Writer Gets Prize For Writing Good

Hilary Mantel’s Bring Up The Bodies won the Booker Prize last night. It’s the sequel to Wolf Hall, which also won the Booker Prize, so clearly both books are pretty good. Kidding! Awards mean nothing. Both books are in fact quite excellent, and it’s been pretty obvious that Mantel is one of our Greatest Living Writers for years now. If you’re intimidated by the heft of the Thomas More books (you shouldn’t be; they really do carry you along) start with The Giant, O’Brien. But if you’ve never read her, do start, she’s terrific.