Hilary Mantel: Inside the Head of Thomas Cromwell

More than a decade in the making, Hilary Mantel’s masterpiece is now complete with the publication of the final part of her Thomas Cromwell trilogy, The Mirror and The Light.

As any student of 16th century England knows, Cromwell’s life ended abruptly with his beheading in 1540. In common with Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, The Mirror and The Light places readers inside the head of Cromwell and it’s no spoiler to say that Mantel’s new book ends with the removal of that same head. But Mantel’s novels are about so much more than one fascinating, complicated man.

In today’s event filmed at Hilary Mantel’s home in Devon, Guardian chief culture writer Charlotte Higgins also talks to the double Booker Prize winner about her subtle depictions of women including Anne Boleyn, and about the vivid, nuanced and compelling re-creation of a 16th century world from a 21st century perspective. Join them for an unmissable conversation.

This is a pre-recorded event.