Sarah Hall

Novelist

‘Humanism has informed my life, my beliefs, and the spirit of my writing. I believe the power to improve our lives, our environments, and our collective futures, lies within us. It is human grace, accountability, wisdom, and positivity that inspires me; the understanding that this existence is our only chance.’

Sarah Hall was born in the Lake District in 1974. She received a BA joint-honours in English and Art History from Aberystwyth University and an MLitt in Creative Writing from St Andrews. She is currently based in Kendal. 
 
Sarah has written six critically-acclaimed novels, including The Electric Michelangelo (2004), The Wolf Border (2015), and her latest novel Burntcoat (2021). She has been nominated twice for the Man Booker prize, and has won, among others, the Commonwealth Writers, Portico, Edge Hill Short Story, John Llewellyn Rhys, and James Tiptree Jr. prizes. She has published three collections of short stories, and is the only author to be four times shortlisted and winner twice of the BBC National Short Story Award. Her work is published throughout the world and has been widely translated. 
 
She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, an honorary fellow of Aberystwyth University and a fellow of the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in Italy. She’s a recipient of the American Academy of Arts and Letters EM Forster Award, and she was included in the Granta Best Young British Novelists list 2013. 
 
Sarah has judged a number of prestigious literary awards and prizes including the Man Booker, the Sunday Times (EFG/Audible), BBC National, David Cohen, and Rathbones Folio. She frequently publishes works of journalism, commentates for BBC Radio 4, and has presented radio and television documentaries for the BBC and Sky Arts. 

For 20 years Sarah has taught writing, including for the Faber Academy, Guardian Masterclasses, and the Arvon Foundation. She is currently Professor of Practice at the University of Cumbria.