For those of us in the United Kingdom; Bring Up The Bodies (sequal to Wolf Hall) by Hilary Mantel goes on sale in just three days time. Knowing that many readers (and me!) are beside themselves with excitement about the new book, I decided to post this link. From the Daily Telegraph, it contains an extract of BUTB; an encounter between Thomas and Catherine of Aragon. There’ll be another in tomorrow’s paper, too.
For those interested in the follow up to Hilary Mantel’s “Wolf Hall”, the publication dates have now been announced. “Bring Up The Bodies” will now be published in the United Kingdom on 10th May, 2012, and is now available for pre-order by following this link to Amazon. The cover art of a manacled flacon is quite striking, in my opinnion; but beyond that I cannot comment until the big publication day.
Finally, this is just a short post to keep people updated. A proper post about Thomas Cromwell (the real one, that is) is pending. After a very busy Christmas and New Year period I am only just catching up on research. Anyway, I hope you all had a great holiday, and see you all again soon!
Here is some more rather exciting news regarding “Wolf Hall”. There is an article HERE detailing plans to turn “Wolf Hall”, and presumably, the sequel, into a TV mini-series.
All historic fiction, (whether in novel, or TV show/movie form), is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can be a wildly entertaining romp through time obscured eras. On the other, it can be a wildly inaccurate, confusing, mess (*cough*The Tudors*cough*). Or, it can be both. Worse still, are authors who undertake minimal research, and then pass their wild flights of fancy off as Historical fact, (I’m mentioning no names, but we all know who I’m referring too. A certain somebody with the initials, “P.G”).
However, Wolf Hall is different. Mantel’s research was obviously painstaking. She took the time to present an alternative picture of an often maligned figure. She presented the other side of the story, without resorting to making it all up off the top of her head. Best of all, for a HF reader, it was beautifully written. No bodice-ripping, no heaving bosoms, and no verbose, endless paragraphs about frocks. Just a refreshing look at a pivotal moment in British Constitutional history. The focus kept firmly on the future shaping political changes that Cromwell wrought, and not the distracting side-subjects that were the mere fluff and baubles of the era.
So, if anything in the world of Historical Fiction today deserves the dramatisation treatment, it is Wolf Hall. Besides, now all of us Cromwell fans can have endless hours of fun speculating over who could possibly be playing the Big Man, himself. I’ve had a few mention James Frain (who played him in “The Tudors”, already), but, time for a change, methinks. TBH, I have no idea!?
Some exciting news for Cromwell admirers all over the world, now. The eagerly awaited sequel to “Wolf Hall”, by Man Booker winner Hilary Mantel, is now scheduled for publication in May, 2012. Entitled “Bring Up The Bodies,” it will begin where Wolf Hall left off, and focus on the downfall of Anne Boleyn. I am fantastically excited about this!! LINKY
