Hilary Mantel
The celebrated writer was the first woman in history to be awarded the Booker Prize twice.
Normal People, Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race and Pinch Of Nom all made the list.
The author believes "abominable racism" led to Harry and Meghan stepping back as senior royals.
F is for Foxtrot? Are you kidding me? Last time I did a foxtrot was, oh, I dunno, NEVER. Which was about the same time as I popped over to Lima.
Mantel understood that her More, like her Cromwell and her Anne, reflects cultural projections and agendas no less than Bolt's. "All historical fiction is really contemporary fiction," she told me, "We always write from our own time."
That was over three years ago, and during that time the descent into the mental and physical decline that finished Wolsey has felt very familiar. Indeed, I am just a few years younger than Wolsey was at the time of his removal from office.
The stage adaptation of Wolf Hall is extraordinary. It's dark, absorbing, full of intrigue and historical detail. Yet it is also pacey, at times even funny. And incredibly it even feels modern and fresh.
