Watch our video feature for a behind the scenes look at how a young Australian woman was inspired to tell the real-life story of an 19th century Icelandic woman executed for murder
Australian novelist Hannah Kent set the literary world alight with her debut novel about a 19th century Icelandic woman named Agnes Magnúsdóttir who was executed for murder – the last person in Iceland to suffer this fate.
Burial Rites- shortlisted for the 2014 Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction- has won numerous awards around the world. It has been translated into 20 languages and this year the film rights have been bought by Hollywood producers.
But what inspired the 29-year-old Australian to write a book about the fate of a woman on the other side of the world almost 200 years earlier?
Watch our video where Hannah reveals how she discovered the story, her 10 year fascination with Agnes Magnúsdóttir and how and why she put pen to paper to create this incredible breakthrough novel.
