Joanne Harris

Author

Joanne Harris is a British-French author best known for her novel Chocolat, which became an international bestseller and was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film. Her writing spans literary fiction, fantasy, mythology, thrillers, and cookbooks, and she is one of the most versatile and imaginative writers in contemporary British... fiction. Born in Barnsley, Yorkshire in 1964 to a French mother and an English father, Harris grew up between England and France. She studied French and German at St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and taught French at Leeds Grammar School for fifteen years before becoming a full-time writer. Chocolat (1999) was her breakthrough — a sensuous, magical story of Vianne Rocher, a mysterious chocolatier who arrives in a conservative French village and transforms its inhabitants through the power of chocolate and kindness. The novel was shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel Award, and the film adaptation starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp was nominated for five Academy Awards. The Lollipop Shoes and Peaches for Monsieur le Cure continued Vianne's story. Harris's other novels include Gentlemen and Players and Different Class (dark academic thrillers set in a Yorkshire grammar school), Holy Fools, Five Quarters of the Orange, Blackberry Wine, and The Strawberry Thief. The Gospel of Loki and The Testament of Loki reimagine Norse mythology. She has also written cookbooks and contributed to the Doctor Who universe. Harris served as Chair of the Society of Authors and is an outspoken advocate for authors' rights. The audiobook editions of Harris's novels are richly atmospheric, with narrators capturing the sensory pleasures and storytelling warmth of her writing. Her books and audiobooks are essential for anyone who loves fiction that engages all the senses — warm, imaginative, and full of the pleasures of good storytelling. Read more Show less