Mantel’s novel picks up another major award

Hilary Mantel holds a copy of her book Bring Up the Bodies at the Costa Book Awards in central London.

Reuters/London

British novelist Hilary Mantel has added to her groaning trophy cabinet by picking up the Costa Book Award 2012 for Bring Up the Bodies, her historical novel about the life and court of Henry VIII and his chief minister Thomas Cromwell.

The acclaimed bestseller has already won the Man Booker prize for fiction, making Mantel the first Briton and first woman to win that coveted award twice.

The 60-year-old also won the Booker Prize in 2009 for Wolf Hall, the first installment in what will be a trilogy.

Broadcaster Jenni Murray, chair of the nine-member panel who decided which of five Costa category winners would take the overall prize, said Bring Up the Bodies stood “head and shoulders” above the rest.

“This is a very difficult prize to judge, because there are five categories and they are so different,” she told reporters ahead of a reception in London announcing the winner.

“It’s not an easy prize to judge, but I have to say one book simply stood head and shoulders - more than head and shoulders, on stilts - above the rest.”

Mantel had been the bookmakers’ favourite for the award, which comes with a cheque for £30,000. Category winners each win £5,000.

Asked whether the judges had considered giving the prize to another author to spread the spoils of literary awards, which usually bring with them a sizeable spike in sales, she replied: “We know this has had lots of prizes. We couldn’t allow the number of times it’s already been lauded to affect our decision. It was quite simply the best book.”

Murray praised what she called the “poetic” prose of the novel, which traces the downfall of Anne Boleyn in 16th century England and Henry’s dangerous attraction to Jane Seymour.

“It’s so set in its time so you know exactly where you are and who you are with, but it’s also incredibly modern,” she said. “I have no doubt that I want to go back to it. I’ve read it twice and I want to read it again.”

Bring Up the Bodies, which like Wolf Hall will be adapted for the stage by the Royal Shakespeare Company, was one of an all-female shortlist in 2012.

The Costa awards go to writers based in the UK and Ireland for a work published in the last year. They were established in 1971 by Whitbread but were renamed after Costa Coffee took over the sponsorship.

The 2011 Costa Book of the Year was Pure by Andrew Miller.