In the year of 2013 Hannah Kent published her novel Burial Rites. The novel tells the story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, a servant in northern Iceland who was condemned to death after the murder of two men, one of whom was her employer, and became the last woman put to death in Iceland. Set against Iceland's stark landscape, Hannah Kent brings to vivid life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master, is sent to an isolated farm to await execution. The execution was the last one in Iceland ever. And have all that time since been strong and alive in minds of Icelanders.
Agnes was living at the farm Illugastaðir on Vatnsnes where this terrible murder took place.
Hannah’s book has been published in different languages and was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, and was shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014). Kent appeared at the 2013 Edinburgh International Book Festival, Sydney Writers' Festival and Byron Bay Writers Festival. A documentary about Kent's experiences in Iceland and writing Burial Rites was aired on ABC1 as an episode of Australian Story titled 'No More Than a Ghost,' on 1 July 2013.
