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Hannah Kent

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Hannah Kent
Kent at the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival in Bali, Indonesia, October 2016
Kent at the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival in Bali, Indonesia, October 2016
Born1985 (age 39–40)
Adelaide, South Australia
OccupationWriter
Alma materFlinders University
GenreLiterary fiction, historical fiction
Website
hannahkentauthor.com

Hannah Kent (born 1985) is an Australian writer, known for two novels – Burial Rites (2013) and The Good People (2016). Her third novel, Devotion, was published in 2021, and a first memoir, Always Home, Always Homesick, in May 2025.

Early life and education

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Hannah Kent was born in 1985 and grew up in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia.[1][2] As a four-year-old she had no friends, but found solace in discovering and reading books.[3]

She attended Heathfield High School in Heathfield.[1] In 2003,[4] after finishing school and having applied for a course in creative writing course at Flinders University, she spent a year away in Iceland as a Rotary International exchange student.[3]

She earned a PhD in creative writing at Flinders University, her thesis being the basis of her first novel, Burial Rites.[1]

Career

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Kill Your Darlings

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In 2010, Kent co-founded the Australian literary journal Kill Your Darlings with Rebecca Starford.[5]

Novels

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In 2011 Kent won the inaugural Writing Australia Unpublished Manuscript Award for her novel Burial Rites.[6] Burial Rites tells the story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, a servant in northern Iceland who was condemned to death after the murder of two men, one of whom was her employer, and became the last woman put to death in Iceland.[7] Kent was drawn to the idea of writing her story after a visit to the scene of the woman's execution at Þrístapar, close to where she stayed for some time as a Rotary exchange student when she was 18.[8] The novel crafts a more ambiguous, sympathetic image of the life of a woman widely regarded in popular opinion to have been "an inhumane witch, stirring up murder".[9] In 2017, it was announced that Jennifer Lawrence would play the role of Agnes in the film adaptation of Burial Rites, directed by Luca Guadagnino.[10][11] As of May 2025 the film is still in development.[12] A documentary about Kent's experiences in Iceland and writing Burial Rites was aired on the ABC TV as an episode of Australian Story titled "No More Than a Ghost", on 1 July 2013.[13]

Kent's second novel,The Good People, was published in 2016. Set in Ireland's County Kerry in 1825, it is the story of a widow's struggle to find a cure for her grandson who has been struck down by a mysterious inability to speak and who is feared by others in this superstitious community as a changeling.[14] The novel takes inspiration from the case of the death of Michael Leahy.[15] It was translated into ten languages and shortlisted for the Walter Scott Award for Historical Fiction (UK) 2017. Aquarius Films will adapt The Good People for the screen.[16]

Her third novel, Devotion (2021), set in a fictionalised version of the Adelaide Hills town of Hahndorf, is an historical love story between two young Lutheran women set in the 1830s, "unfurling in a time that doesn't have the language for it".[17] The novel takes place in their Prussian homeland and the new colony of South Australia.[2]

Screenwriting

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Kent had been thinking of writing a novel based on a true story about a Scottish child who remembered a past life, and she started researching similar incidences. When film producers Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw asked if she had any ideas for a screenplay, she suggested using such a storyline as a kind of psychological drama. Kent was interested in imagining "what it would be like to be a parent of this child... in the mother and the alienation she would feel when a child didn't want her".[18] In 2020 it was announced that Elisabeth Moss would star in the film, titled Run Rabbit Run, and Daina Reid would direct.[19] In December 2021, Sarah Snook replaced Moss as the star.[20][21] The film, which developed into a horror film, was released by Netflix on 28 June 2023[18] in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and other territories.[22][23]

Memoir

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Kent's memoir, entitled Always Home, Always Homesick, was published on 29 April 2025.[24] The first part covers her early childhood through to her time in Iceland as an exchange student in 2003, while the second part is about her return to the country aged in her twenties, when she started researching and writing about Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last person to be executed there (the subject of Burial Rites). The third part covers a more recent trip, when she visited the site of Magnúsdóttir's execution, now a memorial, and found that plaques engraved with lines from her novel had been installed.[4][3]

After publication of her memoir, she said in an intervew:[3]

Writing has always been the way I make sense of the world... For the first time in my life I began to really reflect on how much that first trip to Iceland affected the trajectory of my career and also how much it has shaped me as a person.

