Joanne Harris is an acclaimed contemporary English writer who writes under mixed genres, such as magic realism and gastromance. She is recognized for her bestselling novel Chocolat, the book was shortlisted for Whitbread Novel of the Year Award and has won several other awards.
On July 3, 1964, in Barnsley, Yorkshire, Joanne Michèle Sylvie Harris was born in her grandparents’ sweet shop. She grew up bilingual as her maternal and paternal families belonged to different lingual regions. In fact, her parents were academic who taught Modern Languages and literature. Consequently, she learned French as her first language and English second. It created such a discord between two her two families. She was very quick to catch on to writing as she began to write at an early age. Her works were highly influenced by Grimms’s‘ Fairy Tales, Norse mythology and Charles Perrault’s tale.
Harris received her education from Wakefield Girls High School. After graduation, she attended Barnsley Sixth Form College and then she studied Modern and Medieval Languages at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge. After disappointment in a one-year stint as an accountant, she took up a training course at Sheffield University as a teacher. Becoming a professional teacher, she followed her parent’s footsteps and taught modern languages for most years at Leeds Grammar School. Subsequently, she taught aspects of French literature and film at Sheffield University. While teaching, she also embarked on her passion for writing in her spare time. She was able to complete three writing projects even before she quit teaching in order to pursue full-time writing.
The Evil Seed was published in 1989, marking Harris’ literary debut. However, the book received a lukewarm response from readers. Four years later she published her second novel, titled Sleep, Pale Sister. The book clearly traces the development in her writing style from a pastiche of horror story to literary ghost story. It was not until the release of her third novel, Chocolat, that she gained immense popularity. It is a darkly magical modern folk-tale centered on a chocolate shop owner, Vianne Rocher. The book topped the Sunday Times bestseller list. It won Creative Freedom Award and the Whittaker Gold and Platinum Awards. The book was later adapted into a major motion picture, starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche. The raging success of Chocolat, encouraged Harris to write its sequels; The Lollipop Shoes and Peaches for Monsieur le Curé.
Henceforth, none of Harris’ literary works went without recognition in Britain. She penned two collections of short stories and contributed her work in numerous anthologies. Her fantasy novel, inspired by Norse mythology, entitled Runemark, targeted younger audience. She touched upon Asgardian universe in her book The Gospel of Loki (2014). Loki is featured in the book as a narrator, who highlights the rise and fall of Asgardian demigods. In addition to supernatural and fantasy novels, she also authored a few psychological thrillers. The titles include Gentlemen and Players and Blueeyedboy. Besides fiction, she co-wrote two French cookbooks with Fran Warde.
Her books cover a wide range of subject matters in a single text, which renders the categorization of her work a challenging task. The major themes addressed in her literary work include the mother/child relationship, food having certain emotive quality and magic and horror hidden in ordinary things. For her extraordinary contribution to English literature, Joanne Harris has been awarded honorary doctorates in literature, Scripter Award and her book adaptation Chocolat was nominated for several BAFTA and Oscar awards.
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