Hilary Mantel Important Works

Wolf Hall was published on April 30, 2008. It is the first in a trilogy of historical fiction books covering Thomas Cromwell's life, through his rise and fall. Thomas Cromwell is a prominent figure in British history, who served as the chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534-1540 before he was beheaded on orders of the king. Wolf Hall chronicles the period of Cromwell's life from 1500-1529. 

Wolf Hall received critical acclaim, winning Mantel a Booker Prize in 2009 for her work. It is mostly popular for the extensive…

Giving up the Ghost was published in 2003. It is Mantel's memoir, following her through childhood to adulthood. It tracks her journey as a writer, her struggles with her family life, her education, meeting her husband, her endometriosis and subsequent infertility, and how she came to be a novelist. 

Bring Up the Bodies was published on May 8, 2012. It is the sequel to her acclaimed Wolf Hall and won her a second Booker Prize. It picks up shortly after where Wolf Hall left off, and takes a darker turn, as Cromwell now has years of working under a short-tempered king. 

In 2015, BBC created a 6 part series, Wolf Hall, that followed Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.

The Mirror and the Light was published on March 5, 2020. It is the third book of the Thomas Cromwell trilogy, and takes place during the last four years of his life, from 1536-1540. This book chronicles his gain of extreme wealth and power to his demise, his execution at the hands of King Charles VIII. 

It received high sales and acclaim as being a triumphant end to an epic saga. It was Mantel's first book published in eight years. It was longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize.

Every Day is Mother's Day  was published in 1985. It is Mantel's first published novel. The book follows a widowed psychic, Evelyn, who discovers that her mentally disabled daughter, Muriel is pregnant. Set in the 1970s, it is seen as a dark comedy, and is partially inspired by Mantel's own time spent as a social worker. 

She published a sequel to this book, Vacant Possession, in 1986.