Hannah Kent (born 1985) is an Australian writer, known for two novels – ''

Burial Rites ''Burial Rites'' (2013) is a novel by Australian author Hannah Kent, based on a true story. Background Kent was given inspiration to write Burial Rites during her time as an exchange student in Iceland when she was 17, where she learnt the s ...

'' (2013) and ''

The Good People ''The Good People'' is a 2016 historical novel by Australian author Hannah Kent. The novel takes inspiration from the case of the 1826 death of Michael Leahy in Kerry, Ireland. Background While researching her first novel, ''Burial Rites'', t ...

'' (2016). Her third novel, ''Devotion'', was published in 2021.

Early life and education

Kent was born in 1985 grew up in the Adelaide Hills of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. She attended Heathfield High School in Heathfield. She earned a PhD in creative writing at

Flinders University Flinders University is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across 11 locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of British navigator ...

, her

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

being the basis of her first novel, ''

''.

Career

In 2010, Kent co-founded the Australian literary journal '' Kill Your Darlings'' with Rebecca Starford. In 2011 Kent won the inaugural Writing Australia Unpublished Manuscript Award for her novel ''

.'' ''Burial Rites'' tells the story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, a servant in northern

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

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. 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.Cassie Mercer
'Cup of Tea With Hanna Kent, Author of the Burial Rites,'
Inside History Magazine 30 October 2013 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". ''Burial Rites'' went on to be translated into thirty languages and in 2017 it was confirmed that

Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2015 and 2016, her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide to date. She appeared in ''Time''s 100 most influential people i ...

would play the role of Agnes Magnúsdóttir in a film adaptation. A documentary about Kent's experiences in

and writing ''Burial Rites'' was aired on the ABC TV as an episode of ''

Australian Story ''Australian Story'' is a national weekly current affairs and documentary style television series which is broadcast on ABC Television. It is produced specifically by the ABC News and Current Affairs Department. The program first aired on 29 ...

'' titled "No More Than a Ghost", on 1 July 2013. Kent's second novel,''

'', was published in 2016. Set in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

in 1825, it is the story of 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 A changeling, also historically referred to as an auf or oaf, is a human-like creature found in folklore throughout Europe. A changeling was believed to be a fairy that had been left in place of a human (typically a child) stolen by other fairi ...

. The novel takes inspiration from the case of the

death of Michael Leahy Michael Leahy was a child who died by drowning in 1826 in Kerry, Ireland. Leahy was four years old at the time of his death. He was believed by some in his community to have been a changeling and the drowning was the result of an attempt to cure ...

. It was translated into ten languages and shortlisted for the Walter Scott Award for Historical Fiction (UK) 2017. Aquarius Films will adapt ''

'' for screen. In 2020 it was announced that

Elisabeth Moss Elisabeth Singleton Moss (born July 24, 1982) is an American actor. She is known for her work in several television dramas, earning such accolades as two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, which led ''Vulture'' to name her the ...

would star in Kent's

screenwriting Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, devel ...

debut, ''Run Rabbit Run'', and

Daina Reid Daina Reid (born 1964) is an Australian director and actress who has been acting since the early 1990s. She began directing in 1999. Career She is known for '' Full Frontal'' from 1995 to 1997. Her directing credits include ''Sunshine'' for Aus ...

would direct the film. On 2 December 2021,

Sarah Snook Sarah Snook (born 1 December 1987) is an Australian actress. She is known for her starring role as Shiv Roy in the television series ''Succession'' (2018–present), for which she earned critical acclaim in international media. She has won sev ...

replaced Moss as the star. Her third novel, ''Devotion'', set in a fictionalised version of the Adelaide Hills town of

Hahndorf Hahndorf is a small town in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia. Currently an important tourism spot, it has previously been a centre for farming and services. Geography It is accessible from Adelaide, the South Australian capital, ...

, is an historical love story between two young

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

women set in the 1830s, "unfurling in a time that doesn't have the language for it". The novel takes place in their

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

n homeland and the new

colony of South Australia In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...

Awards and honours

''Burial Rites''

* Winner of the Prix Critiqueslibres Decouvrir Étranger 2017 * Winner of the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year 2014 * Winner of the

Davitt Award The Davitt Awards are literary awards which are presented annually by the Sisters in Crime Australia association. The awards are named in honour of Ellen Davitt (1812–1879) who wrote Australia's first mystery novel, ''Force and Fraud'' in 186 ...

s Best Debut Novel 2014 * Winner of the

s Reader's Choice 2014 * Winner of the ABA Nielsen Bookdata Bookseller's Choice Award 2014 * Winner of the Booktopia People's Choice Award 2014 * Winner of the FAW Christina Stead Award 2013 * Winner of the Indie Books Award for Debut Fiction of the Year 2014 * Winner of the

Victorian Premier's Literary Awards The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Government with the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's publishing industry. As of 2013, it is reportedly Australia's richest literary p ...

People's Choice Award 2014 * Winner of the Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelist 2014 * Shortlisted for the

International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

2015 * Shortlisted for the

Voss Literary Prize The Voss Literary Prize is an annual award named in honour of historian Vivian Robert de Vaux Voss (1930–1963). It is awarded to the best novel published in the previous year and is managed and judged by the Australian University Heads of Engli ...

2014 * Shortlisted for the National Book Awards International Author of the Year 2014 * Shortlisted for the

Stella Prize The Stella Prize is an Australian annual literary award established in 2013 for writing by Australian women in all genres, worth $50,000. It was originally proposed by Australian women writers and publishers in 2011, modelled on the UK's Baileys W ...

2014 * Shortlisted for the

Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–12), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017)) is one of the United Kingdom's m ...

2014 * Shortlisted for the

Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction The Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction, formerly known as the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction, is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award. As of 2011 it has an remuneration of 25,000. The winner of this category prize vi ...

2014 * Shortlisted for the ALS Gold Medal 2014 * Shortlisted for the

Guardian First Book Award The Guardian First Book Award was a literary award presented by ''The Guardian'' newspaper. It annually recognised one book by a new writer. It was established in 1999, replacing the Guardian Fiction Award or Guardian Fiction Prize that the newspap ...

2013 * Shortlisted for the NIB Waverley Award for Literature 2013

''The Good People''

* Shortlisted for the University of Queensland Fiction Book Award 2017 * Shortlisted for the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction 2017 * Shortlisted for the Walter Scott Award for Historical Fiction (UK) 2017 * Shortlisted for the Indie Books Award for Literary Fiction 2017 * Shortlisted for the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year Award 2017

''Devotion''

* Shortlisted for the Indie Books Award for Fiction 2022 * Shortlisted,

Prime Minister's Literary Award The Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards (PMLA) were announced at the end of 2007 by the incoming First Rudd ministry following the 2007 election. They are administered by the Minister for the Arts.

Personal life

Kent lives in the Adelaide Hills with her wife, Heidi, and their two young children.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, Hannah 1985 births Living people 21st-century Australian novelists 21st-century Australian women writers Australian women novelists