Hilary Mantel, history and individuality

Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall was on my reading list for some time, but I found its enormous bulk forbidding. I am not much of a reader of fiction. How could I possibly get through a novel of well over 600 pages? To make it even more daunting, it is a work of historical fiction. I like my history unadulterated, sticking to the facts, statements documented by footnotes, claims analysed. Wolf Hall is about the other Cromwell, not Oliver, about whom we know a good deal, but Thomas, courtier at the court of Henry III. But having got Joel Polack off my back I tackled this book, and am riveted. In a conversation with historian, David Starkey, Hilary Mantel talks about the point in history where we know little and nothing, and at this point imagination takes over, fiction fleshes out the person behind the documents and historical records that are available. A lot is known about Thomas Cromwell the court functionary, but little about Thomas Cromwell, the man, the abused child who ran away from home, became a hired soldier, than a keeper of accounts and records, member of Parliament, a loyal servant, friend and confidant of Cardinal Wolsley, a loving husband and father. It is this unknown or little known side of Thomas Cromwell that Hilary Mantel explores, vividly, brilliantly, so that we get a page-tuning account of Tudor politics and the machinations behind Henry III's love life, Anne Boylen's ambitions, and the issues confronting the Catholic Church, the throne and the nobles. Hilary Mantel asks fundamental questions about how history is told and remembered. Her recreation of the sixteenth century world of Thomas Cromwell is so convincing that it never occurs to the reader to question the authenticity of the story. Perhaps Thomas Cromwell was not like he is depicted in this book, perhaps had his enemies told his story he would have come through as quite a different person. But this is true of all history. What we know is what someone with a vested interest decided to tell us.