Hilary mantel author biography

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Her trilogy on Thomas Cromwell, currently incomplete, is eagerly anticipated. I met her a few times and she was always so warm, down-to-earth and welcoming."

Broadcaster Stig Abell added: "Hilary Mantel wrote historical novels that will be read for centuries to come. Her first published novel, Every Day Is Mother's Day, was released in 1985.

Discover the Best Books Written by Hilary Mantel

Dame Hilary Mary Mantel was a British writer whose work included historical fiction, personal memoirs, and short stories. Brilliant, moving, fascinating, modern yet transporting. After university, Mantel worked in the social work department of a geriatric hospital and then as a sales assistant at Kendals department store in Manchester.

hilary mantel author biography

As a literary icon, Dame Hilary Mantel continues to inspire and challenge generations of readers.

Hilary Mantel (Writer) Biography, Age, Death, Husband, Children, Family, Facts, Wiki & More

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Updated On : September 24, 2022

Short Biography

Hilary Mantel was born on 06-07-1952 in Glossop, England, the United Kingdom as Hilary Mary Thompson.

In 1972, she was married to Gerald McEwen. Her parents, Margaret (née Foster) and Henry Thompson (a clerk) were both Catholics of Irish descent, born in England. 

When Mantel was seven, her mother's lover, Jack Mantel, moved in with the family. After failed treatments, she discovered she had endometriosis, which significantly altered her appearance due to steroid treatment.

Career as a Writer and Critic

Returning to England in the 1980s, Mantel wrote film reviews for "The Spectator" and became a columnist for various newspapers and magazines.

Her third novel, Eight Months on Ghazzah Street (1988), drew on her life in Saudi Arabia. She wrote many articles, 2 short stories & 12 novels including her notable novels Bring Up the Bodies, Wolf Hall, Beyond Black, and Fludd. Hilary Mary Thompson was born on 6 July 1952 in Glossop, Derbyshire, the eldest of three children, with two younger brothers, and raised as a Roman Catholic in the mill village of Hadfield, where she attended St Charles Roman Catholic Primary School.

A long and historically accurate novel, it traces the career of three French revolutionaries, Danton, Robespierre, and Camille Desmoulins, from childhood to early deaths during the Reign of Terror of 1794.

After some months of their divorce, the couple remarried in 1982.
  • She had no child.
  • Hilary Mantel Age, Birthday Facts and Birthday Countdown

    Hilary Mantel was 70 years 2 months & 16 days old age.

    Later, they spent four years in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She went on to write 12 novels, two collections of short stories, a personal memoir, and numerous articles and opinion pieces.

  • After completing her studies in 1973, she worked in a geriatric hospital in the department of social work.
  • She also worked in a department store as a sales assistant.
  • She started writing in 1974 and wrote a novel that was published in 1992 titled A Place of Greater Safety.
  • Her first novel was published in 1985 titled Every Day is Mother's Day.

  • She was married in 1973 to Gerald McEwen and the couple got divorced in 1981. In 2009, her historical fiction "Wolf Hall," about Thomas Cromwell, garnered the Booker Prize, making her the first woman to win twice. We were so lucky to have such a massive talent in our midst. She was a British Writer, Essayist, Critic, Novelist & Author who was awarded Costa Novel Prize, Walter Scott Prize & Booker Prize.

    Mantel won the Booker Prize twice: the first was for her 2009 novel Wolf Hall, a fictional account of Thomas Cromwell's rise to power in the court of Henry VIII, and the second was for its 2012 sequel Bring Up the Bodies. 

    The third installment of the Cromwell trilogy, The Mirror, and the Light, was longlisted for the same prize.

    In 1973 she married Gerald McEwen, a geologist. Four years later, when she was eleven, the family, except for her father, moved to Romiley, Cheshire, to escape the local gossip. "However, the universe is not limited by what I can imagine," she said.

  • Hilary Mantel

    British writer and literary critic
    Date of Birth: 06.07.1952
    Country: Great Britain

    Content:
    1. Early Life and Family
    2. Education and Political Views
    3. Literary Beginnings and Personal Struggles
    4. Career as a Writer and Critic
    5. Acclaimed Novels and Awards
    6. Recognition and Honors
    7. Legacy and Ongoing Work

    Dame Hilary Mantel: A Literary Luminary with a Twice-Awarded Booker Prize

    Early Life and Family

    Hilary Mantel, born Hilary Mary Thompson on July 6, 1952, in Glossop, Derbyshire, was the eldest of three children to Irish parents, Margaret and Henry Thompson.