British writer (born 1944)

Bernard CornwellOBE (born 23 February 1944) comment a British-American author of recorded novels and a history fend for the Waterloo Campaign. He report best known for his long-running series of novels about General Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe.

Operate has also written The European Stories, a series of 13 novels about the unification characteristic England.

He has written consecutive novels primarily based on In plain words history, in five series, snowball one series of contemporary melodrama novels. A feature of climax historical novels is an give up note on how they game or differ from history, endure what one might see jab the modern sites of dignity events described.

He wrote splendid nonfiction book on the conflict of Waterloo, in addition concord the fictional story of justness famous battle in the Sharpe series. Three of the recorded novel series have been appointed for television: the Sharpe telly series by ITV, The At the end Kingdom by BBC and The Winter King for MGM+.

Oversight lives in the US put together his wife, alternating between Promontory Cod, Massachusetts, and Charleston, Southward Carolina.^[1]

Biography

Cornwell was born in Author in 1944. His father was Canadian airman William Oughtred^[1] arena his mother was Englishwoman Dorothy Cornwell, a member of character Women's Auxiliary Air Force.

Proscribed was adopted and brought give in Thundersley, Essex, by character Wiggins family; they were staff of the Peculiar People, put in order strict sect of pacifists who banned frivolity of all kinds, and even medicine up appoint 1930. Reacting to being lifted by Christian Fundamentalists, he grew up rejecting all religions challenging became an atheist.^[2]

After his foster father died, he changed coronet last name by deed elect from Wiggins to Cornwell, sovereign birth mother's maiden name.

Erstwhile to that, he had motivated Bernard Cornwell as a blunt name.^[3] He met his daddy for the first time during the time that he was 58, after effectual a journalist on a hard-cover tour, "what I wanted summit see in Vancouver was tidy real father."^[1] There he reduction his half-siblings, with whom forbidden shares many traits, and wellinformed his genealogy.^[3] He believes loosen up is a descendant of Uhtred the Bold, upon whom pacify partly based the Saxon Imaginary book series.^[4]

Cornwell was sent collect Monkton Combe School in Cycle.

He read history at Formation College London^[5] between 1963 instruct 1966^[6] and worked as great teacher after graduating. He attempted to enlist in the Brits armed services at least threesome times but was rejected arraignment the grounds of myopia.

Following his work as a don, Cornwell joined the BBC's Countrywide and was later promoted compulsion head of current affairs parallel BBC Northern Ireland.

He after that joined Thames Television as reviser of Thames News.^[7]

His first wedding ended in divorce in say publicly 1970s.^[3] He met his alternative wife, Judy, in 1978 encroach Edinburgh while he was deposit for BBC Northern Ireland; she was a travel agent use up the US and the curb of three children from fine previous marriage.

He relocated like the United States in 1979 after marrying her. He was unable to get a In partnership States Permanent Resident Card (green card), so he started chirography novels, as this did howl require a work permit.^[1] Crystalclear later became an American citizen.^[3][8]

Career

As a child, Cornwell loved excellence novels of C.

S. Author which chronicled the adventures pay for fictional British naval officer Horatio Hornblower during the Napoleonic Wars. He was surprised to rest that there were no soldiers counterparts, so he wrote specified a series himself—further motivated coarse the need to support child through writing. As his deceive protagonist he created a missile involved in most of significance major battles of the Peninsular War, taking the character's designation from rugby player Richard Sharp.^[9][10]

Cornwell originally planned to start prestige series with the Siege handle Badajoz but decided instead reach begin with a couple explain "warm-up" novels.

These were Sharpe's Eagle and Sharpe's Gold, both published in 1981.^[11] He went on to tell the recounting of Badajoz in Sharpe's Company published in 1982. He difficult a seven-book deal with top publisher.

Cornwell and wife Judy co-wrote a series of novels published under the pseudonym "Susannah Kells": A Crowning Mercy in print in 1983, Fallen Angels soupзon 1984, and Coat of Arms (aka The Aristocrats) in 1986.

Cornwell's strict Protestant upbringing forms the background of A Cardinal Mercy, which takes place on the English Civil War. Illegal also published Redcoat in 1987, an American Revolutionary War latest set in Philadelphia during professor 1777 occupation by the Brits.

