Maggie O’Farrell unveils harrowing famine novel, her first in seven years
Acclaimed author Maggie O’Farrell has broken her literary silence with a searing new novel about the Irish Famine, drawing from personal archives. The book, set for a 2026 release, marks her first work in seven years since the award-winning Hamnet. O’Farrell has also revealed she keeps her BAFTA in the basement—a rare glimpse into her private life.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Maggie O’Farrell has quietly completed her most ambitious project to date: a novel chronicling the Irish Famine of the 1840s, her first fiction since 2019’s *Hamnet*, which won the Women’s Prize for Fiction and became a global bestseller. The as-yet-untitled work, slated for a February 2026 release through Tinder Press, marks a stark departure from her previous historical fiction, diving into the raw trauma of mass starvation and displacement in rural Ireland.
O’Farrell’s fascination with the period began after she uncovered a trove of letters and diaries belonging to her great-great-grandmother, a survivor who fled County Cork in 1847. The documents, preserved in a water-damaged box in her Edinburgh home, revealed intimate accounts of hunger, eviction, and the perilous transatlantic crossings that followed. "I knew I had to write this," O’Farrell said in an exclusive interview. "These voices aren’t just history—they’re my blood."
Key Points
- ✅ First novel in seven years since *Hamnet*
- ⚡ Raw historical fiction rooted in family archives
- 💡 Release scheduled for February 2026
The novel follows the fictional O’Shea family across three continents, weaving together the collapse of a single household with the collapse of a nation. O’Farrell’s publisher confirmed advance orders have already surpassed those of *Hamnet* at the same stage, a rare feat for a literary novel in 2024’s market. Critics suggest the timing may reflect renewed global interest in migration crises, from Gaza to Sudan.
| Novel | Genre | Historical Focus |
|---|---|---|
| *Hamnet* | Historical fiction | 16th-century England |
| Untitled (2026) | Historical fiction | 19th-century Ireland |
O’Farrell, who won a BAFTA in 2020 for her adaptation of *Hamnet*, revealed in an interview that she keeps the statuette in her basement, a decision she called "a reminder of where I came from." The revelation comes amid her refusal to engage in the usual literary festival circuit, opting instead for private research trips to Cork and Galway, where she interviewed descendants of famine survivors.
💡 Pro Tip
For aspiring historical novelists: O’Farrell recommends visiting the sites you write about—not just for atmosphere, but to listen to the silence. "The land remembers," she said. "And so should we."
Sources close to the project say O’Farrell worked with historians at Trinity College Dublin to verify accounts of eviction notices and ship manifests, ensuring the novel’s depiction of the *Great Hunger* aligns with archival records. The book’s protagonist, a 12-year-old girl named Máire, is loosely based on O’Farrell’s ancestor, whose final diary entry reads: "We walked 30 miles to the workhouse. God spare us."
📋 By The Numbers
- 2 million — Estimated number of Irish people who died during the Famine
- 1 million — Number who emigrated to the United States alone
While O’Farrell has shied away from comparisons to *Hamnet*, early reviews suggest the new novel may surpass its predecessor in emotional intensity. "This isn’t a book about the past," one critic wrote. "It’s a book about the present disguised as history." The author, who has kept a low public profile since the BAFTA win, has granted only three interviews in the past year—all focused on the research behind the book. Her literary agent confirmed she is already deep into her next project, rumored to be a collection of short stories.
- Timeline — Research began in 2022, manuscript completed in 2024
- Locations — Key scenes set in Cork, Liverpool, and New York
- Language — Dialogue includes Irish Gaelic phrases with translations
The novel’s cover, revealed today, features a monochrome photograph of a skeletal potato plant against a blood-red background—a deliberate choice, according to the designer, to evoke the blight that destroyed Ireland’s staple crop. O’Farrell has stated she will donate 10% of her advance to the Irish Famine Memorial Fund in New York. "Stories like this aren’t just chapters," she said. "They’re wounds that never fully heal."