Fresh Air

'Hamnet' novelist Maggie O'Farrell maps her Irish roots in 'Land'

June 2, 2026·46 min·6-min readinterviewarts
Podzilla Summary (6 min)
TLDR
Maggie O'Farrell’s new novel Land draws from her family history to explore Ireland’s colonial mapping, the trauma of the Great Famine, and the magical realism embedded in Irish folklore, while her memoir reveals how surviving childhood encephalitis and living with a stammer shaped her r

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Guest

H

Helen O'Farrell

interview on Fresh Air

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Helen O'FarrellChloe ZhaoMary BeardMaureen CorriganAgnesShakespeare

Books

Hamnetby Maggie O'FarrellLandby Maggie O'FarrellI Am, I Am, I Amby Maggie O'FarrellTalking Classicsby Mary Beard

Companies

Ordnance Survey

Topics

Book ReviewsBooksHistorical FiguresLiterary FictionNonfiction

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