Megan Hunter (born 1984) is an English novelist and poet. She is best known for her debut novel ''The End We Start From'' (2017), a climate disaster survival story which was adapted into a movie of the same name, released in 2023.

Early life and education

Megan Hunter was born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

in 1984. She wanted to write from childhood. She earned a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in English literature from

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

, followed by a

Master of Philosophy A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at leas ...

in English Literature: Criticism and Culture from

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Jesus College was established in 1496 on the site of the twelfth-century Benedictine nunnery of St Radegund's Priory, Cambridge, St ...

Career

Hunter's work has appeared in ''

The White Review ''The White Review'' is a London-based magazine on literature and the visual arts. It is published in print and online. History Founding ''The White Review'' was founded by editors Benjamin Eastham and Jacques Testard, and released its firs ...

'', ''

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'',

Literary Hub ''Literary Hub'' or ''LitHub'' is a daily literary website that was launched in 2015 by Grove Atlantic president and publisher Morgan Entrekin, American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame editor Terry McDonell, and '' Electric Literatur ...

, and ''BOMB''. Her debut novel ''The End We Start From'' was published by

Picador A ''picador'' (; pl. ''picadores'') is one of the pair of horse-mounted bullfighters in a Spanish-style bullfight that jab the bull with a lance. They perform in the ''tercio de varas'', which is the first of the three stages in a stylized bull ...

in 2017 and follows an environmental crisis in the UK which forces a new mother and her baby to abandon their home in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and flee north. Hunter cites conversations with her children about life and death and her own experiences with motherhood as inspiration for her first novel: "My own children regularly ask about death, and they have also asked me who or where they were before they were born. Partly because of this questioning I often feel the closeness of birth and death, the ways in which they are both the thresholds of life."

Accolades

Hunter's poetry has been shortlisted for the

Bridport Prize Bridport Arts Centre is an arts centre in Bridport, Dorset, England. Founded in 1973, it is housed in and around a 19th-century, Grade II listed building, formerly known as the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel. The complex includes the Marlow Theatre, t ...

. Her short story "Selfing" was nominated for the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award. Her debut novel ''The End We Start From'' was a

Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award The Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award is an annual literary prize presented by Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company ...

finalist in 2017 and won the Foreword Reviews Editor's Choice Award; it was also longlisted for the inaugural Aspen Words Literary Prize.

Personal life

Hunter was married to a psychotherapist but they are now separated. They have two children.

Bibliography

* ''The End We Start From'' (2017) * ''The Harpy'' (2020) * ''Days of Light'' (2025)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Megan Living people 1984 births Date of birth missing (living people) Writers from Manchester 21st-century English novelists English women novelists Alumni of the University of Sussex Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge 21st-century English poets English women poets