VIDEO: The foreign exchange that turned Aussie teen Hannah Kent into a best-selling writer
FROM the Baileys Prize For Fiction 2014 to a Jennifer Lawrence film, Hannah Kent reveals the grisly story behind her Icelandic murder mystery Burial Rites
Australian writer Hannah Kent was inspired to write her haunting novel about an Icelandic woman sentenced to death by a high school year abroad when she was a teenager.
The story of Agnes Magnusdottir resonated with Hannah, who at just 17 and far from home, "was feeling isolated in the small Icelandic community, struggling with that alienation."
When she returned home, Hannah, 26, knew she needed write Agnes' story.
A critical triumph, Burial Rites was shortlisted for the Baileys Prize For Fiction 2014 and Jennifer Lawrence has bought the film rights.
It may be Hannah's story but she's excited about seeing Agnes on the big screen: "It's their creative project so I don't need to interfere too much, I'm really looking forward to seeing how they interpret the story."
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