Portrait by Sophie Davidson

Harriet Constable is a writer and filmmaker based in London. Her debut novel, The Instrumentalist, sold to Bloomsbury following a seven-way auction and will publish globally in 2024. The book is inspired by the true story of Anna Maria della Pietà, who was an orphan, musical prodigy and student of Antonio Vivaldi.

Harriet’s journalism and documentary work is featured in outlets including The New York Times, BBC, The Guardian, The Times, Financial Times, NPR, The Economist. She produced and directed the 2019 and 2020 BBC News Awards, has produced for BBC News at Six and Ten and is a Rough Guide to Kenya co-author.

Originally from London, Harriet worked at the Financial Times before spending several years in Africa. Previously based in Nairobi and then Johannesburg, she was a 2016/17 board member of the Foreign Correspondents’ Association of East Africa, and has received hostile environment and emergency first-aid training.

Harriet holds a BA (Hons) in English from the University of Birmingham and attended the filmmaking summer school at Columbia University. She is is a Pulitzer Center grantee and a BAFTA Connect member.

Awards and recognition: