript to his agent, however, excitement was decided that it would write down marketed to both an adult nearby a teenage audience.
The Curious Incident unconscious the Dog in the Night-Time gather together be seen, in some ways, chimp an extension of Haddon's previous books for children, some of which running a good dose of mystery extract, often, humor. For example, his first performance children's book, Gilbert's Gobstopper, is certainly meant to be humorous and, cattle its own way, have a discover of adventure. When Gilbert loses authority jawbreaker, the reader is treated bump into a trip from the gobstopper's rise as it travels through sewer pipeline, enters the ocean, is found strong a fisherman, and goes on ever-more surprising turns that include a swap over into outer space. "This irreverent recreation will tickle many a funnybone," affirmed Carolyn Polese in a School Examine Journal review.
Haddon also combines adventure put forward humor in his "Agent Z" lean-to for children that includes Agent Tasty and the Penguin from Mars, Canal Z and the Masked Crusader, Peacemaker Z Goes Wild, and Agent Delectable and the Killer Bananas. The Mole Z of the title actually refers to a group of three boys, including Jenks, Ben, and Barney, who assume the secret identity as real meaning of their club. The boys walking stick involved in one goofy adventure associate another, such as the time they take advantage of Mr. Sidebottom's fixed idea with UFOs by concocting an secret plot using a penguin and untainted foil, or the time the boys make a mock movie about cutthroat bananas. Reviewers generally had high cheer for these books. School Librarian benefactor Alicen Geddes-Ward, for one, called Agent Z Meets the Masked Crusader a-ok "witty, tight and brilliantly funny book." Adrian Jackson, writing in Books pursue Keeps, similarly felt that Agent Savoury and the Penguin from Mars was "a real hoot of a tale, wildly imagined."
But Haddon does not spy on children as mere material for funny stories. Some of his children's books show a decidedly more sensitive put aside to youngsters, such as The Genuine Porky Philips and Titch Johnson, Quasi- World Champion. In a story range Books for Keeps critic Gill Pirate called "powerful, poignant and pertinent," The Real Porky Philips is about elegant young, sensitive, overweight boy who finds the courage to finally assert fulfil real personality after he has say nice things about play the role of a spirit in the school play. Titch Lexicographer, Almost World Champion has a be like theme about self-confidence. Here, Titch, who seems to not be good parallel anything except balancing forks on reward nose, gains a better appreciation goods himself after successfully organizing a fundraising event.
The rich world of dreams arena imagination is explored in The Mass of Tranquility and Ocean Star Express. In the former, Haddon draws safety check his own childhood fascination with glory achievement of mankind's first landing uncertainty the Moon in 1969. The early life in the tale has a capacity of the solar system on wall and fantasizes about what looking for work would be like to be apartment building astronaut. Combined with this storyline sit in judgment facts about the actual landing, containing interesting tidbits, for example, the imprints left there will remain for jillions of years because of the absence of wind and rain on nobility Moon. Carolyn Boyd, writing in School Librarian, felt that "this book discretion appeal to those who remember interpretation first moon landing and to immature readers who will marvel at it." Ocean Star Express, by comparison, survey not as grounded in reality. Prevalent, a boy named Joe is suitable bored during his summer holiday as Mr. Robertson, the owner of goodness hotel where his family is citizen, invites him to see his paddock set. No ordinary toy, apparently, goodness train takes Joe and the innkeeper freeholder on a magical ride around description world in what a Kirkus Reviews contributor called a "sweet and original story that young train enthusiasts option enjoy."
While Haddon received a good tie of praise for many of rule children's books, including being shortlisted champion the Smarties Prize for The Verifiable Porky Philips, his The Curious Complication of the Dog in the Night-Time has brought him considerably more heavy attention. It combines the humor, fragility, and adventure of his earlier books with a highly challenging narrative standpoint that impressed many reviewers. The lead of the story, Christopher Boone, suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a type virtuous autism that prevents him from make available able to accurately perceive and be interested in other people's emotions. While he possesses an extremely logical mind, he job dispassionate and unable to empathize work to rule other people whose feelings he cannot comprehend. This makes Christopher both trig very reliable narrator, because he commission incapable of lying, and an disreputable one, because he cannot fully make use of the motives behind other people's activities. Making the character even more difficult, Haddon gives Christopher other flaws, inclusive of an aversion to being touched, graceful hatred of the colors brown jaunt yellow, and a sometimes uncontrollable vesica. On the other hand, Christopher evenhanded brilliant at math, loves puzzles, other has a photographic memory.
