Hannah Horvath

Living… in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Hannah moved there after graduating from Oberlin College, where she met her best friends Marnie and Jessa. She originally moved to Greenpoint with Marnie, but has also roomed with Elijah, her now-gay-ex-boyfriend.

Profession… usually-unemployed aspiring writer. She’s had several jobs, such as a barista and a writer for the advertising wing of a magazine, but her lack of work ethic and unrealistic expectations of employment prevent her from holding onto a “real” job.  She would prefer to just write, but since her parents cut her off financially, she’s trying (in vain) to hold onto some kind of paying job.

Interests... writing. As she puts it: “I don’t want to freak you out, but I think that I might be the voice of my generation. Or at least a voice of a generation.” Hannah has a near mental breakdown when she gets a deal to publish an e-book of essays. She flakes on just about every aspect of her life except her writing, but even then inspiration can be hard to come by. When she's not writing, she lives the prototypical life of a literary early 20-something in Brooklyn — going to parties, readings, bars and sitting in her apartment watching Netflix.

Relationship Status... on and off with Adam Sackler. He isn’t the easiest person to be with, but Hannah does her share of damage to the relationship through her selfish nature. He sends constant mixed messages, alternating between periods of rapture and indifference. In spite of her better instincts, she has high expectations: “I don’t even want a boyfriend. I just want someone who wants to hang out all the time and thinks I’m the best person in the world and wants to have sex with only me.”  

Challenge… self-actualization. Hannah’s not sure if she’s trying to smoothly transition into adulthood, or put it off for as long as possible. She sees herself as a star-in-the-making and yet she realizes she’s not unique. She wants what everyone wants: to be happy. Yet she chases this happiness with a selfishness that alienates those around her – thus making happiness all the more elusive.

Personality… self-obsessed, but self-aware. She knows she’s privileged, and she knows she’s crazy; she just wants to figure it out. She can alternate between being loyal, compassionate and selfish. Yet even her self-loathing is narcissistic: “No one could ever hate me as much as I hate myself, okay? So any mean thing someone’s gonna think of to say about me, I’ve already said to me, about me, probably in the last half hour!“