When Hannah Kent arrived in Iceland as an exchange student in 2003, her arrival was a difficult one.
On her first night in the country, she found herself stranded late at night at Keflavik Airport and desperately homesick.
But within weeks, Iceland had begun to change young Hannah.
She became entranced with the haunting story of accused murderer and domestic servant Agnes Magnusdottir, who became the last woman executed in Iceland.
Hannah’s later novel inspired by Agnes’ story, Burial Rites became a best-seller. But there were many unsolvable mysteries that lingered in her mind years after her novel was released.
Recently Hannah returned to Iceland and found that her life was still entwined with Agnes, in strange and eerie ways.
Further information
This episode of Conversations was recorded live at the 2025 Melbourne Writers Festival.
Always Home, Always Homesick is published by Pan Macmillan
