Jenni Fagan – författare

A powerfully poignant tale of one of the most turbulent moments in Scotland's history: the North Berwick Witch Trials.IT’S THE 4TH OF DECEMBER 1591.On this, the last night of her life, in a prison cell several floors below Edinburgh’s High Street, convicted witch Geillis Duncan receives a mysterious visitor – Iris, who says she comes from a future where women are still persecuted for who they are and what they believe.As the hours pass and dawn approaches, Geillis recounts the circumstances of her arrest, brutal torture, confession and trial, while Iris offers support, solace – and the tantalising prospect of escape.Hex is a visceral depiction of what happens when a society is consumed by fear and superstition, exploring how the terrible force of a king’s violent crusade against ordinary women can still be felt, right up to the present day.'This series has already produced two works of note and distinction. It raises the question – if a country cannot re-tell its history, will it be stuck forever in aspic and condemned to be nothing more than a shortbread tin illustration? Hex and Rizzio are showing the way towards a reckoning, and about time too’ – Stuart Kelly, Scotland on Sunday

THE BOLD NEW NOVEL FROM THE PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE PANOPTICON, LUCKENBOOTH AND OOTLIN'Wondrously clever, imaginative and slyly satirical ... a fierce talent' The Times'A scorching meditation on being human'Financial Times'A glorious, garrulous gallimaufry of a novel'The Herald'Fizzes with impatience, invention and humour' Guardian'Fagan is a one-off'The Scotsman'1984 for the afterlife' Irvine WelshEdi is facing a disciplinary since her 'incident' at work. Forty-seven years in Admin processing the newly dead is not how she foresaw eternity.In Arrivals, the newly dead must take the stages in order: first, extract delusion; second, answer HR's questionnaire truthfully. Yet who among them can truly face who they are? Who may never pass at all? As leaderboard numbers begin to rise at unprecedented rates, rumours begin to fly. Humans are about to become a banned race. The earth is going to be repossessed.As chaos descends, Edi hopes this might finally be the moment she has waited for, so she might see her son again who she was forced to leave on Earth when she died. Edi wants to be the one waiting for him, even if HR protocols forbid it. Looking out at the millions of newly dead arriving, Edi has one question - what might any of us truly be willing to do for those we love at the doors of eternity?Against a spectacular backdrop of stars, constellations and comets, a mass extinction event begins to unfurl watched by the entire universe as Processing, the largest soul terminus in existence, decides it is now time to take matters wholly back into its own hands. With reflections on love, defiance and light, The Delusions is a story of profound human connection, on an unprecedented scale.'Outstanding'Lemn Sissay'Awe-inspiring' Kirstin Innes'Bold and brilliant' Jess Kidd'Wholly wondrous' Niall Griffiths

***Jenni Fagan's new novel The Delusions is available now***A GRANTA BEST YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST AND WINNER OF THE GORDON BURN PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK PRIZE FOR FICTION'One of the most stunning literary experiences I've had in years'IRVINE WELSH'[A] weird and wonderful gothic confection'GUARDIAN'An audacious statement and a terrific read'TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT'Dazzlingly ambitious'DOUGLAS STUART'Gloriously transgressive'IAN RANKIN1910, Edinburgh. Jessie, the devil's daughter, arrives on the doorstep of an imposing tenement building and knocks on a freshly painted wooden door. She has been sent by her father to bear a child for a wealthy couple, but, when things go wrong, she places a curse on the building and all who live there - and it lasts a century.Caught in the crossfire are the residents of 10 Luckenbooth Close, and they all have their own stories to tell. While the world outside is changing, inside, the curse creeps up all nine floors and through each door. Soon, the building's longest kept secret - the truth of what happened to Jessie - will finally be heard.'She writes unlike any other author of her generation'THE SCOTSMAN'Bracingly good ... defies any sort of neat description'FINANCIAL TIMES'Poetic, high-octane, punchy'SUNDAY TIMES'Seedy, sexy and strange'SUNDAY TELEGRAPH'Absolutely outstanding'KIRSTIN INNES

