‘Wolf Hall’ author Dame Hilary Mantel has died aged 70

Dame Hilary Mantel, the acclaimed author behind books such as Wolf Hall, has died at the age of 70.

In a statement, Mantel’s publisher Fourth Estate Books said: “We are heartbroken at the death of our beloved author, Dame Hilary Mantel, and our thoughts are with her friends and family, especially her husband, Gerald.

“This is a devastating loss and we can only be grateful she left us with such a magnificent body of work.”

A statement released by HarperCollins added: “It is with great sadness that AM Heath and HarperCollins announce that bestselling author Dame Hilary Mantel DBE died suddenly yet peacefully yesterday”

Mantel won the prestigious Booker Prize twice in her career for her best-selling novels, Wolf Hall, and its sequel, Bring Up the Bodies.

Bill Hamilton, Mantel’s agent at literary agency A.M. Heath, said was the ‘greatest privilege’ to work with her throughout her career.

“Her wit, stylistic daring, creative ambition and phenomenal historical insight mark her out as one of the greatest novelists of our time,” he said.

“She will be remembered for her enormous generosity to other budding writers, her capacity to electrify a live audience, and the huge array of her journalism and criticism, producing some of the finest commentary on issues and books.”

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