{{Short description|Welsh author}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox writer | name = Horatio Clare | pseudonym = | birth_place = London, England | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Author | nationality = British | genre = Memoir, travel writing, children's books, fiction, essays | subject = | movement = | debut_works = | influences = | influenced = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }}'''Horatio Clare''' is a Welsh author of travel, memoir, nature and children's books, travel and feature essays, and writing and broadcasting on mental health and psychiatry. A former BBC producer on ''[[Front Row (radio programme)|Front Row]]'' ([[BBC Radio 4]]), ''[[Free Thinking|Night Waves]]'' ([[BBC Radio 3]]) and ''The Verb'' ([[BBC Radio 3]]), he presents the ''Sound Walks'' series on BBC Radio 3, and is also the writer and co-presenter of the Radio 4 series ''Is Psychiatry Working?'' He is a senior lecturer in creative non-fiction at the University of Manchester.
== Background == Born in London, Clare grew up on a hill farm in the [[Black Mountains, Wales|Black Mountains]] of South Wales. He later attended [[Malvern College]] and the [[United World College of the Atlantic]] before reading English at the [[University of York]]. He taught at the International School of Verona, the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores, and currently the University of Manchester.{{prove it|date=May 2026}}
==Literary career==
Clare's first book, ''Running for the Hills'' (2006), was a memoir, described by [[John Carey (critic)|John Carey]] in ''The Sunday Times'' as: 'the equivalent of a collection of poems by [[Ted Hughes]] – or even [[William Wordsworth|Wordsworth]]'.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/another-country-9g3nv6jwj56 | title=Another country | date=5 March 2006 }}</ref> It won the [[Somerset Maugham Award]] and saw Clare shortlisted for ''Sunday Times'' Young Writer of the Year 2007.
His second novel, ''Truant: Notes from the Slippery Slope'', is a contribution to the debate about cannabis, and led Carlo Gebler in ''The Irish Times'' to advise 'Get your stoner friend a copy. It might just save their life.'<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/a-life-gone-up-in-smoke-1.954554 | title=A life gone up in smoke | newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] }}</ref>
It was followed by several works of [[Travel literature|travel]] and [[nature writing]]. ''A Single Swallow'' (2009) traces the migration of barn swallows from South Africa to South Wales. Annabel Goldie in ''The Herald'' called it: 'An extraordinary and mesmerising odyssey'<ref>{{cite book | url=https://www.booktopia.com.au/a-single-swallow-horatio-clare/book/9780099526315.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqR-qmbgIRhUpqDBzqsr58FpNvIwAtiU4w6r50ebjKRCjI7hbKq | title=A Single Swallow }}</ref>
In 2012 and 2013 Clare travelled with Maersk Lines as a writer in residence on container ships. His account of the ships, oceans and crews he encountered on voyages from Felixstowe to Los Angeles, and from Antwerp to Montreal, ''Down to the Sea in Ships'' (2014), was described by ''The Independent as:'' 'a lyrical, heartfelt and eye-opening chronicle'.<ref>https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/down-to-the-sea-in-ships-by-horatio-clare-book-review-excellent-look-at-oceanbound-trade-and-exploitation-9035074.html</ref> The book won the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year.
Two children's books, ''Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot'' and a sequel, ''Aubrey and the Terrible Ladybirds'', were published in 2015 and 2017. Both Aubrey books were longlisted for the [[Carnegie Medal (literary award)|Carnegie Medal]]. ''Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot'' won the Branford Boase Award for Best Debut Children's Book, the judges commenting: 'Horatio Clare writes about nature as well as [[T. H. White|T.H. White]].' <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/jul/07/horatio-clare-branford-boase-penny-thomas-aubrey-and-the-terrible-yoot | title=Horatio Clare and Penny Thomas win the Branford Boase award | work=The Guardian | date=7 July 2016 | last1=Drabble | first1=Emily }}</ref>
In 2015 Clare won the Royal Geographical Society / Neville Shulman Challenge Award, for ''Orison for a Curlew'', a combination of travel and nature writing, concentrating on the conservationists who tried to save the bird. ''The Times Literary Supplement'' commented: 'Busy and vigorous humanity is the subject to which Clare is best suited; he has a sharp ear for it, and thanks to Clare's generosity toward his subjects, the wealth of backstory and anecdote in his Orison practically hums with it.' <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.the-tls.co.uk/science-technology/natural-history/schrodingers-curlew | title=Schrödinger's curlew }}</ref>
In 2017 Chatto & Windus published ''Icebreaker – A Voyage Far North'', the record of a journey around the [[Bothnian Bay]] with the Finnish government's [[icebreaker]] [[Otso (icebreaker)|''Otso'']]. It was the ''New Statesman'''s Book of the Year, and ''The Economist'' commented: 'Light fills his writing... Mr Clare is a great enjoyer – of people, landscape, and above all of language.'<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2017/11/16/a-british-travel-writer-evokes-the-magic-of-the-baltic-sea | title=A British travel writer evokes the magic of the Baltic Sea | newspaper=The Economist }}</ref> ''Icebreaker'' was shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year Award 2017.