***Jenni Fagan's new novel The Delusions is available now***A GRANTA BEST YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST AND WINNER OF THE GORDON BURN PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK PRIZE FOR FICTION AND THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE'One of the most cunning and spirited novels I've read for years'ALI SMITH'Knocked the breath out of me'OBSERVER'Glorious, unforgettable'THE TIMESFifteen-year-old Anais Hendricks is smart, funny and fierce, but she has also been let down by every adult she has ever met. Sitting in the back of a police car, she finds herself headed for The Panopticon, a home for chronic offenders where the social workers are as suspicious as its residents. But Anais can't remember the events that have led her there, or why she has blood on her school uniform...Bold, brave and joyous, Jenni Fagan's critically acclaimed debut is a masterful depiction of systematic failure and one girl's fight back.'An astonishing debut'JACKIE KAY'Ferocious and devastating'ELEANOR CATTON'A true literary masterpiece'EMMA JANE UNSWORTH'Startlingly accomplished'FINANCIAL TIMES'Simply unforgettable'THE SCOTSMAN'Confident, deftly wrought, compelling'FINANCIAL TIMES

***Jenni Fagan's new novel The Delusions is available now***A GRANTA BEST YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST AND WINNER OF THE GORDON BURN PRIZE'A vivid and tender coming-of-age story set at the end of the world'GUARDIAN'She writes at the pace of thought, sentences like gunfire'FINANCIAL TIMES'A chillingly plausible near-future ... intimately imagined'THE SPECTATORIt's November 2020 and the world is freezing over. As ice water melts into the Atlantic, and vast swathes of people make for the warmer south, Dylan is heading to Scotland, once the home of his late mother and grandmother.Twelve-year-old Stella and her survivalist mother, Constance, scrape by in the snowy Highlands, preparing for a record-breaking winter. Living out of a caravan, they spend their days digging through landfills, searching for anything of value. When Dylan arrives in the middle of the night, their lives change course. Though the weather worsens, his presence brings a new light to daily life, and when the ultimate disaster finally strikes, they'll all be ready.'Tackles current issues with a haunting, timeless beauty'STYLIST'Articulates the survival instinct and our capacity for love'MAIL ON SUNDAY'A refreshingly unusual tale'METRO

***Jenni Fagan's new novel The Delusions is available now***A GRANTA BEST YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST AND WINNER OF THE GORDON BURN PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK PRIZE FOR FICTION AND THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE'One of the most cunning and spirited novels I've read for years'ALI SMITH'Knocked the breath out of me'OBSERVER'Glorious, unforgettable'THE TIMESFifteen-year-old Anais Hendricks is smart, funny and fierce, but she has also been let down by every adult she has ever met. Sitting in the back of a police car, she finds herself headed for The Panopticon, a home for chronic offenders where the social workers are as suspicious as its residents. But Anais can't remember the events that have led her there, or why she has blood on her school uniform...Bold, brave and joyous, Jenni Fagan's critically acclaimed debut is a masterful depiction of systematic failure and one girl's fight back.'An astonishing debut'JACKIE KAY'Ferocious and devastating'ELEANOR CATTON'A true literary masterpiece'EMMA JANE UNSWORTH'Startlingly accomplished'FINANCIAL TIMES'Simply unforgettable'THE SCOTSMAN'Confident, deftly wrought, compelling'FINANCIAL TIMES

***Jenni Fagan's new novel The Delusions is available now***A GRANTA BEST YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST AND WINNER OF THE GORDON BURN PRIZE'A vivid and tender coming-of-age story set at the end of the world'GUARDIAN'She writes at the pace of thought, sentences like gunfire'FINANCIAL TIMES'A chillingly plausible near-future ... intimately imagined'THE SPECTATORIt's November 2020 and the world is freezing over. As ice water melts into the Atlantic, and vast swathes of people make for the warmer south, Dylan is heading to Scotland, once the home of his late mother and grandmother.Twelve-year-old Stella and her survivalist mother, Constance, scrape by in the snowy Highlands, preparing for a record-breaking winter. Living out of a caravan, they spend their days digging through landfills, searching for anything of value. When Dylan arrives in the middle of the night, their lives change course. Though the weather worsens, his presence brings a new light to daily life, and when the ultimate disaster finally strikes, they'll all be ready.'Tackles current issues with a haunting, timeless beauty'STYLIST'Articulates the survival instinct and our capacity for love'MAIL ON SUNDAY'A refreshingly unusual tale'METRO

