A Memoir of My Former Self
- 415 pages
- 15 hours of reading
The magnificent final book from the bestselling author of the Wolf Hall Trilogy[Bokinfo].
Hilary Mantel was a celebrated author renowned for her historical novels, marked by penetrating psychological insight. Her works frequently explored themes of power, betrayal, and the intricacies of human nature. Mantel excelled at bringing the past to life through meticulous research and vivid storytelling. Her distinctive voice and profound understanding of historical figures made her an unforgettable figure in contemporary literature.







The magnificent final book from the bestselling author of the Wolf Hall Trilogy[Bokinfo].
Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2012 With this historic win for BRING UP THE BODIES, Hilary Mantel becomes the first British author and the first woman to be awarded two Man Booker Prizes, as well as being the first to win with two consecutive novels. Continuing what began in the Man Booker Prize-winning WOLF HALL, we return to the court of Henry VIII, to witness the irresistible rise of Thomas Cromwell as he contrives the destruction of Anne Boleyn. By 1535 Cromwell is Chief Minister to Henry, his fortunes having risen with those of Anne Boleyn. But the split from the Catholic Church has left England dangerously isolated, and Anne has failed to give the king an heir. Cromwell watches as Henry falls for plain Jane Seymour. Negotiating the politics of the court, Cromwell must find a solution that will satisfy Henry, safeguard the nation and secure his own career. But neither minister nor king will emerge unscathed from the bloody theatre of Anne's final days. An astounding literary accomplishment, BRING UP THE BODIES is the story of this most terrifying moment of history, by one of our greatest living novelists.
'I breathed in stories, as soon as I breathed in air. Sometimes I think I wasn't born, but I just came out of an ink blot.' Hilary Mantel, celebrated novelist and insightful journalist, reflects on her life and writing in this collection spanning four decades. Her belief that 'ink is a generative fluid' underscores her commitment to storytelling, as she explores a range of subjects. Mantel delves into nationalism and belonging, the interplay between dreams and reality, and the enduring legacy of figures like Princess Diana. She examines themes that inform her novels—revolutionary France, psychics, Tudor England—and discusses fellow writers from Jane Austen to V. S. Naipaul. Her personal narrative includes poignant reflections on her father, her struggles with health in her youth, and the challenges of living in Saudi Arabia. This collection also features her film reviews, from classics like When Harry Met Sally to RoboCop, alongside her powerful Reith Lectures, which illuminate how art resurrects history. Through her unique lens, Mantel offers a vivid portrayal of her life, filled with humor and insight, making this an essential read from one of literature's greatest voices. 'A smart, deft, meticulous, thoughtful writer, with such a grasp of the dark and spidery corners of human nature' - Margaret Atwood.
England, May 1536. Anne Boleyn is dead, decapitated in the space of a heartbeat by a hired French executioner. As her remains are bundled into oblivion, Thomas Cromwell breakfasts with the victors. The blacksmith's son from Putney emerges from the spring's bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry VIII, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen, Jane Seymour. [Quatrième de couverture].
An extraordinary work of historical imagination - this is Hilary Mantel's epic novel of the French Revolution. One of the ten books - novels, memoirs and one very unusual biography - that make up the 4th Estate Matchbook Classics' series, a stunningly redesigned collection of some of the best loved titles on our backlist.
'Like Lorna Sage's Bad Blood ... A masterpiece.' Rachel Cusk Giving Up the Ghost is the shocking and beautiful memoir, from the author of Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies and The Mirror & the Light 'Giving up the Ghost' is award-winning novelist Hilary Mantel's uniquely unusual five-part autobiography. Opening in 1995 with 'A Second Home', Mantel describes the death of her stepfather which leaves her deeply troubled by the unresolved events of her childhood. In 'Now Geoffrey Don't Torment Her' Mantel takes the reader into the muffled consciousness of her early childhood, culminating in the birth of a younger brother and the strange candlelight ceremony of her mother's 'churching'. In 'Smile', an account of teenage perplexity, Mantel describes a household where the keeping of secrets has become a way of life. Finally, at the memoir's conclusion, Mantel explains how through a series of medical misunderstandings and neglect she came to be childless and how the ghosts of the unborn like chances missed or pages unturned, have come to haunt her life as a writer.
'Lock Cromwell in a deep dungeon in the morning,' says Thomas More, 'and when you come back that night he'll be sitting on a plush cushion eating larks' tongues, and all the gaolers will owe him money.' England, the 1520s. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is his chief advisor, charged with securing the divorce the pope refuses to grant. Into this atmosphere of distrust and need comes Thomas Cromwell, first as Wolsey's clerk, and later his successor. Cromwell is a wholly original man: the son of a brutal blacksmith, a political genius, a briber, a charmer, a bully, a man with a delicate and deadly expertise in manipulating people and events. Ruthless in pursuit of his own interests, he is as ambitious in his wider politics as he is for himself. His reforming agenda is carried out in the grip of a self-interested parliament and a king who fluctuates between romantic passions and murderous rages. From one of our finest living writers, Wolf Hall is that very rare thing: a truly great English novel, one that explores the intersection of individual psychology and wider politics. With a vast array of characters, and richly overflowing with incident, it peels back history to show us Tudor England as a half-made society, moulding itself with great passion and suffering and courage.
A stunning collection of essays and memoir from twice Booker Prize winner and international bestseller Hilary Mantel, author of The Mirror and the Light In 1987, when Hilary Mantel was first published in the London Review of Books, she wrote to the editor, Karl Miller, 'I have no critical... číst celé
A photography book that is a vital accompaniment to the many fans of Hilary Mantel's bestselling Wolf Hall Trilogy
From the double Man Booker prize-winning author of 'Wolf Hall' and 'Bring Up the Bodies', this is an epic yet subtle family saga about broken trusts and buried secrets.