Hilary Mantel

Hilary Mantel

Hilary Mantel (Hilary Mary Thompson) was born on July 6th, 1952. Hilary passed away September 22nd, 2022 at 70 years old. Hilary Mantel was born in Glossop, England.

Hilary Mantel is known for writing in the Historical Fiction and Literary Fiction genres.

Hilary Mantel had written 7 standalone novels, starting with Eight Months on Ghazzah Street in 1988. The most recently released novel was Beyond Black, which was released in 2005.

Hilary Mantel also wrote the Short Story Collections series which has 3 books including Learning to Talk and The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher.

Hilary Mantel: Awards & Accolades

Hilary Mantel won the Helmerich Award, Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award, in 2018.

Mantel's books have also won multiple awards, Wolf Hall won the Booker Prize, Best Fiction Book, in 2009 as well as the British Book Awards - UK Author of the Year in 2010, Walter Scott Prize - Best Historical Fiction Novel in 2010. Bring Up the Bodies won the British Book Awards, UK Author of the Year, in 2012 as well as the Booker Prize - Best Fiction Book in 2012. The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher won the Audie Award, Best Short Stories or Collections, in 2015. The Mirror and the Light won the Walter Scott Prize, Best Historical Fiction Novel, in 2021.

The following novels by Hilary Mantel were also nominated for these awards:

• Beyond Black: Women's Prize, For Fiction (2006).
• Wolf Hall: Women's Prize, For Fiction (2010).
• Bring Up the Bodies: Goodreads Awards, Best Historical Fiction (2012). Waterstones, Book of the Year (2012). Women's Prize, For Fiction (2013). Walter Scott Prize, Best Historical Fiction Novel (2013).
• The Mirror and the Light: Women's Prize, For Fiction (2020). Goodreads Awards, Best Historical Fiction (2020). British Book Awards, Fiction Book of the Year (2021).

Hilary Mantel: Lists & Other Mentions

• The Mirror and the Light has made several lists including:
  1. New York Times: #1 Fiction Best Seller in 2020.
  2. Wall Street Journal: #1 Hardcover Fiction Best Seller in 2020.
  3. Time Magazine: 100 Must-Read Books Selection in 2020.
  4. New York Times: 100 Notable Books Selection in 2020.
• Wolf Hall has made several lists including:
  1. The Sunday Times: 100 21st-Century Novels to Love Selection in 2019.
  2. The Guardian: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century Section in 2019.
  3. New York Times: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century Selection in 2024.
  4. Good Housekeeping: 100 Best Books to Read by Women Authors Selection in 2021.
  5. BBC: 100 Greatest British Novels Selection in 2015.
  6. New York Public Library: 125 Books We Love for Adults Selection in 2020.
  7. The Independent: 40 Best Books To Read Before You Die Selection in 2023.
  8. AbeBooks: 50 Essential Historical Fiction Books Selection in 2021.
  9. BBC: Big Jubilee Read Selection in 2022.
  10. Blackwell's: Five Foot Bookshelf Selection in 2021.
  11. President Obama: Summer Reading List Selection in 2019.
  12. TES Magazine: Teacher's Favourite Books List Selection in 2013.
  13. The Guardian: The 100 Best Novels of All-Time Selection in 2026.
  14. Los Angeles Times: The 30 Best Fiction Books of the Last 30 Years Selection in 2025.
  15. Parade: The 75 Best Books of the Past 75 Years Selection in 2016.
  16. Waterstones: The Books You've Always Meant to Read Selection in 2020.
• Bring Up the Bodies has made several lists including:
  1. New York Times: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century Selection in 2024.
  2. AbeBooks: 50 Essential Historical Fiction Books Selection in 2021.
  3. Entertainment Weekly: Top 100 Novels Selection in 2013.
• A Place of Greater Safety was a Counterpunch: 100 Best Novels in English Since 1900 Selection in 2014.
• Learning to Talk was a Time Magazine: 100 Must-Read Books Selection in 2022.
• Giving Up the Ghost was a New York Times: The 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years Selection in 2019.

Wolf Hall was listed at #16 on the Los Angeles Times "Best Fiction Books of the Last 30 Years" list, which was published in April 2025.
The Wolf Hall Series was listed on Audible's The Top 100 Book Series of All Time list in 2024.

Related Authors

Fans of Hilary Mantel also enjoy these authors:

1. Emma Donoghue, author of: Room.
2. Ian McEwan, author of: Atonement.
3. Abraham Verghese, author of: Cutting for Stone.
4. Emily Brontë, author of: Wuthering Heights.
5. Pip Williams, author of: The Dictionary of Lost Words.
6. Anita Shreve, author of the Fortune's Rocks Quartet Series.
7. Sarah Waters, author of: Fingersmith.
8. Kate Atkinson, author of the Jackson Brodie Series.
9. Kazuo Ishiguro, author of: Never Let Me Go.
10. Anna Lee Huber, author of the Lady Darby Mystery Series.

Hilary Mantel: F.A.Q