Hannah Kent

"So gripping I wanted to rush through the pages, but so beautifully written I wanted to linger over every sentence. Hannah Kent's debut novel is outstanding."

Hannah Kent was born in Adelaide in 1985. Her first novel, the international bestseller, Burial Rites (2013), was translated into 30 languages and shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (formerly the Orange Prize) and the Guardian First Book Award, amongst others. It won the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year, the Indie Awards Debut Fiction Book of the Year and the Victorian Premier's People's Choice Award, and was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. It is currently being adapted for film by Sony TriStar.

Hannah’s second novel, The Good People was published in 2016 (ANZ) and 2017 (UK and North America). It has been translated into 10 languages and was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Award for Historical Fiction, the Indie Books Award for Literary Fiction, the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year and the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction. It is currently being adapted for film by Aquarius Productions.

Hannah co-founded the Australian literary publication Kill Your Darlings, and is a Patron for World Vision Australia. She has written for The New York Times, The Saturday Paper, The Guardian, The Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, Meanjin, Qantas Magazine and LitHub.

What genre does Hannah Kent write?

Kent is best known for literary historical fiction and literary novels; Burial Rites and The Good People are widely regarded as literary/historical works.

Which book should I start with?

Start with Burial Rites (2013). It is her debut and international bestseller and introduced her signature literary historical style.

Are her novels part of a series or do they stand alone?

Her novels are standalone works rather than installments in a continuing series.

What awards and recognition have her books received?

Burial Rites was shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction and the Guardian First Book Award, won ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year, Indie Awards Debut Fiction Book of the Year and the Victorian Premier's People's Choice Award, and was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. The Good People was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Award for Historical Fiction, the Indie Books Award for Literary Fiction, the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year and the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction.

Have her books been translated or adapted?

Yes. Burial Rites has been translated into around 30 languages and is being adapted for film by Sony TriStar. The Good People has been translated into about 10 languages and is in development for film by Aquarius Productions.