Hanya Yanagihara
Born: September 20, 1974 – Los Angeles, California, United States
Hanya Yanagihara is an American novelist and editor whose fiction explores trauma, intimacy, power, and social worlds. She is best known for A Little Life, alongside The People in the Trees and To Paradise. A Little Life was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the National Book Award, bringing her broad international acclaim.
Biography & Author's Journey
Hanya Yanagihara was born in Los Angeles in 1974 and grew up across a shifting American map shaped by her father’s medical career, living at different times in Hawaii, New York, Maryland, California, and Texas before returning to Honolulu for high school. That itinerant childhood helped form the alert, observational temperament that later distinguished both her fiction and her editorial work. She studied English at Smith College, graduating in 1995, and moved soon afterward to New York, choosing publishing over the medical path that had surrounded her family life.
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Community Voices
"The world teems with difficult truths; Hanya Yanagihara refuses to avoid them"
— Newsweek
"Hanya Yanagihara is already being feted as the next big thing in America for her debut, The People in the Trees"
— The Independent
"Hanya Yanagihara is a writer to marvel at"
— The New York Times Book Review
"Hanya Yanagihara: influential magazine editor by day, best-selling author by night"
— The Guardian
"Writer Hanya Yanagihara is an expert in contrasting realms"
— FLUX
"Hanya Yanagihara is a writer to watch"
— Madison Smartt Bell
"Subversive Novelist Hanya Yanagihara Seeks Her Muse in Pictures"
— Aperture
"Hanya Yanagihara is internationally renowned as one of the most celebrated—and hotly debated—novelists in contemporary US literature"
— System Magazine
"A Little Life announces Hanya Yanagihara as a major American novelist"
— The Wall Street Journal
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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