Awards and honours

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Burial Rites

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The Good People

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Devotion

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Personal life

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As of 2021 Kent lives in the Adelaide Hills with her wife, Heidi, and their two young children.[2][3]

Biblio

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Novels

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  • Devotion (2021)

References

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  1. ^ a b c Bogle, Deborah (18 April 2013). "Light in the dark". The Advertiser. Retrieved 4 November 2020. Kent has just turned 28.
  2. ^ a b c Reich, Hannah (21 November 2021). "Hannah Kent veers away from the strict historical accuracy of Burial Rites to craft Devotion, a queer romance" (Text + audio). ABC News. Radio National: The Book Show. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e Kent, Hannah (1 May 2025). "'It just wants to be written': Hannah Kent returns to Iceland in debut memoir". InDaily (Interview). Interviewed by Debelle, Penelope. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b Dumont, Adele (8 May 2025). "Always Home, Always Homesick by Hannah Kent review – absorbing memoir brings Iceland to life". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  5. ^ "About KYD". Kill Your Darlings. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  6. ^ 'Monday musings on Australian literature: Unpublished manuscript awards,' Whispering Gums 13 March 2014.
  7. ^ Kent, Hannah 'Keep Calm and Carry On: An Unexpected Path to Publication', Kill Your Darlings, Issue 13 (April 2013)
  8. ^ Cassie Mercer, 'Cup of Tea With Hanna Kent, Author of the Burial Rites,' Inside History Magazine 30 October 2013
  9. ^ Hannah Kent, Burial Rites (2013) Picador ed. 2015 p.335.
  10. ^ Lang, Brent (12 December 2017). "Jennifer Lawrence to Star in Luca Guadagnino's 'Burial Rites' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  11. ^ Pitman, Robert (9 May 2024). "New $53 Million Hit Makes An Upcoming Jennifer Lawrence Movie Even More Promising". ScreenRant. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  12. ^ "Burial Rites". IMDb. 9 May 2025. Archived from the original on 9 May 2025. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  13. ^ 'No More Than A Ghost – Transcript,' Australian Story, ABC TV, 1 July 2013
  14. ^ The Good People Pan McMillan
  15. ^ Kent, Hannah (20 September 2017). "How Much Actual History Do You Need for a Historical Novel? Hannah Kent on Searching for the Life of Her Main Character". lithub.com. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  16. ^ Grater, Tom (6 February 2020). "'Lion' & 'Dirt Music' Producer Aquarius Films Hires Rachel Okine As Managing Director". Deadline. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  17. ^ Dewey, Imogen (4 November 2021). "Devotion by Hannah Kent review – historic queer love story overwhelmed by solemn ecstasy". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  18. ^ a b Debelle, Penelope (23 June 2023). "Hannah Kent faces her fears with Run Rabbit Run". InReview. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  19. ^ "Elisabeth Moss to play the lead in Daina Reid's 'Run Rabbit Run'". IF Magazine. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  20. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (2 December 2021). "'Succession' Star Sarah Snook Takes Over From Elizabeth Moss in Horror Movie 'Run Rabbit Run'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  21. ^ Run Rabbit Run at IMDb
  22. ^ "Netflix Picks Up Sundance Midnight Movie 'Run Rabbit Run' Starring Sarah Snook". Variety. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  23. ^ Navarro, Meagan (10 May 2023). "Run Rabbit Run – Netflix Debuts Trailer for Psychological Horror Movie Starring Sarah Snook". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  24. ^ "Always Home, Always Homesick". Pan Macmillan Australia. 3 February 2025. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  25. ^ "FAW Awards 2013 winners announced – Books+Publishing". Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  26. ^ "ABA Nielsen BookData Booksellers Choice Award 2015 shortlist announced – Books+Publishing". Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  27. ^ "Booktopia wins Best Online Retailer at the 2014 Australian Book Industry Awards – The Booktopian". The Booktopian. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  28. ^ "2014 Australian Book Industry Awards announced in Sydney". Australian Book Industry Awards. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  29. ^ a b "Davitt Awards 2014 shortlist". Angela Savage. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  30. ^ "2014 Indies Choice, E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards Finalists". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  31. ^ Morris, Linda (13 May 2014). "Best Young Australian Novelists chosen in SMH writers' awards". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  32. ^ "Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2014". The Wheeler Centre. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  33. ^ "critiquesLibres.com : critiques de livres". www.critiqueslibres.com (in French). Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  34. ^ ALS Gold Medal 2014: Judges' report
  35. ^ "The Baileys women's prize for fiction 2014 shortlist". www.readings.com.au. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  36. ^ "Burial Rites by Hannah Kent". the Guardian. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  37. ^ "Long List 2013". Waverley Council. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  38. ^ "National Book Foundation, Presenter of the National Book Awards, www.nationalbook.org". www.nationalbook.org. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  39. ^ "Shortlist 2014". The Stella Prize. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  40. ^ "Shortlist for inaugural Voss Literary Prize announced – Books+Publishing". Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  41. ^ "Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2014". The Wheeler Centre. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  42. ^ "2015 Shortlist | International DUBLIN Literary Award". www.dublinliteraryaward.ie. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  43. ^ "The ABIA 2017 Shortlist! – Australian Book Industry Awards". Australian Book Industry Awards. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  44. ^ "Indie Book Awards". Indie Book Awards. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  45. ^ "2017 shortlists". Queensland Literary Awards. State Library of Queensland. Archived from the original on 3 June 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  46. ^ "The Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction shortlist 2017 by Gabrielle Williams". www.readings.com.au. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  47. ^ "Indie Book Awards 2022 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  48. ^ "Prime Minister's Literary Awards 2022 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. 7 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.

Further reading

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