'Hamnet' novelist Maggie O'Farrell maps her Irish roots in 'Land'

Author Maggie O'Farrell discusses her novel *Land*, which examines the intersection of Irish history, colonialism, and the personal legacy of her ancestors. Set in the 1860s, the story follows a mapper working for the British Ordnance Survey in the aftermath of the Great Famine, highlighting how cartography functioned as a tool for both land possession and the systematic erasure of displaced populations. O'Farrell reflects on her own identity, noting how childhood encephalitis and a lifelong stammer shaped her linguistic sensitivity and narrative approach. She also addresses the emotional resonance of her previous work, *Hamnet*, emphasizing the necessity of validating the grief surrounding the loss of a child, which scholars often minimize. The discussion underscores the power of historical fiction to reclaim marginalized stories and provide dignity to those relegated to footnotes in traditional historical accounts.