MAGGIE O’FARRELL (b.1972)
Hamnet. London: Tinder Press, 2020.
‘I always wanted to put the forgotten & overlooked boy centre-stage…’: a profusely annotated limited edition, this being number 294 of 1500 copies signed for independent bookshops. Hamnet, the winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020, is inspired by the son of William Shakespeare, whose name is almost forgotten but for its closeness to the title of one of his father’s greatest plays. O’Farrell’s novel brings the brief life of the boy into sharp focus, committing to the page the character ‘who has lived in my head for thirty years or more’. Her many annotations illuminate the depth of her research by expanding upon the historical and biographical details unearthed on trips to Stratford-upon-Avon, and a series of taped-in photographs (and a hawk’s breast feather) provide a visual key to the narrative.

Octavo. Original red boards, upper cover gilt, gilt lettering to spine, dust jacket.

Buyer’s premium is payable, with a significant portion donated by Christie’s to English PEN, but note that no VAT is payable on hammer price or buyer’s premium.
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