Clare's 2019 book ''The Light in the Dark: A Winter Journal'' is an exploration of the highs and lows of the British winter, acclaimed by critics for its emotional power. 'As travel writer, nature writer, memory retriever and... prose-poet of mesmerising lyricism, Horatio Clare is a celebrant and observer of what is lovely, less lovely and sometimes, thankfully, absurd in the world,' wrote Juliet Nicolson in ''The Spectator''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/beyond-sad/ | title=Beyond SAD | date=November 2018 }}</ref>
''Heavy Light: A Journey Through Madness, Mania and Healing'' appeared in 2021, published by Chatto & Windus. The work describes Clare's own breakdown, sectioning, psychiatric treatment, and recovery. ''The Daily Telegraph'' judged it 'game changing'<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/psychosis-really-likemi6-wanted-marry-kylie-minogue/ | title=What psychosis is really like: 'MI6 wanted me to marry Kylie Minogue' | work=The Telegraph | date=13 March 2021 | last1=Brown | first1=Helen }}</ref> for its insights into the causes, course and treatment of breakdown. 'What a gift,' wrote Megan Andrew in ''The Sunday Times'', 'having such an articulate agent, reporting back from the far edges of the mind.'<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/heavy-light-by-horatio-clare-review-gnj0xlb60 | title=Heavy Light by Horatio Clare, review — dispatches from the edge of sanity | date=7 March 2021 }}</ref>
In 2024 Penguin Life published ''Your Journey Your Way – The Recovery Guide to Mental Health'', a study of new treatments and approaches to mental health recovery. ''The Observer'' judged it 'a generous and deeply researched guide to navigating mental health care'.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/oct/06/your-journey-your-way-by-horatio-clare-review-inspiring-self-help-manual-for-everybody-mental-health | title=Your Journey, Your Way by Horatio Clare review – the Martin Lewis of mental health | work=The Observer | date=6 October 2024 | last1=Jeffries | first1=Stuart }}</ref> It was a ''Sunday Times'' Best Self-help Book of 2024.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/best-self-help-books-2024-nr376hjfg | title=The 8 best self-help books of 2024 | date=29 November 2024 }}</ref>
''We Came By Sea - stories of a greater Britain'' was published in 2025 by Little Toller Books, telling the unreported story of the small boats crisis. 'This is bold, exhilarating thinking' commented the Times Literary Supplement <ref>https://www.the-tls.com/regular-features/in-brief/we-came-by-sea-horatio-clare-book-review-samantha-ellis</ref>. 'Powerful...' said ''The Spectator'', 'at grassroots level he finds British people filled with compassion, generosity and courage'.<ref>https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/its-trust-in-english-kindness-that-keeps-the-migrants-coming/</ref> The book was shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards 2025.<ref>https://nerobookawards.com/we-came-by-sea-horatio-clare/</ref> ==Awards and honours== *2007 [[Somerset Maugham Award]] winner for ''Running for the Hills''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.societyofauthors.org/somerset-maugham-past-winners |title=Somerset Maugham Award past winners |publisher=Society of Authors |accessdate=30 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626045958/http://www.societyofauthors.org/somerset-maugham-past-winners |archive-date=26 June 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> *2007 [[Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award|''Sunday Times'' Young Writer of the Year Award]] shortlist for ''Running for the Hills''<ref>{{Cite news|last=McLaren|first=Elsa|date=26 March 2007|title=Alderman wins young writer award in unanimous decision|language=en|work=[[The Sunday Times]]|url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/alderman-wins-young-writer-award-in-unanimous-decision-gf8mkj30cn6|issn=0140-0460}}</ref> *2010 [[Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards#Stanford Travel Book of the Year|Dolman Best Travel Book Award]] shortlisted for ''A Single Swallow''<ref>{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309000502/http://dolmanprize.wordpress.com/2010/07/07/ian-thomson-wins-2010-dolman-travel-book-of-the-year/|archivedate=9 March 2012|url=https://dolmanprize.wordpress.com/2010/07/07/ian-thomson-wins-2010-dolman-travel-book-of-the-year/ |title=Ian Thomson wins 2010 Dolman Travel Book of the Year |website=dolmanprize.wordpress.com |date=7 July 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> *2015 [[Wales Book of the Year]] Shortlisted for ''Down to the Sea in Ships'' *2015 [[Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards#Stanford Travel Book of the Year|Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year]] winner for ''Down to the Sea in