With the news of Hilary Mantel’s passing, now seemed like an appropriate time to revisit my Author Inspo series (look here and here for other examples), to share Hilary Mantel’s story (as it relates to her process and what inspired her) on this blog.
Mantel’s work is no stranger to the Little Literary Moments community, where her first in the Cromwell trilogy, Wolf Hall*, was recently the #readwithLLM book of the month. But, beyond this small corner of the internet, Mantel’s work is widely acclaimed, celebrated, and admired.
Of her early literary loves, Mantel once said:
Although coy about her favorite novels in recent years, Mantel also mentions Ivy Compton-Burnett as a writer she reads with regularity.
But it wasn’t just a wide range of literary inspirations that propelled Mantel’s lifelong participation in the arts. Rather, she was also a film critic for a time, and if she hadn’t become an author, she contemplated life as a playwright (perhaps Shakespeare had a more lasting effect on her than realized).
Despite becoming a well-known authorial name based on her Cromwell trilogy, one critic points out that an oft developed theme and symbol in Mantel’s work is that of the female body. In her recent memoir, this included her own.
On her creative choices, Mantel has been interviewed on every aspect of her writing, from point of view to tense, to everything in between. Although her Cromwell novels are written in the present tense, she cautions authors from using it constantly, as, “The present tense is potent but I think you shouldn’t reach for it as a matter of course. You need a reason. I have come across a lot of novels recently where the use of the present tense is frustrating and limiting, and the better choice would have been the more reflective, distanced past tense—the calmer, more authoritative, classic storytelling voice.”
Of her own writing process, she writes
She concluded this article by writing, “what is inspiration? Eternal vigilance, in my opinion. Being on the watch for your material, day or night, asleep or awake.”
What I found most interesting in this research was that Mantel, considered one of the greatest novelists of this era, was relatively vocal in her passion for theater and her desire to be a playwright.
*This post contains affiliate links. If you make purchases after using these links, I will earn a percentage of your purchase without any further cost to you.
Works Cited:
Dolan, Lianne. “Hilary Mantel, Acclaimed ‘Wolf Hall’ Author, Dead at 70.”
CNN, 23 Sept. 2022, edition.cnn.com/style/article/hilary-mantel-dies-scli-gbr-intl/index.html.
Suffolk Libraries. “Meet the Author: Dame Hilary Mantel.” Suffolk Libraries, 14 Jan. 2022,
Ross, Thomas. “The Creative Process: Hilary Mantel.” Tin House, 14 June 2017,
Reporter, Guardian Staff. “Hilary Mantel: ‘Being a Novelist Is No Fun. But Fun Isn’t High on My List.’” The Guardian, 4 Oct. 2020, www.theguardian.com/books/2020/oct/04/hilary-mantel-wolf-hall-mantel-pieces.
Mantel, Hilary. “My Writing Day: Hilary Mantel.” The Guardian, 29 Nov. 2017,
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