Nicholas Cornwell (born 26 November 1972), better known by his pen name Nick Harkaway, is a British novelist and commentator. As Harkaway, he is the author of the novels The Gone-Away World, Angelmaker (which was nominated for the 2013 Arthur C. Clarke award), Tigerman, and Gnomon; and a non-fiction study of the digital world, The Blind Giant: Being Human in a Digital World. Cornwell has also written two novels under the pseudonym Aidan Truhen.[1]
Nick Harkaway | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Nicholas Cornwell 26 November 1972 Cornwall, England |
| Occupation | Novelist, commentator |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Notable works | The Gone-Away World, Angelmaker, The Blind Giant, Gnomon |
| Parents | John le Carré (father) |
Life
editHarkaway was born Nicholas Cornwell in Cornwall. He is the son of Valerie Jane Eustace and author David Cornwell, known under his pen name John le Carré.[2]
Harkaway was educated at the independent University College School in North London,[3] and Clare College, Cambridge, where he studied philosophy, sociology and politics and took up Shorinji Kan Jiu Jitsu. He worked in the film industry before becoming an author.[4]
Fiction
editThe Gone-Away World
editThe Gone-Away World (2008) is Harkaway's first novel. Originally titled The Wages of Gonzo Lubitsch,[5] it concerns a number of ex-special forces operatives turned truckers who are hired to perform a dangerous mission in a post-apocalyptic world.[2]
Angelmaker
editAngelmaker (2013) is a spy thriller detailing a clockmaker's attempt to stop a Cold War era doomsday weapon. Angelmaker won Best Novel in the 2013 Kitschies and was also nominated for that year's Arthur C. Clarke award.
Tigerman
editTigerman (2014) concerns a superhero origin story on an impoverished and doomed tropical island.
Gnomon
editGnomon (2017) deals with a state that exerts ubiquitous surveillance on its population. A detective investigates a murder through unconventional methods that leads to questions about her society's very nature.
The Price You Pay (as Aidan Truhen)
editThe Price You Pay (2018) concerns a drug dealer's quest for revenge on those who took out a contract on his life.
Seven Demons (as Aidan Truhen)
editSeven Demons (2021), a sequel to The Price You Pay, is a heist thriller about an attempt to rob a high-security bank in Switzerland.
Titanium Noir
editTitanium Noir (2023) is a futuristic crime thriller involving Titans, humans who have undergone genetic alterations which extend their lives and trigger growth such that they are many feet taller than normal human beings.
Karla's Choice
editKarla's Choice (2024) is a spy novel in the George Smiley series, set between The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Non-fiction
editThe Blind Giant (2012), Harkaway's first work of non-fiction, deals with the effect of digital change on society and what it means to be human.
Views on Google Book settlement
editHarkaway has been an outspoken critic of the Google Book Search Settlement Agreement, posting on his blog,[6] speaking out on BBC Radio's The World at One in May 2009, and appearing on a television debate with Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Tom Watson MP in September 2009.
References
edit- ^ "Nick Harkaway, Author at Tor Nightfire". Tor Nightfire. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ a b Jones, Philip (15 April 2011). "John Murray picks up Harkaway on digital". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 18 April 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- ^ "I blame the schools". Futurebook. Archived from the original on 20 June 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- ^ "Nick Harkaway | Conville and Walsh Literary Agents". Convilleandwalsh.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- ^ Harkaway, Nick (12 November 2008). "Your cities are now hours". Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ^ "Google Crunch Time". Nick Harkaway. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
External links
edit
- Official website
- Review of The Gone-Away World, The Guardian
- Nick Harkaway at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Nick Harkaway at Library of Congress, with 4 library catalogue records
