LibGuides: Hamnet / Maggie O'Farrell / RAC 2022-23: About the author

Maggie O'Farrell

Maggie O’Farrell was born in Coleraine, Northern Ireland (b. 1974) and her family moved to Britain in 1974. The daughter of an economist, she grew up with her mother and two sisters in Wales and Scotland. As an adult, she has lived in Hong Kong (a year working for a computer magazine) and London (as an arts journalist).

O’Farrell is the author of eight published novels, including After You’d Gone and The Hand That First Held Mine, a memoir, and two children’s books. In May, 2022, she led the (successful) effort to memorialize Shakespeare’s twins, Judith and Hamnet, whose graves have never been identified, by planting two rowan trees (see also Hamnet, p. 120) in their names on the grounds of Holy Trinity in Stratford. Their older sibling, Susannah, is buried with their parents inside the church. Hamnet died at age 11; Judith, however, lived to be 77.

Further Reading: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/22/maggie-ofarrell-novel-hamnet-interview-the-agony-of-burying-your-child

Other Works

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
ISBN: 9780151014118
Publication Date: 2007-10-24
In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage-clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriend's attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital--where she has been locked away for more than sixty-one years. Iris's grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. But Esme's papers prove she is Kitty's sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father in Esme's face. Esme has been labeled harmless--sane enough to coexist with the rest of the world. But she's still basically a stranger, a family member never mentioned by the family, and one who is sure to bring life-altering secrets with her when she leaves the ward. If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit? A gothic, intricate tale of family secrets, lost lives, and the freedom brought by truth,The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox will haunt you long past its final page.
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
ISBN: 9780593320624
Publication Date: 2022-09-06
The author of Hamnet--New York Times best seller and National Book Critics Circle Award winner--brings the world of Renaissance Italy to jewel-bright life in this unforgettable fictional portrait of the captivating young duchess Lucrezia de' Medici as she makes her way in a troubled court. "O'Farrell pulls out little threads of historical detail to weave this story of a precocious girl sensitive to the contradictions of her station ... You may know the history, and you may think you know what's coming, but don't be so sure." --The Washington Post Florence, the 1550s. Lucrezia, third daughter of the grand duke, is comfortable with her obscure place in the palazzo: free to wonder at its treasures, observe its clandestine workings, and devote herself to her own artistic pursuits. But when her older sister dies on the eve of her wedding to the ruler of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, Lucrezia is thrust unwittingly into the limelight: the duke is quick to request her hand in marriage, and her father just as quick to accept on her behalf. Having barely left girlhood behind, Lucrezia must now enter an unfamiliar court whose customs are opaque and where her arrival is not universally welcomed. Perhaps most mystifying of all is her new husband himself, Alfonso. Is he the playful sophisticate he appeared to be before their wedding, the aesthete happiest in the company of artists and musicians, or the ruthless politician before whom even his formidable sisters seem to tremble? As Lucrezia sits in constricting finery for a painting intended to preserve her image for centuries to come, one thing becomes worryingly clear. In the court's eyes, she has one duty: to provide the heir who will shore up the future of the Ferranese dynasty. Until then, for all of her rank and nobility, the new duchess's future hangs entirely in the balance. Full of the beauty and emotion with which she illuminated the Shakespearean canvas of Hamnet, Maggie O'Farrell turns her talents to Renaissance Italy in an extraordinary portrait of a resilient young woman's battle for her very survival.
This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell
ISBN: 9780345804723
Publication Date: 2017-05-16
An irresistible love story, an unforgettable family. The New York Times bestselling author of Hamnet captures an extraordinary marriage with insight and laugh-out-loud humor in what Richard Russo calls "her breakout book." Daniel Sullivan leads a complicated life. A New Yorker living in the wilds of Ireland, he has children he never sees in California, a father he loathes in Brooklyn, and his wife, Claudette, is a reclusive ex-film star given to pulling a gun on anyone who ventures up their driveway. Together, they have made an idyllic life in the country, but a secret from Daniel's past threatens to destroy their meticulously constructed and fiercely protected home. Shot through with humor and wisdom, This Must Be the Place is an irresistible love story that crisscrosses continents and time zones as it captures an extraordinary marriage, and an unforgettable family, with wit and deep affection. Don't miss Maggie O'Farrell's new novel, The Marriage Portrait, coming in September!