John Harding (1951- September 2017) was a British writer and novelist.

Life and career

Harding was born in

Prickwillow Prickwillow is a village in East Cambridgeshire with an estimated population of 440. Originally a small hamlet on the banks of the River Great Ouse, it is now on the banks of the River Lark since re-organisation of the river system. It lies in th ...

, a village near

Ely, Cambridgeshire Ely ( ) is a cathedral city in the East Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, about north-northeast of Cambridge and from London. Ely is built on a Kimmeridge Clay island which, at , is the highest land in the Fens. It was d ...

, in 1951. He attended local schools before reading English Literature at St Catherine's College, Oxford. After university, he moved to London in 1974, where he worked for as a reporter for DC Thomson. After eventually becoming an editor for several popular magazines, Harding went freelance in 1985 to pursue his ambition of becoming a novelist. His first book novel, ''What We Did on Our Holiday'' was published in 2000. The book describes a man taking his father, who has advanced

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

, on holiday to Malta. It was adapted for TV in 2006 starring

Shane Ritchie Shane Patrick Paul Roche (born 11 March 1964), known as Shane Richie, is a British actor, comedian, television presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the charac ...

and Roger Lloyd-Pack, and should not be confused with a later film of the same name. Harding would go on to publish four more novels, all of which received critical acclaim. Harding was married with two children, and lived in

Richmond-upon-Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...

. He died in September 2017.

Works

*''What We Did on Our Holiday'' (2000) *''While the Sun Shines'' (2002) *''One Big Damn Puzzler'' (2005) *''Florence and Giles'' (2010) *''The Girl who Couldn't Read'' (2014)

References

1951 births 2017 deaths Alumni of St Catherine's College, Oxford People from Ely, Cambridgeshire British writers {{UK-writer-stub