Miranda Miller remembers her friend Hilary Mantel

September 1, 2023

Some words of praise from Hilary Mantel grace the cover of Miranda Miller’s novel Angelica: Paintress of Minds: ‘‘Miller’s intricate fictions are lit by the dark flicker of a strong and original imagination.’ 

These were words, of course, from a writer who knew; who had such an original imagination.

Miranda writes here of her friendship with Hilary, and gives us insights from their correspondence: Please take time to read it. How My Friend Hilary Mantel Got Inside People’s Minds ‹ Literary Hub (lithub.com)

And here are some extra lines from Miranda, not in that LitHub posting:

“She never forgot how it felt to be powerless and gave generous emotional support to many other people as well. When she was 27, she had to have a hysterectomy so she couldn’t have children but I think she enjoyed their company. She was very kind to my daughter Rebecca and always wanted to hear about my grandsons. In an interview with La Repubblica in 2021 she said, “I wish I had grandchildren.” It must have taken enormous courage to fight through her illness to write those wonderful books and make public appearances.”

Miranda recommends Hilary’s ninth novel, Beyond Black, as “the one that brings together her unique gift for comedy, her sympathy for outsiders and her perception of the unheimlich.” That ‘unheimlich’ element includes a strong sense of the dead still being with us, an element that slips into Hilary’s autobiography too. The literary world is dimmed without her, but she has left us some splendid adventures, and may yet be enjoying fresh adventures of her own. We thank her, wish her rest, and possible fun.