B1 Mark Haddon: A Writer’s Life

A multi award-winning and bestselling author who has achieved international acclaim (The Porpoise, The Pier Falls, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time), Mark Haddon reflects on the writer’s life in a candid conversation with journalist and author, Arifa Akbar (Consumed: A Sister’s Story). After depression robbed him of the ability to write for 18 months, he talks about mental illness, heart surgery, working for the Samaritans, the joy and horror of social media, and the consolations of papier mâché.

“I’ve been away for a while, having had a triple heart bypass in February of last year. Here is the text of an article I wrote for The Times about my experience, which includes the material they cut and doubtless some of the typos they corrected. Since writing the article my physical fitness has increased steadily, but my brain remained foggy thanks to ‘pump head’ / post-perfusion syndrome, a common but poorly understood range of cognitive problems caused (probably – though there is some dispute about this) by having been on a heart-lung machine. The only advice I got from medical professionals is that, whilst the evidence is entirely anecdotal, most patients take a year to get over major surgery. Lo and behold, 11 months after the operation, my mind was returned to me and I began writing again.” – Mark Haddon

Website: http://markhaddon.com/
Twitter: @mark_haddon
Instagram: @mjphaddon