Hilary Mantel: The Road to Wolf Hall

This lecture is from The Frick Collection's Artists, Poets, and Writers Lecture Series.
Dame Hilary Mantel, two-time winner of the Man Booker Prize for her best-selling novel Wolf Hall and its sequel, Bring Up the Bodies, is currently at work on the third installment of the Thomas Cromwell Trilogy, The Mirror & the Light. In the home of Hans Holbein’s iconic portraits of rivals Thomas Cromwell and Thomas More, she will discuss the concept, research, and writing of the novels, their adaptation for stage and screen, and the historical figures they so vividly bring to life.
Hilary Mantel is an English novelist, dramatist, and critic best known for her two novels about the Tudor statesman Thomas Cromwell: Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies. Both books won the Man Booker prize, and she is now working on the concluding volume of the trilogy. Her most recent book is a short story collection: The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher (2014). She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Governor of The Royal Shakespeare Company.
This lecture is made possible by the Drue Heinz Trust. It was recorded on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at The Frick Collection, New York
[previously hosted on Vimeo: 585 views]

[@loismccluresmith7944]

I am so endlessly grateful that this was recorded.

[@dolinaj1]

R.I.P. Dame Hilary, a great wit and talent, and lady.

[@LadyOaksNZ]

I could listen to Hilary all day! Brilliant! Wit n Wisdom right there and so rare.

[@Gaverny]

What a treasure she is! Friggin awesome 👍

[@baycast]

Incredible! So enjoyable to have a journey with Hilary Mantel. Thank you.

[@gabrielleheard6366]

Very good, love listening to Hilary's overview of her writing of this Tudor period and these characters she has made real for us to know. So clever.

[@kathleenmurphy2379]

I can't believe there aren't any comments here! I watch this series I believe through my subscription on Amazon Prime. I was so disappointed when the series ended. For some reason I didn't realize there were novels written by this amazing woman! I just discovered another video where she's interviewed about her third book. I am only 14 minutes into this lecture and I am delighted at the Insight the author gives to the character both here and in the other video. I've always been fascinated by this time period... this gives another layer of dimension to the Tudor era! Thank you so very very much for posting this video on KZbin and thank you to this lovely lady for the 15 years she spent writing these books

[@mary-annebourke4907]

Kathleen, you should also try to get hold of one of Ms Mantel's earlier book about the French Revolution "A Place of Greater Safety" , another meticulously historically accurate rendition of such an amazing period. She again pitches the contenders Danton and Robespierre in the midst of a time of turmoil and violence.....it is palpable in her brilliant writing.

[@justanothergoogler6436]

Love that book!

[@juliestone9371]

Im relistening to Wolf Hall right now read by Ben Miles. The mini series is great as well.

[@marksip01234]

She is a fantastic speaker

[@louise-yo7kz]

Her voice is amazing

[@bealtainecottage]

Thank you for this wonderful talk by Ms Mantel!

[@johnjosmith42]

Magical ~ thank you 🙏

[@eileenmahoney3250]

Marvelous and enchanting...Wow.

[@Execulifecoach]

So eloquent and knowledgeable. I'd love to know if Hilary likes Cromwell.

[@wstevenson4913]

Excellent..age of the audience is quite interesting

[@louduva9849]

What, that they're all ancient?

[@catekrell5519]

Superb!

[@karenkaren3189]

Reading “ The Mirror and The Light”.....helping me keep from losing my s-t right now😆

[@justanothergoogler6436]

That book makes me cry.

[@Retrostar619]

@@justanothergoogler6436 The pace things move at the end really hit me hard.

[@carolbresnahan1244]

What a loss ❤

[@si4632]

“It is an extraordinary and perverse achievement of Hilary Mantel and BBC Drama to make of Thomas Cromwell a flawed hero and of St Thomas More, one of the greatest Englishmen, a scheming villain,”

[@Retrostar619]

St Thomas More had a private torture chamber installed in his house. What a hero.

[@dianaortiz1150]

I agree. It’s all opinion, speculation and subjective writing on Hillary’s part. It’s for book sales. Just another angle on Tudor history.

[@si4632]

Bishop Davies said it should be remembered that Wolf Hall is a work of fiction

[@markstedman9099]

So is a man for all seasons,More was a fanatic who tortured and burned people less powerful than himself who didn't agree with his Catholic orthodoxy.Cromwell never did anything so good as to bring him down

[@Eudaimonia88]

@@markstedman9099 Cromwell didn't bring More down! Have you been watching? And more importantly, LISTENING?

[@markstedman9099]

She's so right about More and the fact that rome made him a saint tells you al! you need to know about that vile organisation

[@marctwain8273]

Prince Charles conferred her that' really English humor-isn't..

[@marctwain8273]

dear British- don't go back-where are the Youth people -like the Beatles in the good sixties???????

[@suzannetevlin8439]

She's a bizarre little person. I enjoyed the trilogy, but am always disturbed by her prejudices. I was surprised to read, the other day, that she was the child a poor Irish Catholic family. She appears to love her tormentors. Was she a touch masochistic?

[@johnmodra9543]

are you a touch too cynical

[@si4632]

To admire Cromwell now is a respectable way of covering up good old-fashioned anti-Catholic feeling. Sounds about right lol

[@francesca9423]

Didn’t realise having an interest in a historical figure was automatically anti-Catholic now. You can admire some of the things Cromwell did, some of which have nothing to do with religion at all. He tried to do a great deal for the common people for instance, it’s not his fault the bills in parliament got voted down

[@johnmodra9543]

I think you missed her powerful point and convincing manner about trying to avoid taking sides.