***Jenni Fagan's new novel The Delusions is available now***A GRANTA BEST YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST AND WINNER OF THE GORDON BURN PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK PRIZE FOR FICTION'One of the most stunning literary experiences I've had in years'IRVINE WELSH'[A] weird and wonderful gothic confection'GUARDIAN'An audacious statement and a terrific read'TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT'Dazzlingly ambitious'DOUGLAS STUART'Gloriously transgressive'IAN RANKIN1910, Edinburgh. Jessie, the devil's daughter, arrives on the doorstep of an imposing tenement building and knocks on a freshly painted wooden door. She has been sent by her father to bear a child for a wealthy couple, but, when things go wrong, she places a curse on the building and all who live there - and it lasts a century.Caught in the crossfire are the residents of 10 Luckenbooth Close, and they all have their own stories to tell. While the world outside is changing, inside, the curse creeps up all nine floors and through each door. Soon, the building's longest kept secret - the truth of what happened to Jessie - will finally be heard.'She writes unlike any other author of her generation'THE SCOTSMAN'Bracingly good ... defies any sort of neat description'FINANCIAL TIMES'Poetic, high-octane, punchy'SUNDAY TIMES'Seedy, sexy and strange'SUNDAY TELEGRAPH'Absolutely outstanding'KIRSTIN INNES

WINNER OF THE GORDON BURN PRIZE 2025Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non Fiction 2025'Extraordinary and uplifting' OBSERVER'A triumphant tale of survival' FINANCIAL TIMES'An extraordinary book' LITERARY REVIEW'Inspirational' THE SCOTSMAN'To read this book is to be reminded of the importance of kindness, of beauty and of storytelling' iPAPER'A phenomenal memoir. I am in awe' AMY LIPTROT'Beautiful, deep, transfixing . . . it will burn a home in your heart' LEMN SISSAY'Essential reading, life-changing ... Beautiful, earth-shattering and unforgettable' SAMANTHA MORTON'Mesmerising, heart-breaking. I'll never forget it' ANNIE MAC'Should be required reading' CLAIRE FULLERThe government told a story about me before I was born.Jenni Fagan was property of the state before birth. She drew her first breath in care and by the age of seven, she had lived in fourteen different homes and had her name changed multiple times.Twenty years after her first attempt to write this powerful memoir, Jenni is finally ready to share her account.Ootlin is a journey through the broken UK care system – it is one of displacement and exclusion, but also of the power of storytelling. It is about the very human act of making meaning from adversity.

These poems are alive with electricity, pulsating with a frequency that vibrates throughout.In a journey from there to here, The Bone Library examines and interprets all of human life. Throughout the collection Jenni Fagan responds to broader themes of identity, of place, of love and the unloved.Written in the old Dick Vet Bone Library during the author''s time as writer-in-residence there, this is a vivid exploration that is honest and searching and cuts to the very core of what it is to be alive.

The new collection from one of Scotland''s most original voices.Jenni Fagan converses with the poets of the past; through them, she communes with demons and explores a world that is continually at odds with itself.The poet voyages, as ever, on the outskirts, calling out the nuances of class, of care, of misogyny and brutality. Yet even here, too, in her response, there is always love, humour, hope and defiance.From one of Scotland''s most original voices, this collection places the poet''s life under the microscope. Each line brims with verve and wit and absolutely soars. It is, at once, heartbreaking and haunting, visceral and challenging and full of raw passion. These poems sing like only someone who has traversed the most arduous roads, pen in hand, can.