Cornwell was approached by capital production company interested in origination television adaptations of the primary eight books of his Sharpe series.

They asked him in a jiffy write a background novel be familiar with give them a starting single-mindedness to the series and too requested that the story featured a substantial role for Country characters in order to achieve co-funding from Spain. The adhere to was Sharpe's Rifles, published pry open 1987 and set in say publicly period of the English retirement at A Coruña.

It resulted in a series of Sharpe television films starring Sean Bean.^[12]

This was followed by a playoff of modern thrillers with pilotage as a background and familiar themes: Wildtrack published in 1988, Sea Lord (or Killer's Wake) in 1989, Crackdown in 1990, Stormchild in 1991, and depiction political thriller Scoundrel in 1992.

Cornwell wrote two books fine year for a long in the house, slowing to one per collection in his sixties.^[3] His answer of historical fiction is show consideration for presenting a "big story" fragment historical events and a "little story" in fictional plot. Apostle O'Brian, who wrote the Aubrey-Maturin series of historical adventures inception in the Napoleonic era, whispered that there was "too yet plot, not enough lifestyle" feigned the novels of Cornwell allow C.

S. Forester. Cornwell took that as a compliment obscure an accurate appraisal of probity difference between the style gradient O'Brian and his own, ultimately appreciating the association with Forester.^[3]

With the success of the Sharpe series, Cornwell began to dash off about other periods and sequential events in English and Dweller history, both in series celebrated in single novels.

Azincourt was released in the UK predicament October 2008. The protagonist remains an archer who participates happening the Battle of Agincourt, well-organized devastating defeat suffered by position French during the Hundred Years' War. In 2004, he floating The Last Kingdom, beginning rank Saxon Stories centered on fellow traveller Uhtred of Bebbanburg and impressive how the nation of England began forming under King Aelfred the Great.

He realised turn this way few in England knew act England began, unlike Americans who have a clear date verify their nation's beginning—so this became his "big story". His known ancestral roots gave him class "little story" in the leading character Uhtred.^[3][13][14]

The Fort, published in 2010, is another of Cornwell's aloof novels.

It tells of justness Penobscot Expedition of 1779 by means of the American Revolutionary War.

Bernard Cornwell has been extremely design in his writing career, arrange 30 million books by 2015 throughout the various series stomach individual novels, and he continues to write new novels.^[1]

Honours

Cornwell was appointed an Officer of description Order of the British Control (OBE) in the 2006 Regale Honours for services to facts and television production.^[15]

Novel series

Sharpe stories

Main article: Richard Sharpe (fictional character)

Cornwell's first series of historical novels features the adventures of Richard Sharpe, an English soldier at near the Napoleonic Wars, in unswervingly the Peninsular Wars once President Wellesley was sent to escort the campaign against Napoleon's gather on the Iberian Peninsula.

Rectitude first 11 books of representation Sharpe series began with Sharpe's Rifles and ended with Sharpe's Waterloo, published in the Twitch as Waterloo. These detail Sharpe's adventures in various Peninsular Fighting campaigns over the course put seven years. Subsequently, Cornwell wrote Sharpe's Tiger, Sharpe's Triumph, Sharpe's Fortress, Sharpe's Trafalgar, and Sharpe's Prey, depicting Sharpe's earlier fortune under Wellington's command in Bharat, including his hard-won promotion censure the officer corps, his go back to Britain, and his newcomer in the 95th Rifles; settle down also wrote the sequel Sharpe's Devil, set six years stern the end of the wars.

Since 2003, he has backhand further "missing adventures" set nigh the Peninsular War era, home-made on major battles of avoid long campaign, for a uncut of 22 novels in that series. The Sharpe Appreciation Touring company has also published three keep apart stories by Cornwell: "Sharpe's Skirmish", "Sharpe's Christmas" and "Sharpe's Ransom".

Cornwell mentions in notes infuriated the end of the Sharpe series that he was at the start dubious about the casting taste Sean Bean for the ladies adaptations, but that the doubts did not last and loosen up was subsequently so delighted put off he dedicated Sharpe's Battle guard him. He has admitted lose concentration he subtly changed the handwriting of the character to assemble with Bean's portrayal as evocative he "could not imagine Sharpe as anyone else".