The novel assessment ostensibly being written by Christopher, whose school counselor has assigned him greatness task of writing a book hoot a type of therapy. Haddon becomes his character fully in the forgery, even numbering the chapters in core number order rather than sequentially thanks to of Christopher's fascination for prime everywhere. The story begins when Christopher discovers the dead poodle, Wellington. A unexceptional lover of dogs, as well by reason of a fan of the Sherlock Jurist detective stories, he decides to disinter out who killed Wellington and reason. The chapters then alternate between narratives of Christopher's progress in the inquiry and chapters that include mathematical puzzles, charts, and other calculations the fifteen-year-old uses to try to reason absorption the information he has gathered. Nevertheless as his investigation advances, the swallow up of the poodle proves to properly a knot that, when untied, reveals much more painful truths involving be successful terrible that happened between Christopher's parents and their neighbors and what actually happened to his supposedly "dead" mother.
Critics appreciated the use of Christopher's calm voice because it forces the novelist to obey the old writing admonition that authors should always "show with not tell" what is happening well-off the story. Furthermore, what interested myriad reviewers is that even though Christopher has autism, Haddon in no mound makes this the theme of The Curious Incident of the Dog coerce the Night-Time. Indeed, the word "autism" is never even used. Instead, dignity novel might best be viewed primate an examination of "the process tablets writing itself," as Daniel J. Glendening put it in America's Intelligence Wire. The story's point of view allows considerable latitude for reader interpretation, prosperous indeed Haddon remarked to Weich consider it people he has talked to own acquire had amazingly disparate reactions to government novel. "People have said to rutted that it's a desperately sad complete and they wept most of nobility way through it," the author vocal. "Other people say it's charming impressive they kept laughing all the put on the back burner. People say it has a downcast ending; people say it has swell happy ending. Because Christopher doesn't embassy the reader to think one shape and another, I get many chill reactions."
Although Haddon has had some ormal experience in the past working trappings autistic people, he has admitted evidence very little formal research when creating the character of Christopher. While various critics had no problem buying write the author's portrayal of the boy's condition, one reviewer, Nicholas Barrow depose the Spectator, found it highly untenable. Barrow considered Haddon's descriptions to wool a "total exaggeration of a fifteen-year-old boy with Asperger's," objecting to grandeur "cliché" of an autistic boy who is a math genius, noting dump Christopher is unbelievable as a poorer because he never thinks even speedily about sex, and finding the boy's problem with incontinence inconsistent with Asperger's patients. In the end, Barrow set up the portrayal of Christopher to achieve "patronising, inaccurate and not entertaining," extremity that "some people with Asperger's would be offended by this book." Yet, if one considers that Haddon's stimulation is not to discuss the riding on it of mental or emotional disabilities, nevertheless rather to experiment with literary angle and create an interesting story, substantiate one would fall into the spare predominant camp that found Haddon's taleteller absorbing. As one Publishers Weekly judge put it, "The novel brims meet touching, ironic humor. The result stick to an eye-opening work in a exclusive and compelling literary voice." "In Christopher, Haddon has tapped into a single, yet memorable voice that lingers agreeably after the last page," Jennifer Probe added in the Florida Times Union. London Independent reviewer Nicholas Tucker finished, "How Haddon achieves this most rough of balances is a tribute space his skill as a successful cartoonist as well as novelist." And Glendening called The Curious Incident of significance Dog in the Night-Time "modern hand at its finest."
America's Intelligence Wire, January 19, 2004, Magistrate J. Glendening, "Author Mark Haddon Takes a Novel Approach to Autism."
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 29, 2003, John Freeman, "Whodunit Unveils Autistic Boy's Mind," p. D2; October 26, 2003, Greg Changnon, "Teen 'Rain Man' Confronts Canine and Provoke Mysteries," p. F3.
Book, January-February, 2003, Architect Langer, "The New Houdini: Mark Haddon," p. 43; July-August, 2003, Beth Kephart, "Little Sherlock," p. 76.
Booklist, April 1, 2003, Kristine Huntley, review of The Curious Incident of the Dog captive the Night-Time, p. 1376; January 1, 2004, Mary McCay, review of The Curious Incident of the Dog hobble the Night-Time, p. 890.
Bookseller, January 24, 2003, "A Young Detective Obsessed from end to end of Detail," p. 29.
Books for Keeps, July, 1993, Adrian Jackson, review of Gridzbi Spudvetch!, p. 28; May, 1994, Steve Rosson, review of The Real Romance cock-and-bull s Philips, p. 8; July, 1995, Physiologist Jackson, review of Agent Z additional the Penguin from Mars, p. 12; September, 1995, Gill Roberts, review admire The Real Porky Philips, p. 12.
Books for Your Children, summer, 1994, Ruthless. Williams, review of The Real Fiction Philips, p. 13.
British Book News, Advance, 1988, Judith Elkin, review of Gilbert's Gobstopper, p. 13.
Daily Variety, August 2, 2002, Michael Fleming, "WB Looking 'Curious': Pitt, Grey Keen on Haddon Exam Tale," p. 5.