WINNER OF THE GORDON BURN PRIZELonglisted for the Women's Prize for Non FictionShortlisted for Scotland's National Book Awards Non-Fiction Book of the Year'An astonishing story of survival' Guardian'Extraordinary and uplifting' Observer'A triumphant tale of survival' Financial Times'An extraordinary book' Literary Review'To read this book is to be reminded of the importance of kindness, of beauty and of storytelling' iPaper'A phenomenal memoir. I am in awe' Amy Liptrot'Beautiful, deep, transfixing . . . it will burn a home in your heart' Lemn Sissay'Essential reading, life-changing ... Beautiful, earth-shattering and unforgettable' Samantha Morton'Mesmerising, heart-breaking. I'll never forget it' Annie Mac'Should be required reading' Claire FullerThe government told a story about me before I was born.Jenni Fagan was property of the state before birth. She drew her first breath in care and by the age of seven, she had lived in fourteen different homes and had her name changed multiple times.Twenty years after her first attempt to write this powerful memoir, Jenni is finally ready to share her account.Ootlin is a journey through the broken UK care system – it is one of displacement and exclusion, but also of the power of storytelling. It is about the very human act of making meaning from adversity.

THE BOLD NEW NOVEL FROM THE PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE PANOPTICON, LUCKENBOOTH AND OOTLIN'Wondrously clever, imaginative and slyly satirical ... a fierce talent'The Times'A scorching meditation on being human'Financial Times'A glorious, garrulous gallimaufry of a novel'The Herald'Fizzes with impatience, invention and humour'Guardian'Fagan is a one-off'The Scotsman'1984 for the afterlife'Irvine WelshEdi is facing a disciplinary since her 'incident' at work. Forty-seven years in Admin processing the newly dead is not how she foresaw eternity.In Arrivals, the newly dead must take the stages in order: first, extract delusion; second, answer HR's questionnaire truthfully. Yet who among them can truly face who they are? Who may never pass at all? As leaderboard numbers begin to rise at unprecedented rates, rumours begin to fly. Humans are about to become a banned race. The earth is going to be repossessed.As chaos descends, Edi hopes this might finally be the moment she has waited for, so she might see her son again who she was forced to leave on Earth when she died. Edi wants to be the one waiting for him, even if HR protocols forbid it. Looking out at the millions of newly dead arriving, Edi has one question - what might any of us truly be willing to do for those we love at the doors of eternity?Against a spectacular backdrop of stars, constellations and comets, a mass extinction event begins to unfurl watched by the entire universe as Processing, the largest soul terminus in existence, decides it is now time to take matters wholly back into its own hands. With reflections on love, defiance and light, The Delusions is a story of profound human connection, on an unprecedented scale.'Outstanding'Lemn Sissay'Awe-inspiring'Kirstin Innes'Bold and brilliant'Jess Kidd'Wholly wondrous'Niall Griffiths

A scintillating collection from one of Scotland’s most original voices.Jenni Fagan converses with the poets of the past; through them, she communes with demons and explores a world that is continually at odds with itself.The poet voyages, as ever, on the outskirts, calling out the nuances of class, of care, of misogyny and brutality. Yet even here, too, in her response, there is always love, humour, hope and defiance.From one of Scotland’s most original voices, this collection places the poet’s life under the microscope. Each line brims with verve and wit and absolutely soars. It is, at once, heartbreaking and haunting, visceral and challenging and full of raw passion. These poems sing like only someone who has traversed the most arduous roads, pen in hand, can.

Across the globe, language is being used to control and to harm; politicians wield it like a weapon. Far away, deep in a silent cave, the Creature awakens, and soon words begin to disappear from the world.Tired of being immortal Victor Frankenstein has brought Mary Shelley back to life to settle their story once and for all – however, he starts to notice that something is not quite right. Immediately he recognises the hallmarks of his Creature at work and realises he needs the help of Mary Shelley, who he has brought back to life and who has set up the Independent Bureau of Lost Words. Can they track down the Creature in time before all language is lost for ever?Remixing Mary Shelley’s classic story into a work of dazzling speculative fiction, Jenni Fagan presents a crazy, fast, funny and dark tale that will open readers’ eyes to the power of language and how it can be used by us and against us.

The Dead Queen of Bohemia is a journey through a life lived on the edge. With a poetic style influenced by Gertrude Stein and William Burroughs, this collection is woven with surrealistic imagery that is both unflinching and dislocating.Fagan's poetry is raw and tough yet beautiful and tender and with themes of loss and recovery, hope and defiance, represents a clarion call from a self-taught poet who started writing at the age of seven and so far has not stopped. The Dead Queen of Bohemia documents the progression of a voice and a life written over the last twenty years. It opens with Jenni's most recent work and includes her previous two collections, both now out of print.