Hilary Mantel writes so well to the extent that some people believe her writings are true – which is not entirely the case. Though Mantel’s novels are are entirely based on facts and extensive research, her novels are anything but fiction.
An instance is Mantel’s depiction of Thomas More, which according to John Guy, one of Britain’s most respected Tudor historians, was over the top and “too stark for my tastes”.
John Guy also expressed concern that prospective students imagine Hilary Mantel’s novels are fact.
John Guy told the Hay literary festival in Wales that Mantel’s Thomas Cromwell novels needed to be enjoyed for what they were: fiction.
“We are starting to get people coming up who want to talk about Thomas Cromwell,” he said, and when asked where they have read about him the answer comes back – Mantel. “This blur between fact and fiction is troubling,” he said.
Guy has written numerous books on Tudor history, including a life of Mary, Queen of Scots and his latest book on Thomas More.
Guy insists that it is nonsense to view Mantel’s novels as historically accurate.
Meanwhile, Mantel’s two novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, have been a literary phenomenon, both winning the Man Booker prize and being adapted for the stage by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
