‘Returning to fiction was like sinking into a warm bath’

Following the publication of her ultra-successful memoir I Am, I Am, I Am, Maggie O’ Farrell is back with a new historical novel. She talks to Anna Bonet about leaping into the unknown

Hamnet tells the story behind Hamlet and the tragic death of Shakespeare’s son. Why did you want to write it?

It’s a story I’ve wanted to write for a really long time, ever since school, when a teacher mentioned in passing that Shakespeare named the play after his son who had died. I wanted to give a voice to this boy who has been mostly relegated to footnotes.

How did you find your first time writing fiction from this period? Nerve-racking, because it was a huge leap into the unknown. It almost felt like going back to the beginning; I couldn’t reach for my usual language or metaphors. It was a very bracing reinvention of everything I thought I knew about writing a novel.

It must have required a great deal of research… Research was a huge part of this book, but I quite liked it. When writing, there are always times when you hit a wall, but when relying on research, you can do some of that instead and think, ‘I’m still working.’

Family and marriage are themes you often return to. Why do you think this is?

Families are a universal interest. We all come from at least two people. Whether we know them or not, they’re present in our DNA. Also, in terms of plotting a novel, you don’t have to dig very far to find a fascinating story. It’s already there.

What’s your typical writing day like?

I don’t have a typical one at all. I have been a parent for 15 years and I’ve trained myself to write in short bursts so I can work in the small gaps I have.

When you do have a small gap, how do you prefer to write?

I have two computers: one for emails and one for writing, which has no connectivity at all. I like getting out of my study and writing somewhere else – sometimes in the car while waiting outside school! When you’re a parent, you can’t afford to be precious about it.

Your memoir was extremely successful. How did you feel when it came out?

My relationship with it is very different from my novels. It’s obviously much more personal but I also had to be careful with other people I was writing about and get their permission. I constantly had to think, ‘Who does this narrative belong to?’ I’d never really thought about that before.

Was it a relief to return to fiction?

Absolutely. It was so much fun returning to novels and thinking, ‘Oh, thank God, I can make up whatever I want.’ I sunk into it like you sink into a warm bath.

What’s next for you?

I’m publishing my first children’s book later this year but, other than that, I’m undecided. I have a few balls in the air!

Hamnet by Maggie O'farrell (Tinder Press) is out 31st March

‘I’VE WANTED TO WRITE THIS STORY FOR A LONG TIME’