Uploaded September 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Hamnet is a novel inspired by the son of a famous playwright. It is a story of the bond between twins, and of a marriage pushed to the brink by grief. It is also the story of a kestrel and its mistress; a flea that boards a ship in Alexandria; and a glovemaker’s son who flouts convention in pursuit of the woman he loves. Join Maggie O’Farrell as she introduces what is quite possibly the novel of her career – a tender and unforgettable reimagining of a boy whose life has been all but forgotten, but whose name was given to one of the most celebrated plays ever written.
“The story of Hamnet Shakespeare has been waiting in the shadows for over four hundred years. Maggie O'Farrell brings it dazzlingly, devastatingly, into the light” – Kamila Shamsie
“Blisteringly brilliant” – Cosmopolitan
About the author: Maggie O’Farrell is the author of the Sunday Times no. 1 bestselling memoir I Am, I Am, I Am, and eight novels including The Distance Between Us, which won a Somerset Maugham Award, and The Hand That First Held Mine, which won the 2010 Costa Novel Award. She lives in Edinburgh.
In association with the charity StageTEXT, this event will include live surtitles for people with hearing loss.
To find out more go to stagetext.org.
Supported by The Castansa Trust.
You can purchase titles relating to this event from the Festival Bookshop online - bookshop.wigtownbookfestival.com
Hamnet is a novel inspired by the son of a famous playwright. It is a story of the bond between twins, and of a marriage pushed to the brink by grief. It is also the story of a kestrel and its mistress; a flea that boards a ship in Alexandria; and a glovemaker’s son who flouts convention in pursuit of the woman he loves. Join Maggie O’Farrell as she introduces what is quite possibly the novel of her career – a tender and unforgettable reimagining of a boy whose life has been all but forgotten, but whose name was given to one of the most celebrated plays ever written.
“The story of Hamnet Shakespeare has been waiting in the shadows for over four hundred years. Maggie O'Farrell brings it dazzlingly, devastatingly, into the light” – Kamila Shamsie
“Blisteringly brilliant” – Cosmopolitan
About the author: Maggie O’Farrell is the author of the Sunday Times no. 1 bestselling memoir I Am, I Am, I Am, and eight novels including The Distance Between Us, which won a Somerset Maugham Award, and The Hand That First Held Mine, which won the 2010 Costa Novel Award. She lives in Edinburgh.
In association with the charity StageTEXT, this event will include live surtitles for people with hearing loss.
To find out more go to stagetext.org.
Supported by The Castansa Trust.
You can purchase titles relating to this event from the Festival Bookshop online - bookshop.wigtownbookfestival.com
![Carlie Sorosiak || I, Cosmo [AGES 7-12]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/e18BPGXurlo/mqdefault.jpg "Carlie Sorosiak || I, Cosmo [AGES 7-12]
Cosmo and Max are best friends, but even though they were born at the same time, they have quite different worlds. For Cosmo is a dog, and Max is a boy, and 13 in human years is very different to 13 in dog years. This charming story brings together the fun of canine freestyle dance with Max and Cosmo’s effort to stay together, even though their beloved family is breaking up all around them. Author Carlie Sorosiak invites you to listen in to this heart-warming tale.")
