“She was an extraordinary woman. A good friend and close associate. I feel very honored to have met her and to contribute in a small way to the work of one of the greatest writers of our time. “I will greatly miss her kindness, humor and gracious persistence. The undeniable genius of her words remains as a small consolation for this tragic loss,” Miles said. Dame Hilary was planning to move to Ireland because she no longer wanted to live in the UK after Brexit. “As much as I like where I live now – in the West Country, by the sea – I feel the need to pack my bags and become European again,” she said last year. In her latest interview, published two weeks ago in the Financial Times, Dame Hilary was asked if she believed in an afterlife. “Yes,” she replied. “I can’t imagine how it can work. However, the universe is not limited by what I can imagine.’
Hilary Mantel’s acclaimed books
He is the author of seventeen acclaimed books including: Her non-fiction work includes the memoir Giving up the Ghost – her collected writings from the London Review of Books, Mantel Pieces and most recently The Wolf Hall Picture Book – a photographic collaboration between Hilary Mantel, Ben Miles and George Miles . In 1990 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, in 2006 he was awarded a CBE and in 2014 he was appointed a DBE. Dame Hilary has been Patron of Scene and Heard, a guidance play, Governor of the RSC and President of the Budleigh Festival.
Tributes to Dame Hilary Mantel
Bill Hamilton, her agent at AM Heath said: ‘I first met Hilary in 1984 after she sent the manuscript of Every Day is Mother’s Day. “It has been the greatest privilege to work with her throughout her career and to see all the elements that made her unique come together spectacularly in The Wolf Hall Trilogy. Her wit, stylistic boldness, creative ambition and astonishing historical insight make her one of the greatest novelists of our time.” Nicholas Pearson, former publishing director of the 4th Estate and Hilary’s long-time editor said: “Hilary had a unique view of the world – she picked it up and revealed how it works in both her contemporary and historical novels – each book an unforgettable weave bright sentences, unforgettable characters and remarkable insight’. Charlie Redmayne, CEO of HarperCollins said: “We are so proud that the 4th Estate and HarperCollins were Hilary’s publisher and for such an unparalleled body of work. A writer to the core, Hilary was one of the greatest of her generation – a earnest, fearless novelist with enormous empathy for her subjects.”
