Author Hilary Mantel on losing her religion, living with chronic pain and the monarchy
Author Hilary Mantel on Losing Her Religion, Living with Chronic Pain, and the Monarchy
One of our greatest living writers, Hilary Mantel, discusses losing her religion, living with chronic pain, and examining the monarchy with Jessamy Calkin.
Finishing The Mirror & the Light
On the morning of March 9, 2019, the day Hilary Mantel finished writing The Mirror & the Light, the third volume of her trilogy, she woke up early to find that a picture of Henry VIII had fallen off the wall during the night. The hook had snapped, but the picture was unbroken. Meanwhile, Thomas Cromwell, despite having been executed on Henry’s orders, was still sitting smugly on the wall.
Mantel reflected, “How beautifully appropriate. Thomas Cromwell is the winner, and Henry is just about to commence his own destruction.” She left the picture on the skirting board and went to her office to finish the book.
Reflections on Thomas Cromwell
When finishing a book, Mantel considers how she wants the reader to feel at the end. “I wanted to leave the reader feeling that it was a tragedy, but not a disaster. Cromwell changed England, and he probably did everything that he set out to do. So, although he must have gone to his execution in great distress, I don’t think it would be with regret.”
A Life Immersed in the Tudors
For the past 15 years, Mantel has been deeply immersed in the world of Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell. She had meticulously planned her work, leaving herself with about two hours of writing to complete the third volume. The earlier volumes, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, had won numerous literary awards, including two Booker Prizes.
When she finished The Mirror & the Light, all 912 pages, she and her husband, Gerald, laughed out loud. “It seemed impossible that it could be finished,” she said.
Celebrating the Completion
Mantel celebrated by simply wanting to sleep. She has no rituals around writing, and her greatest vice is strong tea. “So I think it was just a matter of, ‘Put the kettle on, Gerald.’”
Life in Devon
Mantel and her husband live in the little Devon town of Budleigh Salterton, in an apartment overlooking the sea. However, Mantel has been so absorbed in her writing that she hasn’t appreciated the view much. “Since we’ve lived here, I’ve been writing really hard, and I often wonder if I haven’t blanked the sea out,” she says.
She describes the sea as a moody presence, with changing colors and rhythms, and terrific storms. “It’s wonderful to see the clouds come up, and we’re facing due south, so we have a dark sky. I like to go for a starlit walk sometimes. If you have to be locked down, it’s absolutely the best place to be. You never feel any sense of confinement.”
Adapting to the Pandemic
We talked via Zoom. Mantel, 69, was in her sitting room with a picture of Shakespeare on the wall behind her. She had to cancel many plans due to the pandemic, including an American book tour. However, she has continued working on adapting The Mirror & the Light for the stage with actor Ben Miles.
“I think your characters just take a step back. But they never really leave the room; you can always summon them,” Mantel says. “It’s as if when you finish a book, you seal it like a time capsule. Then you can open it and bring them out again.”
Future Projects
Mantel will bring her characters out again for the next TV series and is working on a book with Ben and his brother Edward, photographing Tudor sites in England. However, lockdown has meant that all these collaborations had to be done by email.
Mantel and Gerald live a quiet life, not socializing much. “We are a very self-contained unit, which of course has helped us tremendously through this last year.”
Literary Achievements
Mantel won the Man Booker Prize in 2009 for Wolf Hall and again in 2012 for Bring Up the Bodies, becoming the first woman to win twice. She was tipped to win again for The Mirror & the Light but didn’t make it past the longlist.
“Obviously, I would love to have won again, but it did clear the air a bit because of the weight of expectation. I felt like I could settle and get on with new projects.”
Last year, she was made a Companion of Literature, the highest award bestowed by the Royal Society of Literature, which is held by up to 12 writers at any one time. It is the accolade that means the most to her.
Honors and the Monarchy
In 2006, Mantel was awarded a CBE, and in 2014, she became a Dame. “Well, I’m very amused by it. You know, because of where I come from and the kind of expectations I grew up with. I’m amused and amazed as well.”
She was given the medal by the Prince of Wales, patron of the RSC, which she was working with at the time. “It was lovely because we had a proper chat; there was nothing strained or false about it. He is a very active patron and comes to Stratford often.”
Mantel is often asked about her thoughts on the royal family, especially by Americans. However, she doesn’t think much about it. Concerning Harry and Meghan, she’s not interested in taking sides. “I wouldn’t judge them, and I don’t believe we will ever know, really, what has happened there. So I just wish them well.”
As for the future of the monarchy, she pauses. “I think it’s the end game. I don’t know how much longer the institution will go on. I’m not sure if it will outlast William. So I think it will be their last big era. I wish the Queen had felt able to abdicate because Charles has had to wait such a long time. I understand that she thinks of this as a sacred task, from which you simply cannot abdicate, whereas the rest of us think of it as a job from which you should be able to retire.”
“I wonder if she’s the only person who really believes in the monarchy now, and I’m sure she believes with all her heart. She believes that she cannot cease to be a monarch – she made those promises to God. It’s such a cliché to say, but what a lonely position to be in. It’s a conflict because most of the world sees the royal family as a branch of show business.”
For further reading, you can visit the Woman Magazine.
