What is Bernard Cornwell?

Bernard Cornwell

Born:	23 January 1944 (1944--) (age 63) London, England
Occupation:	Writer
Nationality:	British
Genres:	Historical fiction
Debut works:	Sharpe's Eagle, Feb 1981
Website:	Bernard Cornwell (Official Website)

Bernard Cornwell OBE (born February 23, 1944) is a prolific and popular English historical novelist. As a child he was adopted by a family by the name of Wiggins. After he left them he changed his name to his mother's maiden name, Cornwell.

Cornwell was born in London in 1944. His father was a Canadian airman. His mother was English, a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. He was adopted and brought up in Essex by the Wiggins family, who were members of the Peculiar People, a strict Protestant sect who banned frivolity of all kinds and even medicine. Cornwell was sent away to Monkton Combe School, attended the University of London, and after graduating, worked as a teacher. He then joined BBC's Nationwide and was promoted to become head of current affairs at BBC Northern Ireland. He then joined Thames Television as editor of Thames News.^[1]

He married an American, Judy, in 1980 and relocated to the U.S.. Unable to get a Green Card, he started writing novels, as this did not require a work permit.

In June 2006, Cornwell was awarded an OBE (Officer, Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's 80th Birthday Honours List.^[2]

Series

The Sharpe series (in historical date order)

Cornwell's best known books feature the adventures of Richard Sharpe, an English soldier, and are set in the Napoleonic era. After writing 12 books detailing adventures set around various European campaigns over the course of 12 years, further stories covered Sharpe's earlier years as a young soldier in India. Most of the Napoleonic era books were filmed for a television series starring Sean Bean as Sharpe. Cornwell reportedly was unimpressed by Bean's casting, but was won over by his performances to the point of dedicating a subsequent Sharpe novel to him. Further books written subsequently have been slotted into different parts of Sharpe's timeframe.

• "Sharpe's Tiger" (1997) — Siege of Seringapatam, 1799
• "Sharpe's Triumph" (1998) — Battle of Assaye, September 1803
• "Sharpe's Fortress" (1999) — Siege of Gawilghur, December 1803
• "Sharpe's Trafalgar" (May 2001) — Battle of Trafalgar, October 21, 1805
• "Sharpe's Prey" (2002) — Expedition to Copenhagen, 1807
• "Sharpe's Rifles" (1988) — French invasion of Galicia, January 1809
• "Sharpe's Havoc" (April 2003) — French Invasion of Portugal, Spring 1809
• "Sharpe's Eagle" (1981) — Talavera Campaign, July 1809
• "Sharpe's Gold" (1981) — Destruction of Almeida, August 1810
• "Sharpe's Escape" (April 2004) — Portugal, September 1810
• "Sharpe's Fury" (2006) — The Battle of Barrosa, March 1811
• "Sharpe's Battle" (1995) — Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, May 1811
• "Sharpe's Company" (1982) — Siege of Badajoz, January to April 1812
• "Sharpe's Sword" (1983) — Salamanca Campaign, June and July 1812
• "Sharpe's Skirmish" (September 2002) — Defence of the Tormes, August 1812
• "Sharpe's Enemy" (1983) — Defence of Portugal, Christmas 1812
• "Sharpe's Honour" (1985) — Vitoria Campaign, February to June 1813
• "Sharpe's Regiment" (1986) — Invasion of France, June to November 1813
• "Sharpe's Christmas" (September 2003) — towards the end of the Peninsular War, 1813 includes the story "Sharpe's Ransom" set in peacetime after Waterloo
• "Sharpe's Siege" (1987) — Winter Campaign, 1814
• "Sharpe's Revenge" (1989) — Battle of Toulouse and the Peace of 1814
• "Sharpe's Waterloo" (1990) — Waterloo Campaign, 15 June to 18 June 1815
• "Sharpe's Ransom" (September 2003) included with "Sharpe's Christmas"
• "Sharpe's Devil" (1992) — Napoleon exiled on Saint Helena and the Chilean War of Independence, 1820-21

Some Sharpe books have been adapted to become TV movies, but the adaptations are often only loosely based on the book they are named for.

