Ghost stories and executions in Iceland — when Hannah Kent and Agnes Magnusdottir became entwined

When writer Hannah Kent first visited Iceland in 2003, she came across a gothic true story about Agnes Magnusdottir, the last woman hanged in Iceland. That story would change her life.

Hannah's arrival to the Nordic island as an exchange student in 2003 was a difficult one.

On her first night in the country, she found herself stranded late at night at Keflavik Airport and desperately homesick.

But within weeks, Iceland had begun to change young Hannah — its dramatic landscapes, extraordinary light and chilling ghost stories embedded themselves in Hannah's psyche.

She became particularly entranced with the haunting story of accused murderer and domestic servant, Agnes Magnusdottir, who became the last person executed in Iceland. 

Hannah's later novel, Burial Rites, was inspired by Agnes' story and became a best-seller. But there were many unsolvable mysteries that lingered in her mind years after that book was released.

Hannah returned to Iceland to find answers, and discovered her life was still entwined with Agnes in strange and eerie ways.

Always Home, Always Homesick is published by Pan Macmillan.

This episode of Conversations was recorded live at the 2025 Melbourne Writers Festival. It explores writing, books, Rotary Exchange, high school exchange, ERASMUS, Scandinavia, remote travelling, the northern lights, mountains, ghost stories, horrible histories, psychics, speaking with the dead, creepy coincidences, true stories, death penalty, execution, murder, crime.