Wolf Hall (2009) Bring Up the Bodies (2012)

I generally don’t like to read books where I already know the storyline, but these two books were the exception to that rule. Written by Hilary Mantel, an award-winning English writer, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies are beautifully written, thoroughly researched gems that you will not want to put down – especially if, like me, you are a fan of historical fiction.

The books chronicle the life and times of Thomas Cromwell during Henry VIII’s reign. They offer Cromwell’s version of events, which I feel is only fair, in the face of the unsympathetic treatment he generally receives from history.

Wolf Hall, the book, covers Cromwell’s rise within Cardinal Thomas Wolsey’s circle, his role in the events that have forever marked Henry’s rule – the divorce from Catherine of Aragon, re-marriage to Anne Boleyn, the killing of Thomas More, the establishment of the Church of England and the dissolution of the monasteries.

Wolf Hall, the place, is the 17th century manor house of the Seymour family, but it’s not prominent in the novel. It’s the Latin saying that is central to the novel – ‘Man is wolf to man’. It’s the perfect embodiment of life in the Tudor world and what Cromwell fought to guard against in all he did.

Everyone’s an opportunist – whether man or woman, young or old, rich or poor. Together, they all seek the King’s favour and that favour seems to change constantly too. Promises are made to be broken, secret deals are carved out among the same people who betray them the next minute, battles are lost and won, and a constant stream of people are put to death for all manner of reasons. Morals, ethics and legal arguments can all be twisted around to suit the King’s desire, so there’s a constant undercurrent of anxiety running through the novel.

Cromwell is a logical thinker and a master tactician. He has learnt from experience and he has an uncanny ability to predict and circumvent human behaviour. The details of his private life, the love and respect he receives from his family and friends, and the keen sense of loss perpetuated by family tragedies make him more human and give him a sensitivity that you would have otherwise completely missed.  

Here’s a short film made by the BBC featuring Mantel for the Man Booker Prize 2009:

  (Source: TheManBookerPrize, 2009, YouTube)

The sequel Bring Up the Bodies is no different – the King wants to marry Jane Seymour and needs a good reason to be rid of Anne Boleyn that will hold up muster in the eyes of the world. It’s only the practical, level-headed intelligence of Cromwell, who can gather and re-shape the kernels of court gossip into legal charges, that wins the day for Henry and destroys Anne.

Mantel’s telling of the battle of wills between Boleyn and Cromwell makes for riveting reading. Powerful and magnetic characters in their own right, they both owe each other for the places they have gained beside the King, but now one must fall for the other to succeed. Cromwell’s unforgiving nature and hard-edged loyalty also comes to light, in the way he is able to target all those who brought death and humiliation to Wolsey. And, oh how they fall… one by one their ‘bodies are brought up’ from The Tower to meet life’s fatal end.    

I read both these books one after the other – I had to, because they were so well told. There’s a clarity to Mantel’s writing that I have always admired in great writing. There’s none of that unnecessary, descriptive, flowery wasteful words that just fill up pages. Here, every word counts. 

Listen to this Guardian book podcast, where Mantel speaks about Bring Up the Bodies (Presented by John Mullan and produced by Tim Maby): (© theguardian.com, 2012)

We all know these stories, but it’s re-told in such personal way that you feel as if these events are unfolding now and you find yourself wondering whether something will change at the last minute. That’s the power of Mantel’s writing – fresh, bold and honest.

Delve into Mantel’s world in this BBC Culture Show Special (Directed by James Runcie, photography by Tim Cragg, produced by BBC Arts):

 

(Source: Tim Cragg, 2011, YouTube)

Among many other awards, both books won the Man Booker Prize, Wolf Hall in 2009 and Bring Up the Bodies in 2012. These books are the first two of a trilogy and the third one titled The Mirror and the Light is expected to be out in 2015. That’s one book I will certainly want to read!