Helen MacDonald

Biography

Helen Macdonald is a celebrated English naturalist and writer whose work is lauded for blending scientific precision with deep, poetic interiority. Raised by journalist parents on a private estate in Tekels Park, they spent much of their childhood as a "gothic naturalist," obsessively observing the local flora and fauna. This lifelong passion led to a career as a professional falconer and a research fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge. Macdonald gained international acclaim in 2014 with the publication of H Is for Hawk, a hybrid memoir-biography chronicling their year of training a northern goshawk named Mabel following the sudden death of their father, photojournalist Alisdair Macdonald. In early 2026, Macdonald is back in the global spotlight as an Executive Producer and creative consultant on the film adaptation of their memoir, starring Claire Foy. They currently reside in Hawkedon, Suffolk, and remain an Affiliated Research Scholar at Cambridge.

Known For

Social & Reach