2012 Man Booker Prize Lit Prize Won by 'Bring Up The Bodies'

Bring Up the Bodies, the acclaimed fictional retelling of the life of Henry VIII confidant Thomas Cromwell, by Hilary Mantel was awarded the 2012 Man Booker Prize.

Unlike important American literary prizes such as the Pulitzer and the National Book Award, the Man Booker prize usually gives a big boost to the winner's sales.

2011 winner The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes went on to become a surprise bestseller in the United States.

The award also comes with £50,000.

Mantel is the first British novelist and the first woman to win the UK's most prestigious literary award twice.

She won in 2009 Wolf Hall, which is the first volume in her Cromwell trilogy.

HBO and the BBC are jointly making a four-part six-hour adaptation of Wolf Hall for airing in 2013.