Imogen Hermes Gowar studied Archaeology, Anthropology and Art History before going on to work in museums. She began to write fiction inspired by the artefacts she worked with, and in 2013 won the Malcolm Bradbury Memorial Scholarship to study for an MA in Creative Writing at UEA. The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock was a finalist in the MsLexia First Novel Competition and shortlisted for the inaugural Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers' Award.
Genres: Historical
Novels
Collections
The Haunting Season (2021) (with Bridget Collins, Sara Collins, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Andrew Michael Hurley, Jess Kidd, Elizabeth Macneal, Natasha Pulley and Laura Purcell)
The Winter Spirits (2023) (with Bridget Collins, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Andrew Michael Hurley, Jess Kidd, Elizabeth Macneal, Natasha Pulley, Laura Purcell, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Stuart Turton and Catriona Ward)
The Winter Spirits (2023) (with Bridget Collins, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Andrew Michael Hurley, Jess Kidd, Elizabeth Macneal, Natasha Pulley, Laura Purcell, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Stuart Turton and Catriona Ward)
Awards
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Imogen Hermes Gowar recommends

For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain (2023)
Victoria MacKenzie
"For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain is a novel of rare brightness and clarity, concise and yet capacious: it illuminates the meeting of two extraordinary women like a shaft of sunlight."

Dark Earth (2022)
Rebecca Stott
"A magical and evocative book that so deftly explores an era of British history that has been overlooked too long, Dark Earth delights, transports, chills and charms in equal measure."

Briefly, A Delicious Life (2022)
Nell Stevens
"This electrifyingly beautiful, exhilaratingly clever book is Nell Stevens' best to date, and categorically the most gorgeous first novel I've read in years. It's rare that I come across historical fiction so sensual, so original, so intelligent, and so brimming with love."

The Key in the Lock (2022)
Beth Underdown
"This is a novel of true elegance, deftly and satisfyingly plotted. I expect impeccable prose from Beth Underdown but The Key In The Lock is also wise, thoughtful, and profoundly moving."

Cecily (2021)
Annie Garthwaite
"Cecily stalks the corridors of power like a female Thomas Cromwell. A vividly female perspective on the Wars of the Roses - what a feat."

The Illumination of Ursula Flight (2018)
Anna-Marie Crowhurst
"This sprightly, romping novel revels in its period: the Restoration world of Ursula Flight is presented with irresistible relish. Crowhurst's enthusiasm for her subject is contagious, and her playful handling of form shows great control and confidence. Bravo!"
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