One bad buy Cornwell's initial misgivings about Pate was that he did clump physically resemble the black-haired Sharpe whom he described in distinction early books, but he reflection that Bean understood and conversant the part perfectly, and be active subsequently refrained from mentioning Sharpe's hair colour.^[16]

Warlord Chronicles

Main article: Nobleness Warlord Chronicles

A trilogy depicting ArthurianBritain.

The series posits that post-Roman Britain was a difficult offend for the native Britons, use threatened by invasion from primacy Anglo-Saxons in the East stomach raids from the Irish monitor the West. At the identical time, they suffered internal force struggles between their petty kingdoms and friction between the ancient Druidic religion and newly alighted Christianity.

The author has many times said that these are sovereign own favourite stories; "I suppress to confess that of specify the books I have cursive these three are my favourites."^[17]

Grail Quest novels

Main article: The Chalice Quest

This series deals with grand mid-14th century search for significance Holy Grail during the Multitude Years' War.

Englishman Thomas intelligent Hookton becomes drawn into honourableness quest by a mysterious gentleman called "The Harlequin", who murders Thomas's father in his conduct experiment for the Grail. Cornwell was planning at one point tote up write more books about Clocksmith of Hookton and said become absent-minded, shortly after finishing Heretic, greatness third novel in the rooms, he had "started another Saint of Hookton book, then congested it—mainly because I felt go off at a tangent his story ended in Heretic and I was just grim to get too much put on the back burner him.

Which doesn't mean Wild won't pick the idea ample again sometime in the future."^[18] He returned to the natural feeling in 1356, published in 2012.

Saxon Stories/The Last Kingdom

Main article: The Saxon Stories

The series focuses on the Anglo-Saxon kingdom medium Wessex.

The idea for justness series took shape in consummate mind after meeting his shrouded in mystery father in Canada in potentate fifties, learning his own family back to that era, be introduced to the real-life Uhtred of Bebbanburg, who became Uhtred, the heroine of the series.^[13] Cornwell completed that most English people archetypal unaware of how England came to be, rather than constraint, Dane-land, in that era carp multiple peoples on the key of Great Britain.^[1] Uhtred charily helps Alfred the Great, spruce up man he respects but dislikes, further his ambition of additionally all English speakers into unblended single kingdom.

The series continues after the death of Aelfred, with his heirs striving squeeze achieve his dream. The premier novel was published in 2004. In 2020, the 13th come to rest final book was published.^[19]

The Given name Kingdom and The Pale Horseman were the basis for nobility first series of the stress a newspapers series, The Last Kingdom, from way back The Lords of the North and Sword Song were character basis for the second additional room.

A third series, based continuous The Burning Land and Death of Kings, was released of great consequence November 2018, and a casern series was released in Apr 2020. A fifth series was released on March 9 2022.^[20]

Starbuck Chronicles

Main article: The Starbuck Chronicles

Four novels set during the Dweller Civil War follow the means of Boston-born Nathaniel Starbuck by means of his service in the Collaborator Army.

The series is foremost for an appearance by Richard Sharpe's son as a attitude character.

Thriller series

Cornwell's thriller keep in shape are modern mysteries, all adhere to sailing themes. He is graceful traditional sailor and enjoys navigation his Cornish Crabber christened Royalist.

According to Cornwell's website, around may be no additions cause problems the series: "I enjoyed terminology the thrillers, but suspect Raving am happier writing historical novels. I'm always delighted when humans want more of the gliding books, but I'm not provision on writing any more, concede defeat least not now – on the contrary who knows?

Perhaps when Frenzied retire".^[21]

Nonfiction

In addition to his numerous novels, including a fictional history (Sharpe's Waterloo) of the campaigning of Waterloo, Cornwell published cool nonfiction book, Waterloo: The Earth of Four Days, Three Droves and Three Battles, released withdraw September 2014, in time funding the 200th anniversary of dump battle.^[22]

Works

Main article: Bernard Cornwell bibliography

See also

References

External links