Audiobooks by Hilary Mantel

"Ralph e Anna Eldred vivono con i quattro figli nel Norfolk in una fattoria di mattoni rossi. Come responsabile di un istituto di beneficenza, ogni estate Ralph ospita alla Casa Rossa uno dei tanti «casi pietosi» in cui si imbatte per lavoro, perlopiù adolescenti sbandati bisognosi di un posto dove stare e di qualcuno che li rimetta in riga. Gli ospiti vengono talvolta mal tollerati dagli altri membri della famiglia: Anna è sempre meno incline ad accogliere giovani problematici in casa propria, Kit, la figlia maggiore, si interroga sul suo futuro, Robin è lontano per gli impegni sportivi e Julian, il più taciturno, è molto preoccupato per la piccola di casa, Rebecca, e per i pericoli a cui potrebbe andare incontro. Ma sotto la patina d'abitudine che ricopre la vita degli Eldred si celano segreti inconfessabili e rancori mai sopiti, che minacciano di mandare in pezzi l'armonia familiare. Venticinque anni prima, appena sposati, Ralph e Anna, mandati come missionari laici in Sudafrica, hanno conosciuto le difficoltà di un paese in regime di apartheid, dove fame e ingiustizia erano pane quotidiano. È durante quel viaggio che si è consumata la tragedia di cui non hanno più parlato e che ora, a decenni di distanza, riaffiora in superficie con prepotenza, rivelando tutte le crepe nel loro matrimonio. Fin dove può spingersi il perdono? Quanto può sopportare un cuore prima di spezzarsi irreparabilmente?"

Hilary Mantel (Author), Elena Scalet (Narrator)

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[Italian] - La storia segreta della Rivoluzione francese

"Il 14 luglio 1789, il popolo di Parigi prese d'assalto la Bastiglia. Ha inizio la Rivoluzione francese. Meno di un mese dopo, il 4 agosto, l'Assemblea nazionale abolì i diritti feudali e le prerogative della nobilità e del clero, diritti di sangue trasmessi di padre in figlio e che sancivano disuguaglianze considerate naturali, oggettive. Come arrivarono uomini e donne a osare tanto? Hilary Mantel, la più apprezzata autrice inglese di romanzi storici di questi anni, prova a spiegarlo ricostruendo la vita privata di tre dei grandi protagonisti della Rivoluzione: Camille Desmoulins, Georges-Jaques Danton e Maximilien Robespierre: l'arrivo a Parigi dalla provincia, le discussioni al caffè, le amicizie, gli amori e gli ardori e le paure della battaglia. Il risultato è che ciascuno di noi, che pure in qualche modo la storia la conosce, ne ascolta i molti tumultuosi suoni senza mai riuscire ad anticiparli."

Hilary Mantel (Author), Riccardo Bocci (Narrator)

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A Memoir of My Former Self: A Life in Writing

"A Memoir of My Former Self reveals the shape of Hilary Mantel's life in her own dazzling words, narrated by a prestigious cast of actors and notable literary figures connected to Hilary’s work. From her unique childhood to her all-consuming fascination with Thomas Cromwell that grew into the Wolf Hall Trilogy, Hilary Mantel had a celebrated career as a novelist. Alongside this, she long contributed to newspapers and journals, unspooling stories from her own life and illuminating the world as she found it. This strand of Hilary’s writing was an integral part of how she thought of herself. 'Ink is a generative fluid,' she explains. 'If you don't mean your words to breed consequences, don't write at all.' A Memoir of My Former Self collects the finest of this writing over four decades. Mantel's subjects are wide-ranging. She discusses nationalism and her own sense of belonging; our dream life flopping into our conscious life; the mythic legacy of Princess Diana; the many themes that feed into her novels - revolutionary France, psychics, Tudor England - and other novelists, from Jane Austen to V. S. Naipaul. She writes about her father and the man who replaced him; she writes fiercely and heartbreakingly about the battles with her health she endured as a young woman, and the stifling years she found herself living in Saudi Arabia. Here, too, is a selection of her film reviews - from When Harry Met Sally to RoboCop - and, published for the first time, her stunning Reith Lectures, which explore the process of art bringing history and the dead back to life. Compelling, often very funny, always luminous, it is essential listening from one of our greatest writers. Voiced by Ben Miles, Lydia Leonard and Aurora Dawson-Hunte; all of whom have featured in stage adaptions of Hilary’s work. With contributions from actress Jane Wymark, narrator of Hilary’s memoir Giving up the Ghost. Readings from authors Anne Enright; the first Laureate for Irish Fiction and winner of the 2007 Booker Prize, and Sarah Waters; British Book Award Author of the Year and two-time Booker Prize nominee. Joining the cast are Hilary’s long-time literary agent Bill Hamilton and her publisher for nearly twenty years, Nicholas Pearson. 'A smart, deft, meticulous, thoughtful writer, with such a grasp of the dark and spidery corners of human nature' - Margaret Atwood"

