Your Questions

Q

Dear Bernie! (No offence) I have read your books from an early age, I think Sharpes rifles was the first book I ever read apart from Rhoald Dahl, and as a consequence have enjoyed everyone more than once. Utterly dissappointed with the recent Arthur film and that is probably to do with the high expectations I have for such an enterprise after reading your incredible Warlord Series. Sorry to ramble, I have a couple of questions, I apologise for any repetitions but am a newcomer to your website. 1) What is the correct pronunciation of Ceinwyn, it's a name which seems mythically wonderful to me. No kids yet though. 2) Lord Rossendale? Being born in this wonderful valley (where just for another twist Sharpes Regiment was filmed, not in Yorkshire) just wondering where the name came from? Cheers for the books. Who would play your Arthur if your books were ever filmed? I would love to see Guinevere played by Nicole Kidman! Ben Fortune

A

Ceinwyn is pronounced - Kine-win. Rossendale is a name picked from thin air I do believe. And Nicole Kidman sounds like a good choice to me!


Q

Hi Bernard I just got done reading an old copy of Wildtrack - and I loved it! I also loved A Crowning Mercy and I am looking forward to the french revolution companion piece. Any chance of rereleasing more sailing mysteries? One theme that I detect throughout your work is that lawyers and priests lurk in the slimey corners of life. I love it when you depict a scheming lawyer or cardinal. I am constantly reminded of Nietzsche when I read your work. I am also fascinated about the way that religion enters into your characters lives. Derfel worships Mithras, a god that understands the ways of warriors. Campion finds a god that understands love and tolerance. Starbuck is haunted by the religion of his father, but he seems to have instinctively replaced religion with the way of the warrior. Sharpe is not haunted, he is an orphan, like most of your characters, and he couldn't give a rat's ass for religion. But I think that he would enjoy the worship of Mithras. Would you say that your work is about trying to find humane ways of being and living that celebrate warrior virtues? If that is close o the mark, what experiences or books inspired you to think this way? I like philosophy so I tend to think that way when I read books that engage me as all of yours have, many times over. James

A

Erm . . . I always think the books are about how to survive a treacherous existence, and I suspect the warrior virtues don't hurt, though to me the supreme virtue in a warrior is the understanding that he fights for those who can't fight for themselves. I suppose my own experience has made me suspicious of family and religion (and lawyers), so my heroes tend to do without the first two, or be fairly careless of religious observance. They just slaughter the lawyers.


Q

Why did you choose the name Starbuck? Jim Starbuck

A

Not because of the coffee - but because it's an old New England name (mainly from Nantucket), and, of course, it's the name of the Pequod's first mate in Moby Dick.


Q

Dear Mr. Cornwell, Firstly I would like to say a big 'Thank you,' for all the pleasure you bring through your wonderful books. I often call by the questions page to read the interesting comments. I read one today asking if you ever thought of writing about WWII, to which you replied you have no real interest. I have just finished reading Coat of Arms by the very talented Susannah Kells!! (creep, creep) which is set just at the end and after World War II, but of course you know all about this - will Harper Collins be considering it for publication too do you think? I thoroughly enjoyed it and as usual fell in love with all the characters - Christine excepted. I must say that being a predictable woman I have to admit that your Sharpe's books are my very favourite - purely because I am besotted with Richard Sharpe! I believe all women reading the Sharpe's books must have a secret desire to have a lover like him. As a man do you think that most of the male readers have a secret yearning to be like Sharpe? I missed the series on UK History where you visited the battlefields featured in the Sharpe books. Do you know if they are available on video or DVD? With my kindest regards, Julie-Ann

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I hope you don't mind me sending you a second email so shortly after my first but I have been visiting a web site called Fantastic Fiction. On your list of other Novels it lists Gallows Thief 2 - is this just a reprint or have I missed something? Just wanted to check as I thoroughly enjoyed Gallows Thief and read in one of your interviews somewhere that you thought there may be a possibility of another in the series someday. Also, another question about follow ups - I just bought an old copy of The Fallen Angels (as I can't wait any longer for the new issue) and in the book it said that you were planning a third in the series. Did this ever get anywhere or did the lovable Sharpe get in the way? Thanks very much for your time. With kindest regards, Julie-Ann

A

I doubt very much that the third Susannah Kells title Coat of Arms (American title - The Aristocrats) will be re-issued. I really couldn't say if most male readers have a yearning to be like Sharpe, but I'd agree that the women want their men to be like Richard Sharpe. 'Sharpe's War' is not available yet on video or DVD, but they have promised to let us know when it is and we'll be certain to post the details to this website. And there currently is no 'Gallows Thief 2'.


Q

Hello Again Mr C I was recently reading an article on the BBC website about Sir James McGrigor, Wellington's surgeon General. As he served so long with the great man, and you include so many historical figures I was wondering why I'd never seen him mentioned in any of your books? (Especially as Sharpe gets mashed up so much) and he seems such a colourful character. The web page I saw quotes Wellington as saying "He couldn't have won Vitoria without him." because he set up hospitals that allowed troops to be brought back to their regiments. Do you know of this great man and his efforts and will he appear in any future stories? Nigel James

A

I do know of him, but whether he'll ever appear, I don't know - in truth Napoleon's favourite surgeon - Larrey - was much more interesting, and certainly a much better doctor! Larrey developed a battlefield ambulance for removing casualties swiftly because he'd worked out that men who had surgery while still in shock had a much higher survival rate than the poor sods who had to wait to have their arms and legs sawn off. There's a very good book on Larrey (by Robert G. Richardson), but I don't know one on McGrigor.


