Maggie O’Farrell makes a welcome return to Manchester Literature Festival with her extraordinary new novel, Land – a sweeping, multi-generational epic inspired by her own family history and the dramatic landscapes of Ireland’s Atlantic coast.

Set in 1865, in the shadow of the Great Hunger, the novel follows mapmaker Tomás and his son as they survey a devastated country. When they discover an uncharted woodland absent from every existing map, a strange encounter sets in motion a journey through buried histories, longing and survival.

Join one of contemporary fiction’s greatest storytellers as she explores the way history shapes both landscapes and the lives bound to them. Hosted by Alex Clark.

“A deep-mapping of a place and its people, a heart-bursting story of resilience and love. Land is simply the best novel I’ve read in years.” Louise Kennedy

Co-presented with the Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester. Sponsored by The Edwardian Manchester.

Maggie O’Farrell is one of today’s most beloved writers. Her novels have sold over four million copies and been translated into 43 languages. Her memoir I Am, I Am, I Am was a number one bestseller, while Hamnet, The Marriage Portrait and The Hand That First Held Mine have all received major literary acclaim. Land follows the film adaptation of Hamnet, co-written by Maggie O’Farrell and Academy Award-winner Chloé Zhao.

Location: RNCM