Deborah Harkness
| Deborah Harkness | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Scholar, novelist |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Mount Holyoke College, Northwestern University, University of California at Davis |
| Genre | Fantasy, historical fiction |
| Notable works |
A Discovery of Witches Shadow of Night The Book of Life |
| Website | |
|
www | |
Deborah Harkness (born 1965) is an American scholar, novelist and wine enthusiast, best known as a historian and as the author of the "All Souls" Trilogy, which consists of The New York Times best selling novel A Discovery of Witches and its sequels Shadow of Night and The Book of Life.
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, 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
Harkness is a professor of history and teaches European history and the history of science[4] at the University of Southern California.[5] 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).[5]
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[6] 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.[5] The novel debuted at number two on The New York Times Best Seller hardcover fiction list,[7] and has been sold in at least 34 countries.[8] The book was called "a sophisticated fairy tale for adults" by the San Antonio Express-News.[9] 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.[10] The third novel in the series is called The Book of Life.[11] The book was 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. On May 12, 2014, chapter 1 was released on Harkness' website.[12] 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
All Souls Trilogy
- A Discovery of Witches. New York: Viking. 2011. ISBN 9780670022410. OCLC 635459436.
- Shadow of Night. New York: Viking. 2012. ISBN 9780670023486. OCLC 760974138. (July 10, 2012 in the US and the UK)
- The Book of Life. New York: Viking. 2014. ISBN 9780525427223.
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.
- Harkness, Deborah E. (2007). The Jewel house of art and nature: Elizabethan London and the social foundations of the scientific revolution. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300111965. OCLC 226002129. (see also The Jewel House)
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 2 Timberg, Scott (April 10, 2011). "Deborah Harkness' 'A Discovery of Witches' started with airport bookstores". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- 1 2 "Faculty Profile: Deborah Elizabeth Harkness". Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ↑ Hernandez-Vogt, Persephone (February 24, 2011). "Discovery of a writer: alum pens a preternatural tale". The Mount Holyoke News. Archived from the original on February 24, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ↑ "Deborah Harkness: The All Souls Trilogy." (February 10, 2014). <http://deborahharkness.com/about-deborah>
- 1 2 3 Gressitt, Kit-Bacon (February 20, 2011). "SoCal scholar bounds into the supernatural". North County Times. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ↑ McGee, Celia (February 2011). "15 Books to Watch for in February 2011". Book Finder. Oprah.com. p. 4. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ↑ "Best Sellers". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. February 27, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
- ↑ Pellegrino, Nicky (April 11, 2011). "Deborah Harkness: Once bitten ...". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
- ↑ Bennett, Steve (February 12, 2011). "A potent spell cast". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
- ↑ "Best Sellers – Hardcover Fiction". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. July 29, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151901724991812&set=a.222659011811.136793.163048101811&type=1&theater
- ↑ http://deborahharkness.com