Sophie Haydock

Sophie Haydock is an author, editor and journalist (Sunday Times, Financial Times, Guardian), based in Folkestone, Kent. She is also curator of Folkestone Book Festival.

Her debut novel, The Flames – about the women who posed for the scandalous artist Egon Schiele in Vienna a century ago – was longlisted for the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown Award and won the Impress Prize for New Writers.  

The Flames has been translated into seven languages and named by The Times as one of the Best Historical Fiction Books of 2022. The Italian translation, Le Fiamme, won the Premio Letterario Edoardo Kihlgren for debut novel in Milan, 2024.

As a journalist, Sophie has interviewed leading authors, including Hilary Mantel, Maggie O’Farrell, Bernardine Evaristo, Sally Rooney and Amy Tan. 

Sophie worked for the Sunday Times Short Story Award and is associate director of the Word Factory. She is a judge for various short story competitions, including Bath Short Story Award and Society of Authors' ALCS Tom-Gallon Trust Award. 

Her own story, Mudlarks, was recently broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and is available online.

Sophie’s second novel, Madame Matisse, about the women who were integral to the life of the French artist Henri Matisse, will be published by Doubleday in February 2025. 

Sophie regularly features on podcasts, appears at literary festivals including Hay and Cheltenham, and speaks to large audiences about art and literature at venues such as the National Gallery, Sotheby's and The Trouble Club. She’s available to interview other authors and has done so for live events at Hatchards and Fane productions. 

Her Instagram account @egonschieleswomen has a community of over 114,000 followers. 

For more information, visit: sophie-haydock.com