Beauty out of Ugliness

A lesson from Hamnet

I went to see the film of Hamnet the other day. I thought it was rawly brilliant, if a little dark for my ageing eyes, and well deserving of its accolades. I’ve now read the book and seen both the play and the film so I feel I’ve been well Hamneted! I have the same publisher as Maggie O’ Farrell (although I suspect our royalty cheques differ slightly!) and I’ve followed her career with interest. I love all her books but I think she came up with the most powerful premise in Hamnet. It’s such a haunting idea to have a father write a play to keep his dead son alive, whilst sacrificing his own life, albeit fictitiously, to do so (sorry if that’s a spoiler!)

The story is about many things: the strong bond between twins; the different ways people handle grief; the need for mutual understanding in a marriage. But to me, as a writer, the most striking aspect was how Shakespeare turns the terrible pain of losing his son into something wonderful, truly creating beauty out of ugliness. In my previous life as an English teacher I taught Hamlet many times and each time I read it I found something new. There are so many deep truths in that play, and to think Shakespeare wrote it whilst mourning his only son, is amazing.

I love the idea of channelling suffering into the creation of something precious for future generations. In my second novel, The Child on Platform One, I describe how a group of Jewish prisoners in a World War Two concentration camp put on performances of Verdi’s Requiem, using their musical gifts to take them away from their terrible surroundings and their constant fear for the future. They could have wallowed in their misery, but instead they chose to defy it with something sublime

No artist is immune from pain, but the great ones turn private hurt and grief into masterpieces. I imagine it’s a cathartic experience, helpful for the producer, but for readers and audiences, to experience something so transformative and magical is an absolute privilege