Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old history teacher, but he’s been alive for centuries. From Elizabethan England to Jazz-Age Paris, from New York to the South Seas, Tom has seen it all. As long as he keeps changing his identity, he can stay one step ahead of his past – and stay alive. The only thing he must not do is fall in love. But what if the one thing he can't have just happens to be the one thing that might save him?
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Speculative fiction and mental health memoirs have reached millions of readers through imaginative premises that combine fantasy, philosophy, and human empathy, most notably in the bestselling novel The Midnight Library. Matt Haig has established a distinct presence across adult fiction, children's literature, and non-fiction by exploring themes of recovery, time, and emotional resilience. His books have been translated into more than fifty languages and published across fifty territories worldwide.
Born Matthew Haig on July 3, 1975, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, he studied at the University of Hull before embarking on a career as an author and journalist. After working in journalism, Haig began publishing fiction in 2002. His early adult novels, including The Radleys and The Humans, gained wide attention for blending domestic narratives with speculative and supernatural elements. His 2015 memoir Reasons to Stay Alive, which documented his personal experience recovering from severe depression, became a major publishing success, holding a position in the British top ten bestseller list for 46 weeks.
Alongside his adult fiction and memoirs, Haig developed a celebrated body of children's literature. His children's book A Boy Called Christmas became an international hit, translated into over 40 languages and called an instant classic by The Guardian before being adapted into a feature film starring Maggie Smith, Sally Hawkins, and Jim Broadbent. His work for younger readers, which also includes The Truth Pixie, earned accolades such as the Blue Peter Book Award and the Smarties Book Prize, as well as three nominations for the Carnegie Medal. Having sold over three million books worldwide, his prominent adult releases include How to Stop Time, The Life Impossible, and The Midnight Train.
Haig's writing frequently bridges speculative fiction and reflective self-exploration, using fantastical concepts—such as parallel lives, alien observers, vampires, or extended lifespans—to investigate everyday mental health, isolation, and gratitude. His non-fiction works, including Reasons to Stay Alive and Notes on a Nervous Planet, offer direct personal observations on navigating anxiety, social media pressure, and emotional wellness without relying on medical jargon. Across both fiction and non-fiction, his style features accessible prose that emphasizes hope, human connection, and the healing perspective brought by time.