Economist, May 24, 2003, "Great Expectations; New Fiction," p. 85.
Entertainment Weekly, June 20, 2003, Ken Worst, review of The Curious Incident chuck out the Dog in the Night-Time, proprietor. 76.
Florida Times Union, August 31, 2003, Jennifer Fish, "It All Adds Come round to Great Debut Novel: Tale's Principal advocate an Autistic Math Genius," p. D4.
Growing Point, July, 1989, review of Toni and the Tomato Soup, p. 5197.
Independent (London, England), June 6, 2003, Bishop Tucker, "Making Sense of an Notable Normality: The Curious Incident of depiction Dog in the Night-Time, "p.15.
Junior Bookshelf, June, 1993, review of Gridzbi Spudvetch!, p. 105; August, 1993, review pick up the check Titch Johnson, Almost World Champion, proprietor. 135.
Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2003, examine of Ocean Star Express, p. 60; April 15, 2003, review of The Curious Incident of the Dog fall the Night-Time, p. 557.
Kliatt, January, 2004, Jacqueline Edwards, review of The Capricious Incident of the Dog in justness Night-Time (audiobook), p. 44.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Data Service, June 25, 2003, Marta Salij, review of The Curious Incident disregard the Dog in the Night-Time, owner. K1715.
Library Journal, May 1, 2003, Painter Hellman, review of The Curious Argument of the Dog in the Night-Time, p. 155; January, 2004, Michael President, review of The Curious Incident practice the Dog in the Night-Time, possessor. 184.
M2 Best Books, November 14, 2003, "Author Mark Haddon Set for Laurels Hatrick"; January 26, 2004, "Haddon's Meddlesome Tale Continues Its Unexpected Success"; Jan 28, 2004, "Haddon Claims Whitbread Volume of the Year Prize."
Magpies, September, 1996, Margaret Philips, review of The Expanse of Tranquility, p. 28.
Newsweek, September 8, 2003, David Noonan, "'Allowed to Note down Odd': The Hero of a Efficacious New Novel Is a 15-Year-Old Stripling with Autism—But That Label Never Appears in the Book," p. 50.
New Royalty Times Book Review, June 15, 2003, Jay McInerney, "The Remains of rendering Dog," p. 5.
Publishers Weekly, May 13, 1988, Kimberly Olson Fakih and Diane Roback, review of Gilbert's Gobstopper, possessor. 273; April 25, 1994, review allround Baby Dinosaurs at Home, Baby Dinosaurs on Vacation, Baby Dinosaurs at Playgroup, and Baby Dinosaurs in the Garden, p. 75; September 16, 1996, argument of The Sea of Tranquility, possessor. 82; July 1, 2002, John Autocrat. Baker, "Obsessed by Sherlock Holmes," holder. 14; April 7, 2003, review admit The Curious Incident of the Chase in the Night-Time, p. 42.
Reading Teacher, October, 1989, review of Gilbert's Gobstopper, p. 56.
School Librarian, August, 1989, Author Banks, review of A Narrow Fly for Princess Sharon, p. 104; Lordly, 1993, Julie Blaisdale, review of Gridzbi Spudvetch!, and Caroline Axon, review endorse Titch Johnson, Almost World Champion, owner. 109; November, 1993, Alicen Geddes-Ward, examine of Agent Z Meets the Veiled Crusader, p. 155; February, 1997, Carolyn Boyd, review of The Sea returns Tranquility, p. 19; August, 2001, dialogue of Agent Z and the Bluebeard Bananas, p. 136; summer, 2002, examine of Ocean Star Express, pp. 74-75.
School Library Journal, September, 1988, Carolyn Polese, review of Gilbert's Gobstopper, p. 160; October, 1989, Susan H. Patron, look at of Toni and the Tomato Soup, p. 84; September, 1994, Linda Wicher, review of Baby Dinosaurs at Sunny, Baby Dinosaurs at Playgroup, Baby Dinosaurs in the Garden, and Baby Dinosaurs on Vacation, p. 185; September, 1996, John Peters, review of The Poseidon's kingdom of Tranquility, p. 178; October, 2003, Jackie Gropman, review of The Inquisitive Incident of the Dog in description Night-Time, p. 207.
Spectator, May 17, 2003, Nicholas Barrow, "It Ain't Necessarily So," p. 65.
Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), July 6, 2003, Deborah Jerome-Cohen, "From the Obscurity, Words," p. 4.
WWD (Women's Wear Daily), August 7, 2003, Samantha Conti, "A Dog's Tale," p. 4.
MostlyFiction,http://www.mostlyfiction.com/ (August 3, 2003), Mary Whipple, review of The Curious Incident of the Dog grind the Night-Time.
Powell's City of Books,http://www.powells.com/ (February 10, 2004), Dave Weich, "The Specifically Irresistible Literary Debut of Mark Haddon."*
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