Mark Haddon facts for kids

Mark Haddon (born 26 September 1962) is an English writer. He is famous for his novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, published in 2003. This book won several important awards. These include the Whitbread Award and the Guardian Prize.

Mark Haddon's Writing Journey

Mark Haddon's book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award in 2003. This was a big achievement. The award was for novels, not just children's books.

The book also won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. This award was for the best first book. Even though it won adult book awards, it also won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. This shows how popular it was with both adults and young readers.

About The Curious Incident

The Curious Incident is special because it is told by a 15-year-old boy named Christopher. Christopher sees the world in a unique way. Mark Haddon said he first wrote this book for adults. He was surprised when his publisher suggested it could be for kids too.

The book became very popular with both groups. It was even turned into a successful stage play. Some readers with autism have shared their thoughts on Christopher's story.

Other Notable Works

Mark Haddon has written many other stories. His short story "The Pier Falls" was recognized in 2015. He also published a collection of short stories in 2024. These stories are inspired by old myths. The collection is called Dogs and Monsters.

In 2023, Mark Haddon chose not to accept an award called an OBE. He explained that he felt it would mean agreeing with the idea of the British Empire, which he didn't fully support.

Mark Haddon's Life

Mark Haddon is a vegetarian. This means he does not eat meat. He also describes himself as an atheist. This means he does not believe in a god.

In 2019, Mark Haddon had a heart operation. After this, he experienced something called long COVID. This caused him to have "brain fog." Brain fog made it hard for him to read or write clearly.

He spoke in 2024 about getting better over five years. He said his thinking was slowly becoming clearer. He still found reading difficult, but things were improving.

Mark Haddon lives in Oxford, England. He lives with his wife, Sos Eltis. She is a teacher at Brasenose College, Oxford. They have two sons.

Mark Haddon's Books

Mark Haddon has written many books for different ages.

Books for Younger Readers

• Gilbert's Gobstopper (1987)
• Toni and the Tomato Soup (1988)
• A Narrow Escape for Princess Sharon (1989)
• Agent Z Meets the Masked Crusader (1993)
• Titch Johnson, Almost World Champion (1993)
• Agent Z Goes Wild (1994)
• Gridzbi Spudvetch! (1992)
• The Real Porky Philips (1994)
• Agent Z and the Penguin from Mars (1995)
• The Sea of Tranquility (1996)
• Secret Agent Handbook
• Agent Z and the Killer Bananas (2001)
• Ocean Star Express (2001)
• The Ice Bear's Cave (2002)
• Boom! (An improved version of Gridzbi Spudvetch) (2009)

Books for Adults

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003)
• A Spot of Bother (2006)
• The Red House (2012)
• The Pier Falls (2016)
• The Porpoise (2019)
• Social Distance (a short graphic story, 2020)

Poetry and Plays

• The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea 2007 (Poetry)
• Polar Bears (2010) (Play)