Joanne Michèle Sylvie HarrisOBEFRSL (born 3 July 1964) is an English-French author, best known for her 1999 novel Chocolat, which was adapted into
a film of the same name.
Early life
Joanne Harris was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, to an English father and a French mother,[1] and lived above her grandparents' corner sweet shop until the age of three.[2][3] Harris's mother did not speak English when she married, and so Harris spoke only French until she started school.[4] Both her parents taught French at Barnsley Girls' High School.[5] Harris attended
Wakefield Girls' High School and Barnsley Sixth Form College.[6] She studied modern and mediaeval languages at
St Catharine's College, Cambridge.[7] She met her husband Kevin when they were both students at Barnsley Sixth Form College.[8]
After a year as an accountant, which she later described as "like being trapped in a
Terry Gilliam film",[12] Harris trained as a teacher at the
University of Sheffield, and for 15 years she taught modern languages, mostly at the
independentLeeds Grammar School, and later taught French literature at the
University of Sheffield.[13][14] While she was a teacher she published the horror/gothic novels The Evil Seed, and Sleep, Pale Sister .[15]
This was followed by
Chocolat,[16] a novel set in a French village in the magical realism genre which went on to be shortlisted for the 1999
Whitbread Novel of the Year Award. Following the success of the motion picture Chocolat starring
Juliette Binoche and
Johnny Depp, the book sold more than a million copies.[17] Harris wrote three more novels in the Chocolat series: The Lollipop Shoes (titled The Girl With No Shadow in the US), Peaches for Monsieur le Curé (Peaches for Father Francis in the US), and The Strawberry Thief,[18] as well as three French cookbooks (co-written with Fran Warde).[19]
Chocolat was followed by the novels Blackberry Wine (2000), and Five Quarters of the Orange (2001), the latter described by the Guardian as having food "underpinning the action".[20] They were followed by Coastliners in 2002[21] and Holy Fools in 2003,[21] both of which are set on the fictional French island of Le Devin.[22][23]
In 2007, Harris published Runemarks, a fantasy novel based on
Norse mythology. The sequels Runelight, The Gospel of Loki and The Testament of Loki followed between 2011 and 2017. Harris' fantasy novels and novellas were published under the name Joanne M. Harris to distinguish them from her other work.[24]
In 2006, Harris published Gentlemen and Players, a psychological thriller set in the fictional boys' grammar school of St Oswald's, and inspired by her time as a teacher.[4] This was followed by two more St Oswald's books, Different Class and A Narrow Door alongside two more psychological thrillers, Blueeyedboy and Broken Light,[25] all set in the fictional town of Malbry, inspired by the Yorkshire village of
Almondbury.[26][27]
Harris has published three
novellas, A Pocketful of Crows, The Blue Salt Road, and Orfeia, loosely based on
Child Ballads and illustrated by Bonnie Helen Hawkins. Harris has published two collections of short stories and donated others to various charitable anthologies. In 2021 she published Honeycomb, a collection of original fairytales, illustrated by
Charles Vess.[28] She has also published a
Doctor Who novella, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Time Traveller.[29][30]
Journalism
Harris writes regularly for the press, and has written multiple travel pieces for The Telegraph,[31]The Guardian,[32]The Independent[33] and The Times,[34] as well as articles on more literary themes.[35] In 2017 she won a Fragrance Foundation Jasmine Award for an article on memory and scent, published in Good Housekeeping.[36]
Themes
Repeated themes in Harris' books include: food as a means of understanding character; [37] the dynamic between feasting and fasting; motherhood and the patriarchy;[38] tensions within communities; outsiders and outcasts;[39] religious intolerance and "the magic of everyday things".[40][41]
Many of Harris' books are about women who challenge the status quo and the way in which women are perceived in society.[42] Harris also regularly uses folklore and myth in her novels, giving a modern, original spin to traditional stories.[43]
Reception
The books have been praised for their multi-layered storytelling, use of culinary metaphors[44] and arresting plot twists.[45]The Guardian describes Harris' books as "astringent, highly original and often subtly fantastic mainstream novels.'[46]The Irish Times says: "The Chocolat novels are poignant literary explorations of universal themes of pleasure and denial, the dangers of dogma, xenophobia and racism and the enduring power of love and understanding to eradicate the traumas of the past,"[47] with a Locus review calling Harris "exceedingly gifted at producing vivid imagery".[48] Critics have remarked on her skill at "foreshadowing impending doom" and "unerring eye for school life."[49] Some reviewers have questioned the plausibility of some of the plot twists, while acknowledging the compulsive nature of the read.[50][51]
Other activities
Harris has been involved in a number of musical projects, including collaborating with Lucie Treacher and the
Tête à Tête Opera Festival to create two mini-operas,[52][53] building a stage show with the Storytime Band based on her work,[54] and co-writing and developing an original stage musical, Stunners, with
Howard Goodall.[55][56]
Harris was chair of the management committee of the
Society of Authors for two terms from 2020 to 2024,[69][70] being unanimously re-elected to the position in March 2022.[71] She assisted in several SOA campaigns, including raising awareness on author pay and conditions.[72][73] In 2022 a members' vote was raised calling for Harris to stand down as chair, in relation to the society's stance on protecting free speech.[74][75] The motion was defeated with 81% voting against.[76]
The French Kitchen (with Fran Warde): 2005 Winner of the Golden Ladle for Best Soft Cover Recipe Book Over US$25 in
Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards.[84]
Gentlemen & Players: Shortlisted for the
Edgar Award Best Novel, 2007 (USA)[85] and the Grand Prix du Polar de Cognac (France).[86]
Every Scent Tells a Tale (a piece written for Good Housekeeping): Winner of Fragrance Foundation Jasmine Award (Literary Category), 2017.[36]
A Pocketful of Crows: Shortlisted for 2018 British Fantasy Award for Best Novella. [89]
Personal life
Harris lives in Yorkshire with her husband Kevin, and has a son.[90] She works from a shed in her garden.[91]
Harris was diagnosed with
breast cancer in 2020, and discussed the diagnosis and her ongoing treatment on social media and at the
Hay Festival.[92] She has stated that she has a form of
synaesthesia "in which colours in bright light trigger scents", and also suffers from
seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in winter.[93]
Stories (2010). A collection of fantasy tales, edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio.
Writing on the Edge (2010). A collection of eyewitness accounts by well-known authors of extreme conditions and war-torn locations. In aid of MSF.
Why Willows Weep (2011). Charity anthology in aid of the Woodland Trust.
Beacons (2013). Charity anthology in aid of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition.
Fearie Tales (2014)
That Glimpse of Truth – the 100 Finest Short Stories Ever Written (2014), edited by David Miller.
Time Trips (2015). A collection of Doctor Who stories by various authors, including the Joanne Harris novella The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Time Traveller.
Twice Cursed (2023). An anthology of stories on the subject of curses, edited by Marie o'Regan and Paul Kane.