Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Ten of the best cardinals in literature

At the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the most memorable cardinals in literature.

One entry on the list:
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Mantel's story of the reign of Henry VIII is told through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell, but the early chapters are dominated by Cardinal Wolsey, his tutor in the worldly arts of serving a prince. Even Cromwell, the man who will displace him, feels sympathy for the cardinal as power seeps away from him.
Read about the other titles on the list.

Wolf Hall made the Barnes & Noble Review's list of five books on dangerous minds and Lev Grossman's list of the top ten fiction books of 2009, and is one of Geraldine Brooks's favorite works of historical fiction; Matt Beynon Rees called it "[s]imply the best historical novel for many, many years."

--Marshal Zeringue