Hamnet (novel)

2020 novel by Maggie O'Farrell

Hamnet

First edition

Author| Maggie O'Farrell
Language| English
Genre| Historical fiction
Published| 31 March 2020
Publisher| Tinder Press
Publication place| United Kingdom
Pages| 384
Awards| Women's Prize (2020),
National Book Critics (2020)
ISBN| 978-1472223791
(1st ed. UK Hardcover)
OCLC| 1104658967

Dewey Decimal

| 823/.914
LC Class| PR6065.F36 H35 2020

Hamnet is a 2020 novel by Maggie O'Farrell. It is a fictional account of William Shakespeare's son, Hamnet, who died at age eleven in 1596, focusing on his parents' grief. In Canada, the novel was published under the title Hamnet & Judith.[1]

In 2020, the book won the Women's Prize for Fiction[2] and National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction; that December, it was also chosen as Waterstones' Book Of The Year.[3] The following year, it was named "Novel of the Year" at the Dalkey Literary Awards,[4] was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize,[5] and longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.[6] It was described in Literary Review as "a rich story by any stretch of the imagination, and O'Farrell's stretches much, much further than most of ours."[7]

## Adaptations

[edit]

In 2023, a stage adaptation of the novel by Lolita Chakrabarti premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, re-opening the Swan Theatre after the COVID-19 pandemic and refurbishment.[8][9] In September, the piece transferred to the Garrick Theatre in London, directed by Erica Whyman and starring Madeleine Mantock as Agnes Hathaway, Tom Varey as William Shakespeare and Ajani Cabey as Hamnet. It was scheduled to play until at least February 2024.[10]

A film adaptation produced in part by Amblin Partners and directed by Chloé Zhao was announced in April 2023, with Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in talks to star in the film.[11]

## Reception

[edit]

Hamnet received mostly positive reviews from critics. According to Book Marks, the book received "rave" reviews based on 24 mainstream critic reviews with 19 being "rave", 3 being "positive" and 2 being "mixed".[12] In Books in the Media, a site that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a  (4.27 out of 5) from the site which was based on 18 critic reviews.[13] On Bookmarks Magazine, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a  (4.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews with a critical summary saying, "In this dark, tender novel, nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction, O'Farrell takes creative license to craft a lyrical, astonishing work."[14][15][16]

## Awards

[edit]

Awards and honours for Hamnet Year  | Award/Honour  | Category  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

2020  | National Book Critics Circle Award | Fiction | Won  | [2]
Women's Prize for Fiction | —  | Won  | [3]
2021  | Andrew Carnegie Medal | Fiction  | Longlisted  | [6]
Dalkey Literary Awards  | Novel of the Year  | Won  | [4]
Walter Scott Prize | —  | Shortlisted  | [5]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Hamnet and Judith". CBC Books. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
2. ^ a b "Novel about Shakespeare's son wins fiction prize". BBC News. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
3. ^ a b Beer, Tom (25 March 2021). "National Book Critics Circle Presents Awards". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
4. ^ a b "Winner of the Novel of the Year 2021". www.zurich.ie. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
5. ^ a b "Australians comprise majority of Walter Scott Prize shortlist". Books+Publishing. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
6. ^ a b "2021 Winners". Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence. 18 October 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
7. ^ France, Miranda (31 March 2020). "Love in the Time of Plague". Literary Review.
8. ^ "RSC to stage play about plague death of William Shakespeare's son Hamnet". the Guardian. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
9. ^ "Swan Theatre". Royal Shakespeare Company. 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
10. ^ "Hamnet Tickets", London Theatre Direct. Retrieved October 13, 2023
11. ^ Kroll, Justin (4 April 2023). "Chloé Zhao To Direct Adaptation Of Maggie O'Farrell's Novel 'Hamnet' For Amblin Partners, Hera Pictures, Neal Street Productions and Book of Shadows". Deadline. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
12. ^ "Hamnet". Book Marks. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
13. ^ "Hamnet Reviews". Books in the Media. Archived from the original on 19 September 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
14. ^ "Hamnet". Bookmarks Magazine. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
15. ^ "Maggie O'Farrell". Bookmarks Magazine. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
16. ^ "Hamnet". Bibliosurf (in French). 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.

*[OCLC]: Online Computer Library Center number
*[LC Class]: Library of Congress Classification