Joanne Harris

Joanne Michèle Sylvie Harris (born 3 July 1964) is a British author, best known for her 1999 novel Chocolat, which was adapted into a film of the same name. Born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, of a French mother and a British father, she was a teacher of French for 15 years and had published three novels during this period before the surprise success of Chocolat enabled her to write full time. Since then she has written over 30 books in a number of genres, including fantasy, psychological thriller, novellas, short stories and non-fiction. Harris' books often feature themes of women's empowerment, ... Joanne Michèle Sylvie Harris (born 3 July 1964) is a British author, best known for her 1999 novel Chocolat, which was adapted into a film of the same name. Born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, of a French mother and a British father, she was a teacher of French for 15 years and had published three novels during this period before the surprise success of Chocolat enabled her to write full time. Since then she has written over 30 books in a number of genres, including fantasy, psychological thriller, novellas, short stories and non-fiction. Harris' books often feature themes of women's empowerment, folklore, motherhood, community, outsiders and outcasts, and food. Harris was Chair of the Society of Authors for two terms, and was also elected twice to the board of the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society. She is a regular guest on British media, writes regularly for the press and has judged a variety of literary prizes, including the Orange Prize and the Whitbread Prize. Harris' work has received multiple awards, including two Whitaker Gold Awards and one Whitaker Platinum Award, and is published in over 50 countries. Early life Joanne Harris was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, of an English father and a French mother.[1] Her father, Robert (Bob) Short, taught French and German at Barnsley Girls' High School (later, Hall Balk School for Girls), and her mother was Jeannette Short (née Payen) whom Bob first met on a trip to France,[3] and who also later went on to teach at Barnsley Girls' High SchooL. The family lived above Harris' grandparents' corner sweet shop until Harris was three. There was an outside toilet and no central heating, which horrified Jeannette, who was used to a warmer climate. Harris' mother did not speak English when she married, and so Harris spoke only French until she started school. This contributed to Harris' early sense of the family being "others" in the community. Harris' brother was born when Harris was ten: because of the wide age gap between them, she describes this as "being an only child and then being a second mother. Holidays Throughout her childhood and up until her grandfather's death in 1988,[12] Harris spent the Easter and summer holidays with her French family on the island of Noirmoutier, where her grandfather had a house, a time she calls "wild and idyllic". Harris spent much of her time there exploring the island, alone and undisturbed. These experiences later inspired her 2002 novel, Coastliners, and her 2003 novel, Holy Fools. See more