Hilary Mantel (Author), Anne Enright, Aurora Dawson Hunte, Ben Miles, Bill Hamilton, Jane Wymark, Lydia Leonard, Nicholas Pearson, Sarah Waters (Narrator)

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Hilary Mantel: Beyond Black and more: A BBC Radio Drama Collection

"Two of Hilary Mantel's finest novels, adapted for BBC Radio 4 - plus an exclusive short story One of the 21st century's most celebrated authors, Hilary Mantel won the Booker Prize twice: for 2009's Wolf Hall, the first in her phenomenally successful Thomas Cromwell trilogy, and its 2012 sequel Bring Up the Bodies. The third novel in the series, 2020's The Mirror and the Light, won the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. This collection includes three of her best works of contemporary fiction, ranging from the Gothic to the blackly comic. Fludd - Hilary Mantel reads her own abridged novel, set in the dour northern mill town of Fetherhoughton in the 1950s. Presiding over the community are Father Angwin, a Catholic priest who has lost his faith in God (but still believes in the Devil) and Mother Perpetua, the head of the local convent. Then, one day, the mysterious Fludd appears - and miracles begin to happen.... Winner of the 1989 Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize, this is a magically inventive tale of faith, alchemy and transformation. Beyond Black - Starring Alison Steadman, this dramatisation of Hilary Mantel's witty, sinister novel introduces us to Alison Hart, an awkward, obese medium who spends her life touring suburban London's psychic fairs with her efficient but heartless assistant, Colette. Aided by her disgusting spirit guide Morris, she passes on reassuring messages from the other side - but offstage, she is haunted by her own malevolent ghosts. To banish them, she must confront the painful truth about her troubled past.... 'In a Right State' - A homeless, lonely old lady packs all her possessions into two faint-striped, shapeless bags and takes herself off to A & E. Sitting in the waiting room, she gives us her wry observations on the other 'habitués' - while sharing her own unlikely memories and the odd bad joke. Inspired by Alan Bennett's diaries, this beautifully drawn, witty and poignant tale was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story award, and is read by Miriam Margolyes. Text copyright © Hilary Mantel 1989 (Fludd), 2005 (Beyond Black), 2016 ('In a Right State') All rights reserved Cast and credits Written by Hilary Mantel Fludd Abridged and read by Hilary Mantel Produced by Jane Robinson First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 3-14 June 1991 Beyond Black Alison - Alison Steadman Colette - Rosie Cavaliero Morris - Bill Wallis Gavin - Mark Meadows Natasha/Renee/Mandy- Adrienne O'Sullivan Emmie - Katharine Rogers Keith/Aitkenside - Simon Armstrong Mrs McGibbet/Maureen - Sheila Hannon Mrs Etchells - June Barrie Silvana - Jacqueline Tong Mart - Malcolm Hamilton Dramatised by Caroline Harrington. Directed by Sara Davies. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1-12 March 2010 'In a Right State' Read by Miriam Margolyes Produced by Julian Wilkinson First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 19 September 2016 © 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Hilary Mantel (Author), Alison Steadman, Bill Wallis, Full Cast, Hilary Mantel, Miriam Margolyes, Rosie Cavaliero (Narrator)

