All People

Hana Murrell

I started my career in translation rights at Andrew Nurnberg Associates in 2014, and arrived at Hardman & Swainson from Blake Friedmann where I was Senior Rights Manager, via maternity covers at Curtis Brown and A. M. Heath.

I have a degree in Modern and Medieval Languages – French and Italian, from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and also spent one year at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan, studying Japanese. Selling translation rights combines my passion for books with my love of engaging with other cultures and meeting people from around the world. It also enables me to attend international book fairs and make trips to visit publishers in their offices.

What I like to read

One of the best things about working on behalf of all the primary agents is the variety of books I get to read and help travel to new markets, from festive rom-coms to curl up with, to fast-paced thrillers that leave me scared to turn off the lights. I love a multi-generational epic novel which explores how a family responds to challenges, such as Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, which resonated so strongly with me as a bi-racial Japanese/English person. I also appreciate sharp observations about the clash between cultures, which Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie masters so deftly in Americanah, and I fall hard for bittersweet, almost impossible love stories. I’m always keen to expand my horizons with smart non-fiction that looks at age-old subjects from new perspectives, and to nurture my own wellbeing with inspirational and self-care books. I consider myself very lucky to discover the work of brilliant writers in all kinds of genres, which means my ‘must read next’ list is always expanding…