Deborah Harkness
| Deborah Harkness | |
|---|---|
| Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Scholar, novelist |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Mount Holyoke College, Northwestern University, University of California at Davis |
| Genres | Fantasy, historical fiction |
| Notable work(s) |
A Discovery of Witches Shadow of Night |
|
www.deborahharkness.com | |
Deborah Harkness (born 1965) is an American scholar, novelist and wine enthusiast, best known as a historian and the author of The New York Times best selling novel A Discovery of Witches and its sequel Shadow of Night.
Early life
Born in 1965, Harkness grew up near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of an American-born father and a British-born mother.[1] She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College (B.A., 1986), Northwestern University (M.A., 1990), and the University of California at Davis (Ph.D., 1994).[2] Harkness also studied abroad at Oxford University. She is a well-regarded historian of science and medicine,[3] as well as having studied alchemy, magic and the occult.
Career
Deborah Harkness is a professor of history at the University of Southern California.[4] She has published two works of historical non-fiction, John Dee's Conversations with Angels: Cabala, Alchemy and the End of Nature (1999) and The Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution (2007).[4]
In 2011, Harkness published her first work of fiction, A Discovery of Witches. The first novel in the All Souls trilogy, A Discovery of Witches is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of a modern-day witch who inadvertently calls up an ancient enchanted manuscript at Oxford University's Bodleian Library[5] thereby attracting the unwelcome notice of a host of magical creatures who live among humans, including other witches, daemons, and a 1,500 year-old French vampire.[4] The novel debuted at number two on The New York Times Best Seller hardcover fiction list,[6] and has been sold in at least 34 countries.[7] The book was called "a sophisticated fairy tale for adults" by the San Antonio Express-News.[8] The second novel in the series, Shadow of Night, was published a year later, becoming a number one success on The New York Times Best Seller list.[9] The third novel in the series shall be called The Book of Life.[10] The book will be published on July 15, 2014 in hardback, e-book, and audiobook in the US, UK, Canada, and Ireland.
On January 9, 2014, the United States front cover and a two page excerpt were released to the public on USA Today.
Harkness is also the author of the award-winning wine blog, Good Wine Under $20.
Personal life
Harkness currently lives in Southern California where she teaches.[1]
Bibliography
Novels
- A Discovery of Witches. New York: Viking. 2011. ISBN 9780670022410. OCLC 635459436.
- Shadow of Night. New York: Viking. 2012. ISBN 9780670023486. OCLC 760974138. (10 July 2012 in the US and the UK)
- The Book of Life ( release will be July 15, 2014. )[11]
Books
- John Dee's Conversations with Angels: Cabala, Alchemy, and the End of Nature. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. 1999. ISBN 9780521622288. OCLC 39748178.
- The Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. 2007. ISBN 9780300111965. OCLC 226002129.
Awards
Harkness' faculty profile on the University of Southern California's website lists the following honors and awards:[2]
- Highly Commended, Longman-History Today Awards Book Prize, Spring 2009
- Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, Pfizer Award for Best Book in the History of Science, History of Science Society, Fall 2008
- Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, John Best Snow Prize for Best Book in British Studies, North American Conference on British Studies, Fall 2008
- Prize for Best Book, Pacific Coast Conference on British Studies, Spring 2008
- Huntington Library Research Fellowship Recipient, National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, 2006–2007
- Guggenheim Fellowship Recipient, John S. Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, 2004–2005
- Residency at the National Humanities Center, National Humanities Center, John E. Sawyer Fellow, 2004–2005
- NIH/NSF Career Development Award, National Science Foundation Senior Scholar's Award, 2001–2002
- Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, Derek Price Award for Best Article, History of Science Society, 1998
- American Council of Learned Societies Fellowship Recipient, ACLS Fellowship, 1997–1998
- Huntington Library Research Fellowship Recipient, NEH Fellowship, Huntington Library, 1997–1998
- Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, Nelson Prize for Best Article, Renaissance Society of America, 1997
- Jacob K. Javits Fellowship, U.S. Department of Education, 1989–1993
- Fulbright Award, Fulbright Fellowship to the United Kingdom, 1991–1992
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Timberg, Scott (10 April 2011). "Deborah Harkness' 'A Discovery of Witches' started with airport bookstores". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Faculty Profile: Deborah Elizabeth Harkness". Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ↑ Hernandez-Vogt, Persephone (24 February 2011). "Discovery of a writer: alum pens a preternatural tale". The Mount Holyoke News. Archived from the original on 24 February 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Gressitt, Kit-Bacon (20 February 2011). "SoCal scholar bounds into the supernatural". North County Times. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ↑ McGee, Celia (February 2011). "15 Books to Watch for in February 2011". Book Finder. Oprah.com. p. 4. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ↑ "Best Sellers". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Feb 27, 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
- ↑ Pellegrino, Nicky (11 April 2011). "Deborah Harkness: Once bitten ...". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- ↑ Bennett, Steve (12 February 2011). "A potent spell cast". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ↑ "Best Sellers – Hardcover Fiction". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. 29 July 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151901724991812&set=a.222659011811.136793.163048101811&type=1&theater
- ↑ http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Life-Novel-Trilogy/dp/0670025593/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382757434&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Book+of+Life+deborah+harkness