A masterclass by Hilary Mantel

Reading the late writer's 'A Memoir Of My Former Self' is like looking through a scope into the inner workings of her mind

- Somak Ghoshal

One of the biggest advantages of being a career critic (or columnist) is that you usually get an opportunity (or several) to redeem yourself in print

A new year is generally considered to be a good time to look ahead. We are told to bury the ghosts of the past, say goodbye to our inner demons, purge the irritants from our outer world, and make a fresh start.

The late Hilary Mantel, one of the greatest historical novelists of our time, would likely have scoffed at this myth of a clean break. She'd spent her life dealing with the dead, listening to what they said and what they left out. Kings and queens, royals and commoners, ghosts and witches, spoke to her, not only about the things that had once happened, but also about stuff happening here and now.

Like the angel in artist Paul Klee's iconic monoprint Angelus Novus, Mantel always had one twinkling eye looking behind her, even as she kept up with the goings-on of her time. As her long-time editor, Nicholas Pearson puts it in a note to A Memoir Of My Former Self, her recently published posthumous collection of essays, "What emerges is a portrait of Hilary Mantel's life in her own words, 'messages from people I used to be'." We are haunted as much by messages from beyond the grave, as from the selves we have buried inside us.

For me, this volume of journalism, book reviews and occasional pieces, collected between 19872017, felt like the best companion with which to begin the new year. If you haven't read the Cromwell Trilogy, Mantel's immortal masterpiece, this volume is, without a doubt, one of the tastiest appetisers to the treat that's awaiting you. And if you are already a fan of Mantel's historical saga, the pieces here will help you appreciate her masterwork even better.