Q

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I have greatly enjoyed you novels. I began with the Arthur books, then moved on to Starbuck and am now about halfway through the Sharpe series. All of them first rate! I have two questions regarding the Starbuck chronicles. 1) why did you decide to have your main character fight for the confederacy? 2) Do you have plans for Starbuck to leave the Confederate army and join the Union? Steven L. Hall

A

Because the Confederacy is more interesting. It has Moral Entanglements, and those are good for heroes. And no, I don't think Starbuck will change sides.


Q

Just finished Enemy of God. Great yarn! Thanks. Did you ever read Norma Goodrich's history of King Arthur? She proposed that Camelot was a contraction of Caer Mallot (meaning something like Castle of the Hammer, the Hammer being Arthur) and put Arthur in Carlisle. I rather liked how she declared Lancelot a Scottish prince whose name was actually Angus (there was even a complicated lingustic proof showing how the one became the other). I still have Excalibur left to read but then I must wait months for the Last Kingdom. David Neill

A

I did read it., Interesting, but it didn't convince me. Camelot was a name invented by Chretien de Troyes in the 12th century, and he got it from the Roman name for Colchester - Camulodunum - so it's hard to see how it could be a diminutive of Caer Mallot.


Q

Dear Bernard In response to the query about Fitzgibbon and the bloody boys I can recommend the book Veteran of 1812 the Life of James Fitzgibbon by Mary Fitzgibbon. His is slightly similar to a mix of Sharpe and Harper. Self taught Irishman who wanted to be an officer and like Shapre with Wellington he had Brock as his patron.######## In regards to your mention of Shapre and that he might get to the east coast. Do you know of any good recommendations about those campaigns since sadly most British historys merely concentrate on Wellingtons battles. btw does that mean Sharpe might be at the actions of Sangutum and Valencay and Castalla against Suchet. It was always a great what if for me on whether he would have done as good against Wellington as opposed to Blake. And can you give a clue on what the next Sharpe book will be set around (Albuera????) #################### In regards to Starbuck like others I got excited at the thought of Stabuck going west and to tempt you even further Six Armies in Tennesse The Chickamauga and Chattanooga campaigns by Steven E Woodworth and Decsision in the West Campaign of 1864 by Albert Castel. There have been (in both fact and fiction) so many volumes about the Eastern fighting I was wondering if will we see Starbuck instead not with Grant and Lee but with Sherman/Johnston dance of death in Georgia. Geraint

A

Thanks for those recommendations. If I knew for certain what the next Sharpe book would be about I'd give you a clue, but I don't! The only good source I have for the east coast campaigns is Oman's seven volume history of the Peninsular War.


Q

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I just wanted to let you know that I very much enjoy reading your books. Especially the Sharpe-serie. About two years ago I bought Sharpe's Prey. After reading it I was hooked and read the whole serie from the beginning. I do have one question for you. Maybe you will find it a strange question but here goes. In your foreword of Sharpe's Sword you say that you have a Heavy Cavalry sword hanging over your fireplace. You also say that these swords are nowadays very hard to find. My question is where did you buy it because I too would like to have such an authentic Heavy Cavalty sword. With kind regards, Andrew van der Schalk (The Netherlands)

A

I bought it twenty something years ago from a London dealer who has long disappeared. Not much help . . . .sorry. They do appear on the market from time to time, but are horrifically expensive these days. Mine was dirt cheap, ho ho. e-bay?


Q

Dear Bernard, I am reading your Sharpe books in chronological order (am now on Rifles) and I think these books are great. At first I was unsure whether I should read them because I am not fond of the historical period they are set in (I prefer the dark ages) but now I am hooked! I was wondering if you have heard about the new romance that is coming out to cinema called Tristan and Isolde? I believe it is more romanticised than the one in The Enemy of God because Tristan is a knight. This leads upto a few questions: 1. Did you get Culhwch and Olwen the Silver from the poem entitled Culhwch and Olwen? 2. You said in an earlier message that the Kings most probably existed. I cannot find any information on Oengus, Cuneglas, Gundleus, Gorfyddyd and Leodegan. Where did you find about these Kings? 3.When I looked up Tewdric and Meurig, I found that both where said to be born after Mount Badon (which I believe was 500AD) and that Meurig was a great warrior King. May I ask where did you find the information about Tewdric and Meurig? Apologies if any of these questions come off as sounding rude, that is not my intention. I would just like to look at the texts etc. Thanks for the hours of pleasurable reading. Lewis

A

The questions aren't rude at all, they're extremely intelligent, and I probably can't answer them. The trouble is that I wrote those books a decade ago, the notes for them are all in storage (and are a mess anyway), and I frankly can't remember what the sources for individual names were. Some came from genealogies, but most were probably plucked fairly at random. I think it's a mistake to look for exactness in the record - they aren't called the Dark Ages for nothing, and in the end what I was trying to do was tell a story, not recount a history. Sorry about this - but it would take at least half a day to dig out the notes and try to reconstruct what was going through the brain cells when I wrote the books.