Photo: C.Stadler/Bwag / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Robert Harris is, for my money, the most reliable craftsman in historical fiction working in English. The journalist's training shows in everything he writes: clean prose, ruthless pacing, and an instinct for the precise detail that makes an invented world feel reported rather than imagined. Fatherland alone would secure his reputation, but the range, from Nazi-era counterfactuals to ancient Rome to award-winning screenwriting, is what elevates him. I particularly admire that he treats readers as intelligent adults while never forgetting his first job is to keep the pages turning. The CBE in 2024 felt less like an honor than a long-overdue acknowledgment of consistent excellence.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Robert Harris
- Name (Japanese)
- ロバート・ハリス
- Reading
- ろばーと・はりす
- Born
- March 7, 1957 (age 69)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Rooster
- Origin
- Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Occupation
- writer / journalist / novelist / screenwriter / science fiction writer
2. Background
- University
- Selwyn College
Awards & achievements
- 1996 Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
- 2010 European Film Award for Best Film
- 2010 European Film Award for Best Screenwriter
- 2020 César Award for Best Adaptation
- 2014 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
- 2024 Commander of the Order of the British Empire
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Fatherland | — | |
| Notable work | Munich | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Robert Harris born?
Born March 7, 1957 (age 69).
Where is Robert Harris from?
Robert Harris is from Nottingham, United Kingdom.
What does Robert Harris do?
Robert Harris works as writer, journalist, novelist, screenwriter, science fiction writer.
What is Robert Harris known for?
Notable works include Fatherland, Munich.
Writer — see all → · Journalist — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-10
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.