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[Italian] - Un esperimento d'amore

"Carmel McBain è figlia unica di genitori cattolici di origine irlandese appartenenti alla classe operaia. Rispetto a ciò che la vita nella loro desolata cittadina ha da offrire, sua madre per lei aspira a qualcosa di più: ha grandi ambizioni per la figlia, ed è determinata a superare le rigide barriere sociali dell’Inghilterra. E così spinge Carmel a ottenere una borsa di studio per la scuola del convento locale e poi a sostenere gli esami per un posto alla London University. E Carmel non la delude. Ma il successo ha un prezzo non indifferente: Carmel comincia un viaggio solitario che la porterà il più lontano possibile da dove è partita, sradicandola dai legami di classe e luogo, di famiglia e di fede. In fondo, sradicandola da se stessa. Nella Londra di fine anni Sessanta, sperimentando un passo alla volta la libertà, si confronterà con preoccupazioni del tutto nuove – sesso, politica, cibo e fertilità – e si troverà coinvolta in una grottesca tragedia."

Hilary Mantel (Author), Teresa Saponangelo (Narrator)

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Mantel Pieces: Royal Bodies and Other Writing from the London Review of Books

"A stunning collection of essays and memoir from twice Booker Prize winner and international bestseller Hilary Mantel, author of The Mirror and the Light In 1987, when Hilary Mantel was first published in the London Review of Books, she wrote to the editor, Karl Miller, ‘I have no critical training whatsoever, so I am forced to be more brisk and breezy than scholarly.’ This collection of twenty reviews, essays and pieces of memoir from the next three decades, tells the story of what happened next. Her subjects range far and wide: Robespierre and Danton, the Hite report, Saudi Arabia where she lived for four years in the 1980s, the Bulger case, John Osborne, the Virgin Mary as well as the pop icon Madonna, a brilliant examination of Helen Duncan, Britain’s last witch. There are essays about Jane Boleyn, Charles Brandon, Christopher Marlowe and Margaret Pole, which display the astonishing insight into the Tudor mind we are familiar with from the bestselling Wolf Hall Trilogy. Her famous lecture, ‘Royal Bodies’, which caused a media frenzy, explores the place of royal women in society and our imagination. Here too are some of her LRB diaries, including her first meeting with her stepfather and a confrontation with a circus strongman. Constantly illuminating, always penetrating and often very funny, interleaved with letters and other ephemera gathered from the archive, Mantel Pieces is an irresistible selection from one of our greatest living writers."

Hilary Mantel (Author), Hilary Mantel - Introduction, Olivia Dowd (Narrator)

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Bring Up the Bodies

"Listen to the exciting new rendition of Bring Up the Bodies, read by Ben Miles who was personally cast by the author and played Thomas Cromwell in the Royal Shakespeare Company adaptation of Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies. With an historic win for Bring Up the Bodies, the second book in the gripping Thomas Cromwell Trilogy, Hilary Mantel becomes the first British author to be awarded two Man Booker Prizes. Winner of the Man Booker Prize. Winner of the Costa Book of the Year. By 1535 Thomas Cromwell is Chief Minister to Henry VIII, his fortunes having risen with those of Anne Boleyn, the king's new wife. But Anne has failed to give the king an heir, and Cromwell watches as Henry falls for plain Jane Seymour. Cromwell must find a solution that will satisfy Henry, safeguard the nation and secure his own career. But neither minister nor king will emerge unscathed from the bloody theatre of Anne's final days. An astounding literary accomplishment, Bring Up the Bodies is the story of this most terrifying moment of history, by one of our greatest living novelists. 'Simply exceptional...I envy anyone who hasn't yet read it.' DAILY MAIL 'A gripping story of tumbling fury and terror.' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY"

Hilary Mantel (Author), Ben Miles (Narrator)

