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The court of King Henry VIII drew readers and judges alike as Hilary Mantel was awarded the 2009 Man Booker Prize for her historical novel Wolf Hall. The awards ceremony was held at the Guildhall in London, marking the 61st annual presentation of this prestigious literary accolade.

Judges praised the book as “an extraordinary piece of storytelling” and “a contemporary novel, a modern novel, which happens to be set in the 16th Century.” Wolf Hall tells the story of Thomas Cromwell, whose ambition carried him from his lowly beginnings through the ranks of King Henry’s court to become one of the king’s most trusted advisors.  

Literary Recognition for Hilary Mantel

Hilary Mantel’s first novel, Every Day is Mothers Day, was published in 1985. Her first literary award came in 1989 as she won the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize for Fludd. Subsequent recognition followed with the Sunday Express Book of the Year in 1993 and in 2006 she was awarded both the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Orange Prize for Fiction.

Worthy Competitors

The short list for this year’s Man Booker Prize included:

•    The Children’s Book by A. S. Byatt
•    Summertime by J. M. Coetzee
•    The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds
•    The Glass Room by Simon Mawer
•    The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

History of the Man Booker Prize

The Man Booker Prize is awarded to authors who are citizens of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland, who are deemed to have published the best novel in a calendar year. The reward includes a £50,000 prize and recognition that inevitably includes a significant increase in readership and book sales.

The prize was first awarded in 1969 and its patron is Man Group plc, a renowned investment management firm. The company is involved in many awards and charitable initiatives worldwide, many of which include promoting literacy.

Looking Ahead

The longlist for the 2010 Man Booker Prize will be released in July 2010, with the shortlist to follow in September 2010, prior to the awards ceremony in October.