MacDonald Harris was the pseudonym of Donald Heiney (1921-1993). He is remembered by his family and friends as a loving husband and father, a sailor, a traveler, a reader and a keen and relentless observer of human nature. His students and colleagues remember him as a teacher who demanded and got nothing but the best, a student of the world's literature, and a scholar who was erudite in a surprising variety of fields. And finally, his readers worldwide remember him as prolific and inventive writer, who explored the mysteries of the human psyche in a series of quirky, magical, and witty novels and stories.
This page brings together information about Donald Heiney the man and MacDonald Harris the writer.
We are excited to announce that MacDonald Harris' second novel, Mortal Leap, out of print for many years, was republished in March of 2024 as part of the Recovered Book series from Boiler House Press. You can purchase the book at https://asterismbooks.com/product/mortal-leap-macdonald-harris. Additionally, a Spanish translation of Mortal Leap will be published in 2025 by Gatopardo Ediciones. And finally, Les Editions Phebus will publish a French translation of The Balloonist in early fall of 2024.
Last updated April 13, 2024.
heiney@physics.upenn.edu.