Paula Hawkins (author)
| Paula Hawkins | |
|---|---|
 Hawkins at Gothenburg Book Fair in 2015 | |
| Born |
26 August 1972 Salisbury, Rhodesia |
| Pen name |
|
| Occupation | Novelist, journalist |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Keble College, Oxford |
| Notable works | The Girl on the Train |
| Website | |
|
paulahawkinsbooks | |
Paula Hawkins (born 26 August 1972) is a British author, best known for her best-selling thriller novel The Girl on the Train.[1][2]
Life and career
Hawkins was born and raised in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe). Her father was an economics professor and financial journalist. Before moving to London in 1989[3] at the age of 17, Hawkins attended Arundel School, Harare, Zimbabwe then studied for her A-Levels at Collingham College, an independent college in Kensington. Hawkins read philosophy, politics and economics at Keble College, University of Oxford.[4] She worked as a journalist for The Times, reporting on business. She then worked for a number of publications on a freelance basis, and wrote a financial advice book for women, The Money Goddess.[2]
Around 2009, Hawkins began to write romantic comedy fiction under the name Amy Silver, writing four novels including Confessions of a Reluctant Recessionista. She did not achieve any commercial breakthrough until she challenged herself to write a darker, more serious story. Her best-selling novel The Girl on the Train (2015), was a complex thriller, with themes of domestic violence, alcohol, and drug abuse.[2] The novel took her six months, writing full-time, to complete, at a time when she was in a difficult financial situation and had to borrow from her father to be able to complete it. The novel was adapted into a film in 2016.[1] She lives in South London.
Bibliography
- The Money Goddess (2006)
- Confessions of a Reluctant Recessionista (2009)
- The Girl on the Train(Roman) (2015)
References
- 1 2 Saner, Emine (21 April 2015). "The Girl on the Train: how Paula Hawkins wrote 'the new Gone Girl'". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- 1 2 3 Alter, Alexandra (30 January 2015). "Welcoming the Dark Twist in Her Career". New York Times. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ↑ "Author: Paula Hawkins". Random House. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ↑ "Twitter post". Twitter. Keble College, Oxford. Retrieved 3 August 2016.