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The 2009 Man Booker Prize will be awarded to British writer Hilary Mantel for her historical novel ‘Wolf Hall’, which is set in England’s Tudor. She will win prize money worth 50,000 pound.
‘Wolf Hall’, set in the 1520s, essays the rise of Thomas Cromwell, a blacksmith’s son, who went on to becomes the powerful chief minister to King Henry VIII.
Mantel, 57, took five years for completing ‘Wolf Hall’. She is currently writing its sequel,. She mentioned that it took 20 years for her to write the award-winning book.
But, she told an audience at the award ceremony, which was held on Tuesday night, if winning the Booker Prize was like being in a train crash, "at this moment I am happily flying through the air".
The other writers who were shortlisted for the prize include J.M. Coetzee, A.S. Byatt, Sarah Waters, Simon Mawer and Adam Foulds.
Chairman of judges James Naughtie, said, "Hilary Mantel has given us a thoroughly modern novel set in the 16th century. `Wolf Hall' has a vast narrative sweep that gleams on every page with luminous and mesmerising detail."
"It probes the mysteries of power by examining and describing the meticulous dealings in Henry VIII's court, revealing in thrilling prose how politics and history is made by men and women."
Naughtie conceded that it was not an easy read. "It is a challenging book. The narrative technique is innovative, the scope of it is vast. It's a book that demands hard work, but there's nothing wrong with that. Good things are worth working at."
