A Memoir of My Former Self: A Life in Writing
£14.30£23.80 (-40%)
‘A guide to the mind of one of the great English novelists of the last half-century’ Guardian
‘Like hearing the voice of an old friend’ Observer
As well as her celebrated career as a novelist, Hilary Mantel long contributed to newspapers and journals, unspooling stories from her own life and illuminating the world as she found it. This strand of her writing was an integral part of how she thought of herself. ‘Ink is a generative fluid,’ she explains. ‘If you don’t mean your words to breed consequences, don’t write at all.’ A Memoir of My Former Self collects the finest of this writing over four decades.
Mantel’s subjects are wide-ranging. She discusses nationalism and her own sense of belonging; our dream life flopping into our conscious life; the mythic legacy of Princess Diana; the many themes that feed into her novels – revolutionary France, psychics, Tudor England – and other novelists, from Jane Austen to V. S. Naipaul. She writes about her father and the man who replaced him; she writes fiercely and heartbreakingly about the battles with her health she endured as a young woman, and the stifling years she found herself living in Saudi Arabia. Here, too, is a selection of her film reviews – from When Harry Met Sally to RoboCop – and, published for the first time, her stunning Reith Lectures, which explore the process of art bringing history and the dead back to life.
From her unique childhood to her all-consuming fascination with Thomas Cromwell that grew into the Wolf Hall Trilogy, A Memoir of My Former Self reveals the shape of Hilary Mantel’s life in her own dazzling words, ‘messages from people I used to be.’ Compelling, often very funny, always luminous, it is essential reading from one of our greatest writers.
‘A smart, deft, meticulous, thoughtful writer, with such a grasp of the dark and spidery corners of human nature’ Margaret Atwood
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Additional information
| Publisher | John Murray (19 Oct. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 400 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1399813889 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1399813884 |
| Dimensions | 16 x 3.6 x 23.6 cm |
by V. O’Regan
“The story of Hilary Mantel is scattered throughout her novels. But in her journalism and essays a full and exhilarating self-portrait emerges: she isn’t afraid to lay herself bare. This book is organised with that in mind – a patchwork of a life revealing itself.” – from Introduction, ‘A Memoir of My Former Self and Other Writings’ by Hilary Mantel.
This book was edited and introduced by Nicholas Pearson. I accompanied reading with its unabridged audiobook edition, read by eight actors and authors. These were: Anne Enright, Aurora Dawson Hunte, Ben Miles, Bill Hamilton, Jane Wymark, Lydia Leonard, Nicholas Pearson, and Sarah Waters.
This is a posthumous collection of Dame Hilary Mantel’s short nonfiction writings including newspaper articles, film reviews, and her Reith lectures. With the film reviews I was especially impressed with her ability to distill the essence of the film with insight and great wit.
She writes on a variety of topics including an insightful piece on the legacy of Princess Diana.
Her five Reith lectures, broadcast in 2017, focuses on historical fiction, including what she describes as the contract between reader and novelist.
In them she states something that has always been important to me as a reader of historical fiction: that the characters will abide by the “ethical framework of their day”, which includes their religious experiences. She also shares how she came to write her Wolf Hall Trilogy.
The comic ‘The Joys of Stationery’ totally appealed to me as I could relate to the love of buying new notebooks. She also shares stories of her own life, including her experiences of living in Saudi Arabia, her childhood memories, and her illnesses.
With respect to the narration, it felt a little odd to have eight readers and clearly some were more experienced than others. While it didn’t detract from my enjoyment, I feel that having just one or two voice actors would have allowed for a better flow.
Overall, ‘A Memoir of My Former Self and Other Writings’ was a fascinating collection that sparkled throughout with Mantel’s fierce intelligence and her compassionate soul. She is missed.
Highly recommended.
by Vicuña
I have to say that, for a number of years, I never really warmed to Hilary Mantel or her writing. I bought Wolf Hall and struggled to become immersed in what should have been a fast paced story. I recently revisited the Wolf Hall trilogy, this time in audio and was riveted. The narration helped as it was superb and I suddenly realised that her ability to create context around historical fact was unsurpassed.
I was delighted to be offered this title which is a retrospective collection of her writings from numerous publications over some decades. It gives a real insight into the person behind the writing. One thing that shines through is her wit and humour. I’ve seen a very different side to her and only now appreciate more fully how much we have lost. This book is a real taster. It’s intelligent, funny and there’s food for thought as she muses upon life, religion, literature…I’ve really enjoyed this dip into the past and have no hesitation in recommending it.
This is a review of the audiobook.
by Ironside
Buy it
It’s so good
by HistoryLover
Mantel’s distinctive voice shines through on every page. I love her film reviews, her musings on Jane Austin and Marie Antoinette, and what it means to be an invisible 50-something woman. But I especially enjoyed her Reith Lectures, her reasons for writing Wolf Hall and her short, but excellent, essay on Anne Boleyn.
Hilary Mantel was a remarkable author, historian – although she never thought of herself in that way – and intellectual. This is a good collection and a neat nod to her genius and humanity.
by NED
This is a classic and easy to read.
by Sally Zigmond
Yes, I am a fiction writer and a realist. I am not being modest. I know I will always remain in the foothills. But I always look up. Hilary Mantel is my Mount Everest. She is self-deprecating and full of doubt but she expresses herself with aplomb.
Sadly missed but her words will remain forever.
by Amanda
A selection of articles and reviews by Hilary Mantel covering her experience in, and observations of, Saudi Arabia, school exams, her affliction with endometriosis, and grief, as well as the hilarious review of the Mickey Rourke film Wild Orchid among others. Also included are her Reith lectures.
Mantel comes across as intelligent, thoughtful and supremely funny.
The audiobook is narrated by a starry cast of actors and authors: Anne Enright, Aurora Dawson Hunte, Ben Miles, Bill Hamilton, Jane Wymark, Lydia Leonard, Nicholas Pearson, Sarah Waters
My thanks to NetGalley and W.F. Howes Ltd for the audio-ARC.
This is a review of the audiobook.
by L. J. Adlington
It was an interesting read but the best bit for me was that it introduced me to lots of writers I didn’t know about which then made me buy their books. Always learning