A timeline highlighting the important moments in the life of Hilary Mantel (Born July 6, 1952).
Timeline
Table of Events
| Date | Event | Created by |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Jul 1952 | Hilary Mantel BirthHilary Mantel was born in Glossop, Derbyshire, England, on July 6, 1952. Full name, Hillary Mary Thompson, She was the first of three children to her parents, Margaret and Henry Thompson. Her parents were born in England but came from Irish descent. Her mother was a mill worker. but there is no information available about her father's occupation |
Yehudis Shapiro |
| 1963 | Hilary Changes Her Last NameUp until about age 11, Hilary Mantel's last name was Thompson. Her mother had a lover, Jack Mantel, who moved in with her family for four years, before her dad left at 11 years old. She never saw him again. Jack became her unofficial stepfather. Shortly after her father left, Hilary legally changed her surname from Thompson to Mantel. |
Yehudis Shapiro |
| 1972 | MarriageHilary married Gerald McEwen, a geologist, in 1972. She was 19, he was 20. They have been happily married since then, except for a brief stint where they got divorced in 1981. They got back together the following year, in 1982. They never had children together because Hilary suffers from endometriosis, which has caused her unable to have children. |
Yehudis Shapiro |
| 1973 | Mantel Receives Law DegreeHilary Mantel graduated from Sheffield University with a degree in law in 1973. She spoke of her time in school as "one of the most vivid times in [her] life". Before graduating from Sheffield University, she studied at a Cheshire convent school for one year. With her degree, she went on to be a social worker and teacher for nine years, living in Botswana for five years and Saudi Arabia for four years, before returning to Britain. |
Yehudis Shapiro |
| circa. 1979 | Mantel Receives Surgical MenopauseAt the age of 27, Hilary's life was detrimentally changed, when she underwent necessary surgical menopause. She started suffering from a debilitating illness in her early 20s and was initially diagnosed with a psychiatric illness, where the drugs given to her caused her to suffer from psychotic symptoms. This made her fearful of doctors and she did not seek medical treatment for her problem, until when in Botswana, she read a textbook and recognized her symptoms as those of endometriosis. The surgery left her unable to have children and has had a severe impact on her life. |
Yehudis Shapiro |
| 1985 | Every Day is Mother's Day is PublishedEvery Day is Mother's Day is Mantel's first novel to be published. This marks Mantel's introduction into the literary world as one of the most prominent modern-day authors, though she would not rise to fame until the early 2000s with her book Wolf Hall. Published in 1985, Hillary was around 33 years old. Every Day is Mother's Day follows a widowed medium who discovers that her mentally handicapped daughter is pregnant. |
Yehudis Shapiro |
| 6 Oct 2009 | Mantel Receives First Booker PrizeMantel received her first Booker Prize, an annual award given to the author of the best novel published in England or Ireland, in 2009 for her book, Wolf Hall. The Booker Prize is one of the highest awards an author can receive in England and marks an author's literary quality. Mantel went on to win the Booker Prize for a second time in 2012 for her Wolf Hall sequel, Bring Up the Bodies. |
Yehudis Shapiro |
| 14 Jun 2014 | Mantel Appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British EmpireMantel was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2014, at the Queen's Birthday Honors in Buckingham Palace. She received this prestigious award for her services to literature. She was previously appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2006 but did not receive her knighthood until 2014. |
Yehudis Shapiro |