James Hawes (author)

James Hawes (born 1960) is a British novelist and popular historian who has been an official bestseller in both genres. He has also written theatrically released screen adaptations of two of his works. He teaches creative writing at Oxford University. In 2022 he was Series Story Consultant/key on-screen contributor for BBCTV's 8-part documentary, Art That Made Us and sole author of the accompanying book, Brilliant Isles.

Early life and education
Hawes grew up in Gloucestershire, Edinburgh and Shropshire. As an undergraduate, he studied German at Hertford College, Oxford. In 1985–1986 he was in charge of CADW excavations at Blaenavon Ironworks, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. He went on to study for a Ph.D. on Nietzsche and German literature 1900–1914 at University College, London in 1987–89, before lecturing in German at Maynooth University (Ollscoil Mhá Nuad), Sheffield University and Swansea University.

Writing
Hawes has published six novels, two of which he has adapted as films, starring Rhys Ifans and Michael Sheen respectively. The first two, A White Merc with Fins (1996) and Rancid Aluminium (1997) were both Sunday Times bestsellers.

In 2005 Random House published his novel Speak for England, which predicted Brexit so accurately that the Observer later declared "it deserves some kind of prescience prize" (Observer 23.4.2017). His Kafka biography, Excavating Kafka (2008), was adapted as a BBCTV documentary, Kafka Uncovered (2009). Englanders and Huns, a detailed history of Anglo-German relationships from 1864 to 1914, was shortlisted in the Paddy Power Political Books of the Year 2015.

He has taught on the Oxford University MSt. in Creative Writing since 2005. In 2008, he was also appointed Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Oxford Brookes University. In 2012 he was promoted to Reader. Among his former students there are Kit de Waal (My Name is Leon) Catherine Chanter (The Well) and Anne Youngson (Meet me at the Museum).

His book The Shortest History of Germany (Old St.) was published in May 2017. It reached #2 in the Sunday Times non-fiction pb bestsellers (May 2018). The Shortest History of England (2020) reached #4 in The Times non-fiction pb bestsellers. His latest book is Brilliant Isles, the tie-in to the BBCTV series Art That Made Us (2022). Throughout June 2022 he was on the three-person writing team chosen by Andrew Davies to help create an original TV drama series for Lionsgate.