Hamnet: Maggie O’Farrell

Fictionalising the period around the death of Shakespeare’s 11-year-old son, Hamnet is “the story that will stay with you forever.” Written by novelist Maggie O’Farrell, the story is her second foray into historical literature, winning the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Fiction Prize at the National Book Critics Circle Awards in 2020 – alongside the hearts of thousands of readers. As part of their summer reading campaign, Headline wanted to do something special – so we worked with them to create a flower-filled creative billboard on Blackfriars Road in the heart of London. To accompany the show-stopping takeover, we handed out bunches upon bunches of cream-toned flowers to passers-by with branded tags telling them about the novel, putting many a smile on the streets of Southwark.