Ships''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/artsandculture/travelbooks/11897363/Stanford-Dolman-Travel-Book-of-the-Year-award-2015-winner-announced.html |title=Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year award 2015 winner announced |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London |author=Michael Kerr |date=28 September 2015 |accessdate=30 November 2015}}</ref> *2016 [[Branford Boase Award]] Winner, Debut Children's Book of the Year, ''Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot''. *2016 [[Carnegie Medal (literary award)|Carnegie Medal]], Longlist, for ''Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot'' *2017 [[Carnegie Medal (literary award)|Carnegie Medal]], Longlist for ''Aubrey and the Terrible Ladybirds'' *2018 [[Wales Book of the Year]], Shortlisted for ''Icebreaker – A Voyage Far North'' *2018 Grand Prix des Lecteurs Le Journal de Mickey, Shortlisted for ''Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot'' *2025 Nero Book Awards, shortlisted for ''We Came By Sea - stories of a greater Britain'' <ref>https://nerobookawards.com/we-came-by-sea-horatio-clare/</ref>
==Publications==
* {{cite book |last=Clare |title=Marrakech the Red City: The City through Writers' Eyes |publisher=Sickle Moon / Eland |year=2003 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |last=Clare |title=Meetings with Remarkable Muslims |publisher=Eland |year=2005 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |last=Clare |title=Sicily: Through Writers' Eyes |publisher=Eland |year=2006 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |last=Clare |title=Running for the Hills |publisher=John Murray |year=2006 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |last=Clare |title=Truant: Notes from a Slippery Slope |publisher=John Murray |year=2007 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |last=Clare |title=A Single Swallow |publisher=Chatto & Windus (UK) and Nieuw Amsterdam (Netherlands) |year=2009 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |last=Clare |title=The Prince's Pen |publisher=Seren Books |year=2011 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |last=Clare |title=Down to the Sea in Ships |publisher=Chatto & Windus |year=2014 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |last=Clare |title=The Paratrooper's Princess |publisher=Accent Press / Quickreads |year=2015 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |last=Clare |title=Orison for a Curlew |publisher=Little Toller Books |year=2015 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |last=Clare |title=Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot |publisher=Firefly |year=2015 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |last=Clare |title=Aubrey and the Terrible Ladybirds |publisher=Firefly |year=2017 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |last=Clare |title=Myths and Legends of the Brecon Beacons |publisher=Graffeg |year=2017 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |last=Clare |title=Icebreaker – A Voyage Far North |publisher=Chatto & Windus |year=2017 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |last=Clare |title=Something of His Art: Walking to Lübeck with J. S. Bach |publisher=Little Toller |year=2018 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |last=Clare |title=The Light in the Dark: A Winter Journal |publisher=Elliott & Thompson Limited |year=2019 |author-mask=2}} * {{cite book |last=Clare |title=Heavy Light: A Journey Through Madness, Mania and Healing |publisher=Chatto & Windus |year=2021 |author-mask=2}} *{{cite book |last=Clare |title=Your Journey Your Way: how to make the mental health system work for you |publisher=Penguin Life |year=2024 |author-mask=2}} *{{cite book |last=Clare |title=We Came by Sea |publisher=Little Toller |year=2025 |author-mask=2}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Official website|https://www.horatioclarewriter.com}} * [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/mar/25/featuresreviews.guardianreview3 Horatio Clare's thoughtful memoir, Running for the Hills, is an account of his childhood on a Welsh sheep farm]. Daniel Butler. ''The Guardian''. Saturday 25 March 2006. Retrieved 8 July 2010. * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080516222146/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/books_group/article1647646.ece Running for the Hills by Horatio Clare]. Alyson Rudd. ''The Times''. 28 April 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2010. *[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09l9xhp/episodes/guide Bach Walks], BBC Radio 3, broadcast December 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Clare, Horatio}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1973 births]] [[Category:BBC people]] [[Category:Welsh male journalists]] [[Category:People educated at Malvern College]] [[Category:Alumni of the University of York]] [[Category:People educated at Atlantic College]]