Atwood, Shafak and Alderton among '101 notable women' to narrate Hirsch’s audiobook

Canongate is launching an audio project featuring "101 notable women" including Margaret Atwood, Elif Shafak, Olivia Colman, Dolly Alderton and Gillian Anderson, among others. 

In the spring, the publisher will be raising funds for the charity Refuge, with high-profile names reading essays from Annabelle Hirsch’s A History of Women in 101 Objects (Canongate Books). Published on 12th October in hardback and e-book, the book has already been named as The Bookseller’s Non-Fiction Editor’s choice for October.

The audiobook will be released on 5th March 2024 ahead of International Women’s Day 2024, with each of the 101 women participating in the project reading an essay apiece. The launch date also aligns with the US publication of A History of Women in 101 Objects (Crown/Penguin Random House), with a major press campaign expected on both sides.

Canongate will donate all audiobook royalties to Refuge, the UK-based charity which supports women and their children experiencing domestic abuse.

Contributors to the audiobook also include Caitlin Moran, Samin Nosrat, Helena Bonham Carter, Jeanette Winterson, as well as Miram Margolyes, Nicola Sturgeon and Siri Hustvedt, among many others.

A History of Women in 101 Objects tells "a new story" of female history, revealing the evolution of the role women have played in society through the quiet power of their everyday items. Hirsch was in the UK last week promoting the book, and appeared at Cheltenham Literature Festival on 13th October, in conversation with Mariella Frostrup and with Louise Brealey.

Hirsch commented: “I feel so honoured that these amazing women have given their voices to the objects and the stories they tell. It feels like in a way they are reviving the women of the past, their lives, their feelings, their dreams and achievements as you would by telling the story of one of your ancestors.

"While writing this book my hope was to show how diverse and rich female history can be, how polyphonic and wide, this project makes this idea a reality. The collaboration with Refuge makes this truly meaningful and I am very happy that my book can try to help in a direct and concrete way.”

Colman, who is an ambassador for Refuge and one of the contributors to the audio book, added: “From the moment I first read Annabelle’s book, I knew that it was something special and deserving of a wide audience. So when I was approached to contribute to the audiobook I leapt at the chance, especially as it is going to be raising much needed funds for Refuge, a charity that is very dear to my heart and which I know is doing such important and sadly needed work. I love this ambitious project and am delighted to be part of it.”

Jamie Byng, c.e.o. of Canongate Books, added: “From the outset, it felt inappropriate as well as a wasted opportunity to have a single voice read all 101 essays in Annabelle’s ground-breaking and wide-ranging book. But little did I know when starting down this path that we would end up creating something as polyphonic and memorable as this final audiobook is going to be. The generosity and talent of all the women involved is humbling and I could not be happier that all the audio royalties from our edition of the book will be donated to Refuge, a truly important and vital charity.”

Ellen Miller, interim c.e.o. of Refuge, commented: “For too long history has been shaped by a patriarchal world view, so it is exciting to see a book that reclaims the narrative and tells women’s stories in a unique way. Refuge is extremely thankful that Canongate has chosen us to receive profits from Annabelle Hirsch’s audiobook which will see 101 esteemed women lending their voice to amplify women’s tales.

“At Refuge we know the power of the collective female voice and the importance of listening to women’s stories, the money kindly donated will allow us to continue the life-saving and life-changing work we do every day, empowering and supporting women and their children who are experiencing domestic abuse.”