Historian Accuses Hilary Mantel of 'Falsifying' History in Wolf Hall Trilogy

Cambridge University Professor Eamon Duffy has accused the late Dame Hilary Mantel of 'falsifying' history in her acclaimed Wolf Hall trilogy. Duffy claims Mantel, in her effort to rehabilitate Thomas Cromwell and demythologize Thomas More, went to 'extremes' and turned historical sources 'upside down.' He specifically criticizes her portrayal of Thomas More as a 'torturer and misogynist,' arguing it contradicts historical accounts. Duffy points to Mantel's use of sources, stating she sometimes made them say the opposite of their original intent. While acknowledging the license of fiction, he questions Mantel's claim that novelists offer insights historians lack, especially when accounts are 'falsified.' Mantel, who died in 2022, was celebrated for her historical fiction, which won numerous awards and was adapted into a BBC series.