Dove Grey Reader, a delightful UK literary blogger—”a Devonshire based bookaholic, sock-knitting quilter who was a community nurse once upon a time”—has said that she feels fortunate to live as a contemporary of Hilary Mantel: “… perhaps this is how the Victorians felt about George Eliot or Dickens…”
That’s a wonderful thought. There are times when I think I would do well simply to immerse myself in the work of Hilary Mantel, as well as the books she has found enlightening.
There are many video interviews of Hilary Mantel on YouTube. I love this one especially, where she talks about “opening up the past.”
The amazing “photo” at top is by Flóra Borsi. It expresses, for me, the depth of what one might learn by immersion in the work of someone like Hilary Mantel.
