Melissa Harrison (born 1975) is an English novelist, short story and nature writer.
Early
Harrison was born in Effingham Junction, Surrey in 1975. She attended a comprehensive school before studying English Literature at Lincoln College, Oxford at the University of Oxford, graduating in 1996. After graduating, she worked as a freelance magazine subeditor, while contributing a regular "Nature Notes" column in The Times, columns for The Guardian and contributions to radio and television.
Literary career
Her first novel, Clay, was published by Bloomsbury in January 2013, followed by At Hawthorn Time in 2015. Her non-fiction books include Rain: Four Walks in English Weather (2016). A third novel, All Among the Barley, was published in August 2018. Her short story "The Black Dog" was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2017 and she has contributed episodes to the channel's Tweet of the Day programme. She has appeared on the BBC Two series Springwatch. During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, she began a nature diary podcast called The Stubborn Light of Things which formed the basis of a new memoir published in November 2020 that outlined her move from urban London to rural Suffolk. Her first children's novel, By Ash, Oak and Thorn was published by Chicken House Books in May 2021.
Harrison was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) in 2026.
Awards
YearTitleAwardCategoryResult2015At Hawthorn TimeCosta Book AwardsNovel2016Bailey Women's Prize for Fiction—RainWainwright Prize—2019All Among the BarleyEuropean Union Prize for Literature—2021By Ash, Oak and ThornBooks Are My Bag Readers' AwardsChildren'sThe Stubborn Light of ThingsEast Anglian Book AwardsBook of the YearIndependent Booksellers' Book Prize—2022By Rowan and YewWainwright Prize—2025Homecoming: A Guided Journal to Lead You Back to NatureWainwright PrizeIllustrative Books
Bibliography
Novels
Clay (2013) At Hawthorn Time (2015 All Among the Barley (2018) The Given World (2026)
Children's
By Ash, Oak and Thorn (2021) By Rowan and Yew (2022)
Nature writing
Rain: Four Walks in English Weather (2016) The Stubborn Light of Things: A Nature Diary (2020) Homecoming: A Guided Journal to Lead You Back to Nature (2025)
References
External links
Melissa Harrison on Goodreads Richard Powers and nature writing Open Book, Alex Clark interviews Richard Powers, Melissa Harrison and Jessica J Lee 12:00-27min, BBC Radio 4 podcast, 28 August 2018, accessed 2 September 2018. Melissa Harrison – Novelist and Nature Writer Harrison's personal website with links to her books, podcast and other work.