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Wolf Hall

"Listen to the exciting new rendition of Wolf Hall, read by Ben Miles who was personally cast by the author and played Thomas Cromwell in the Royal Shakespeare Company adaptation of Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies. The winner of the Man Booker Prize and captivating first book in the Thomas Cromwell trilogy. Winner of the Man Booker Prize. Shortlisted for the Orange Prize. Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award. England, the 1520s. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is his chief advisor, charged with securing the divorce the pope refuses to grant. Into this atmosphere of distrust and need comes Thomas Cromwell, first as Wolsey's clerk, and later his successor. Cromwell is a wholly original man: the son of a brutal blacksmith, a political genius, a briber, a charmer, a bully, a man with a delicate and deadly expertise in manipulating people and events. Ruthless in pursuit of his own interests, he is as ambitious in his wider politics as he is for himself. His reforming agenda is carried out in the grip of a self-interested parliament and a king who fluctuates between romantic passions and murderous rages. From one of our finest living writers, Wolf Hall is that very rare thing: a truly great English novel, one that explores the intersection of individual psychology and wider politics. With a vast array of characters, and richly overflowing with incident, it peels back history to show us Tudor England as a half-made society, moulding itself with great passion and suffering and courage. 'Dizzyingly, dazzlingly good.' DAILY MAIL 'Our most brilliant English writer.' GUARDIAN Shortlisted for the Golden Man Booker Prize."

Hilary Mantel (Author), Ben Miles (Narrator)

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[Italian] - Otto mesi a Ghazzah Street

"Arabia Saudita, Gedda, Ghazzah Street. Uno strano posto. Un luogo senza passato, un luogo di passaggio dove nessuno si ferma per più di qualche anno e dove la gente, in casa, tiene le sue cose negli scatoloni. Anche la terra e il mare, laggiù, sono in continuo mutamento: ci sono ville costruite da pochi anni con vista sul mare che oggi si affacciano su un muro.Frances Shore è una cartografa, ma quando il lavoro di suo marito la porta in Arabia Saudita si ritrova come una prigioniera sperduta, incapace di orientarsi nelle zone oscure del paese. Il regime che impera è corrotto e inflessibile, molti degli stranieri che incontra non sono che avidi faccendieri in cerca di denaro accompagnati dalle mogli e i vicini musulmani si muovono furtivi ma hanno occhi per ogni cosa. Le strade non sono il posto adatto per le donne, e Frances – il marito Andrew è spesso assente – si ritrova confinata nel suo appartamento cercando di dare un senso a tutto ciò. Ma la battaglia è ardua. Le giornate diventano un susseguirsi di vuoti e di silenzi, interrotti soltanto dagli inspiegabili rumori provenienti dal piano superiore, che però, a quanto le è stato detto, dovrebbe essere disabitato. Quello dell’appartamento al piano di sopra diventa un mistero tutto da sciogliere, che obbligherà la protagonista a scontrarsi con le mille contraddizioni di un mondo infernale: un mondo asfittico, fatto di sofferenze celate, silenzi strazianti, segreti inconfessabili. Un mondo di cui le donne sono vittime ma anche complici."

Hilary Mantel (Author), Teresa Saponangelo (Narrator)

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[German] - Spiegel und Licht (Teil 1 von 3)

"Wenn du bei einer Hinrichtung nicht die Wahrheit sagen kannst, wann wirst du sie jemals sagen können? England 1536: Mit der Hinrichtung Anne Boleyns ist Thomas Cromwell mehr denn je der engste Vertraute Henrys VIII. Loyal gegenüber dem König, gerissen im Umgang mit Verbündeten, gnadenlos gegen Feinde triumphiert der Mann aus einfachen Verhältnissen über alle. Doch was wird geschehen, wenn seine Feinde erstarken und sie den König auf ihre Seite ziehen?"

Hilary Mantel (Author), Frank Stieren (Narrator)

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[German] - Spiegel und Licht (Teil 2 von 3)

Hilary Mantel (Author), Frank Stieren (Narrator)

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[German] - Spiegel und Licht (Teil 3 von 3)

Hilary Mantel (Author), Frank Stieren (Narrator)

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Audiobooks by Hilary Mantel

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