Main article: Sharpe (TV series)

The Starbuck Chronicles

Main article: The Starbuck Chronicles

This tetralogy is set during the American Civil War. The title character, Nathaniel Starbuck, is a Northerner who has decided to fight for the South. He eventually becomes the commander of a Southern regiment, the Faulconer Legion.

1. Rebel (1993) - The Battle of Bull Run
2. Copperhead (1994)
3. Battle Flag (1995)- The Second Battle of Bull Run
4. The Bloody Ground (1996) - The Battle of Antietam

The Warlord Chronicles

Main article: The Warlord Chronicles

This trilogy deals with Arthurian Britain. Like other "historical" takes on the Arthurian legends, the series postulates that Post-Roman Britain was a difficult time for the native Britons, being threatened by invasion from the Anglo-Saxons in the East and raids from the Irish in the West. At the same time, they suffered internal power struggles between their petty kingdoms and friction between the old Druidic religion and newly arrived Christianity.

"Once upon a time, in a land that was called Britain, these things happened . . . . well, maybe. The Warlord Trilogy is my attempt to tell the story of Arthur, 'Rex Quondam Rexque Futurus', the Once and Future King, although I doubt he ever was a king. I suspect he was a great warlord of the sixth century. Nennius, who was one of the earliest historians to mention Arthur, calls him the 'dux bellorum' - leader of battles or warlord. I have to confess that of all the books I have written these three are my favourites." (Cornwell)^[3]

1. The Winter King (1995)
2. Enemy of God (1996)
3. (1997)

The Grail Quest novels

Main article: The Grail Quest

This trilogy deals with a mid-14th century search for the Holy Grail, around the time of the Hundred Years' War. Cornwell was planning at one point writing more books about the main character Thomas of Hookton and said that shortly after finishing Heretic he said "...have started another Thomas of Hookton book, then stopped it - mainly because I felt that his story ended in Heretic and I was just trying to get too much from him. Which doesn't mean I won't pick the idea up again sometime in the future." ^[4]

1. Harlequin (re-named The Archer's Tale for the USA) (2000) — Battle of Crécy
2. Vagabond (2002) — Battle of Neville's Cross, Battle of La Roche-Derrien
3. Heretic (2003) — Siege of Calais

The Saxon Stories

Main article: The Saxon Stories

Cornwell's latest series – The Saxon Stories – is set in 9th century England and focuses on the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex during the reign of Alfred the Great, and deals with his opposition to the Danes (Vikings), becoming as a result the only English monarch to be awarded the epithet "the Great" by his people. According to Cornwell's replies on his website bulletin board, the series will not be a trilogy like his other medieval works, but will have 3 or 4 more sequels: "I'm not sure how many there will be - perhaps seven? maybe eight?"^[5]

1. The Last Kingdom (2004)
2. The Pale Horseman (2005)
3. The Lords of the North (2006)
4. Sword Song (2007) (Due in the US in January of 2008)

Crowning Mercy

1. A Crowning Mercy (1983)
2. Fallen Angels (1984)
3. Coat of Arms (The Aristocrats)(1986)

Co-written with Judy Cornwell under the pseudonym Susannah Kells

The Thrillers

These books, all contemporary thrillers, are unrelated between themselves, but all have sailing as a background and common theme.

• Wildtrack (1988)
• Sea Lord (aka "Killer's Wake") (1989)
• Crackdown (1990)
• Stormchild (1991)
• Scoundrel (1992)

Other novels

• "Redcoat" - Set in Philadelphia during the British occupation of 1777
• ""
• "Gallows Thief"

See also

Sharpe (TV Series)

References

External links

• Author's official site
• Bernard Cornwell Brasil - The best Author's site of Brazil
• Christopher Seufert interviews Bernard Cornwell
• Interview, chapter excerpts and Cornwell essay Stonehenge (Official publisher web page)