Maggie O'Farrell's novel 'Land' takes readers to a famine-ravaged yet resilient Ireland

About this episode

Maggie O'Farrell discusses her novel 'Land', exploring the impact of the Great Famine on Ireland and the enduring nature of stories and spirits.

What happened to those who remained in Ireland after the Great Famine of 1865? It’s a question that fascinated Maggie O’Farrell, author of Hamnet, as she began her newest novel Land. Drawing on fragments of Irish history from her great-great-grandfather, O’Farrell’s Land is about… land, but it’s also about the myths, stories, and spirits that persist across generations. In today’s episode, O’Farrell joins NPR’s Scott Simon for a conversation about Land, and why — despite geographic and societal upheaval — she believes that “human hearts and human minds change that much at all.” To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

People in this episode

Host: Scott Simon

Guest: Maggie O'Farrell

Topics covered

• Irish history
• Great Famine
• literature
• resilience
• myths and stories

Keywords

• Maggie O'Farrell
• Land
• Great Famine
• Ireland
• literature
• Hamnet
• resilience
• history

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Hamnet, Land

Places: Ireland

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