Hilary Mary Thompson was born on 6 July 1952 in Glossop, Derbyshire, the eldest of three children, with two … See more

Mantel's first novel, Every Day Is Mother's Day, was published in 1985, and its sequel, Vacant Possession, a year later. After returning to England, she became the film critic of The Spectator, a position she held from 1987 t… See more

Mantel married Gerald McEwen in 1973. They divorced in 1981 but remarried in 1982. McEwen gave up geology to manage his wife's business. They lived in Budleigh Salterton, Devon.
During her … See more

During her university years, Mantel identified as a socialist, and was a member of the Young Communist League.
In a 2013 speech on media and royal women at the British Museum, Mantel commente… See more

• "Every Day Is Mother's Day" series:
• Eight Months on Ghazzah Street: Viking Press, 1988 (ISBN 0-8050-5203-8)
• Fludd: Viking Press, 1989 (ISBN 0-670-82118-7)… See more

• 1987 The Spectator''s Shiva Naipaul Prize for travel writing for Last Morning in Al Hamra
• 1990 Southern Arts Literature Prize for Fludd
• 1990 Cheltenham Prize for Fludd … See more