In Iceland, you can see the contours of the mountains wherever you go, and the swell of the hills, and always beyond that the horizon. And there's this strange thing: you're never sort of hidden; you always feel exposed in that landscape. But it makes it very beautiful as well. Hannah Kent beautifulcontourexpose share on social
My dad would tell me bedtime stories, and he used to always leave them open-ended and finish at a crucial point with the words, 'dream on'. Then it was my responsibility to finish the story as I was drifting off to sleep. We would call them dreaming stories. Hannah Kent bedtimecallcrucial share on social
You know you're going to have a good day when your morning begins with breakfast in the same room as Carrie Tiffany, David Vann and Lionel Shriver. Hannah Kent beginbreakfastcarrie Change image and share on social
I had an interest in Scandinavian countries because I'd never seen snow. Hannah Kent countryinterestscandinavian Change image and share on social
When I write, I write for myself, and I have high expectations... so I'm just trying to meet those. I'm not going to distract myself with other people's expectations. Hannah Kent distractexpectationhigh Change image and share on social
I first heard the story of Agnes Magnusdottir when I was an exchange student in the north of Iceland. Hannah Kent agnesexchangehear Change image and share on social
I always knew I wanted to be a writer. I just wasn't sure what I wanted to do as a money-making job. Hannah Kent jobknowmake Change image and share on social
I applied for funding to embark on an overseas field trip in Iceland, and spent six weeks there happily holed up in the national archives, museums and libraries, sifting through ministerial and parish records, censuses, maps, microfilm, logs, and local histories. Hannah Kent applyarchivecensus share on social
I still don't know why, exactly, but I do think people can have a spiritual connection to landscape, and I certainly did in Iceland. Hannah Kent connectionicelandlandscape Change image and share on social
I had expected that at some point during the first draft a light would go on, and I would understand, finally, how to write a book. This never happened. The process was akin to blindly walking in the dark, feeling my way only by touch, and only recognising dead ends when I smacked into them. Hannah Kent akinblindlybook share on social