Your Questions

Dear Bernard, I'm currently reading translations of your Anglo-Saxon books in order to get my Italian up to scratch. Cracking plots like yours, and good old-fashioned story-telling, is the only way I'm going to get through 300 pages of Foreign. Though our lass is getting a little sick of me asking her for translations of obscure military implements and medieval legal terminology (I now know the Italian for Weirgild, but not for bus-pass). So thanks a million for your help there, and for all the hours of pleasure I've had reading your books. My question is about Stonehenge, how do you view the languages spoken by the various communities in the book? Am I right in assuming the outlanders are the first wave of Celts in Britain, or do you see it as happening prior to the arrival of any of the recorded groups in British history? Regards Graeme

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I just finished The Fort, and enjoyed it immensely! I do have one small complaint/request, however. In your introductory note, you explained a clever literary convention wherein all the fictional characters would have surnames starting with a certain letter. I found this strangely distracting as I read the book. Each time a new character was introduced, a mental stop sign went up until I classified them as historical or fictional, then resumed reading.. I normally get absorbed in your storytelling, but this seemed to reduce my suspension of disbelief that the story could actually have happened as written. Don’t get me wrong, I like the convention, but in future books, would you consider moving the explanation to the notes at the end of the book, so as not to distract from the first reading? As ever, eagerly awaiting your next tale, Stan Oakley, MD

I was just reading about the riddle you set to find out the identity of Sharpe's father and I just wondered if it was the French character Dulong from Sharpe's Havoc? Thanks, JC Kreiselmeier

Dear Professor Cornwell, I'm a big fan of yours (standard e-mail beginning, I hope). I get more and more fascinated after each book of your I read. I'm now literally sunk in the Sharpe Novels, stuck in Trafalgar due to my lack in Ships knowledge. If you excuse me, I'll keep calling you professor, for I think your work belongs both to literature an history worlds. And that's why I entered in contact. I'm a history student in Juiz de Fora University, Brazil and I intend on doing some work regarding the values of historical novels to the worldwide historiography. Once a famous brazilian historian named Capistrano de Abreu wrote "The fiction writer creates, the true historian do not create but rewrite the history". Maybe you rewrite or even belong to a third category that Capistrano have not identified, the History Novelist, which gives history new colors to original drawings. If you have the time, I would like to know your judgement on that. Best Regards, Tiago Duque P.S.: Sorry for bad English

I have just read a brief article about the Viking bodies dug up at Oxford, possibly from the St Brice's Day Massacre. Will Uhtred be around during that time? It sounds like a great, if gruesome, episode. Thanks again for all the enjoyment your writing has given, as well as being the impetus for Sean Bean in Rifleman uniform.

Sheila Churchhill

Mr. Cornwell, Like many, I gobble up your stories any time I see one, the Arthurian tales being my first and favorite, but I have such an appreciation for your prose and dialogue in all your stories. My question is about the arms used by your characters in the Sharpe and Starbuck stories. Have you personally fired the weapons mentioned like Sharpe's style rifle, the British musket, French carbines, or even Harper's 7 barreled naval gun? If so, do you have a favorite?

Ben

Hello again, I just came across something recently, and it made me wonder: was Teresa Moreno based on Francisco Abad Moreno, the Spanish guerrilla whose mother and brother were killed by the french? Sully

Dear Bernard Am in process of re-purchasing all of my Sharpe collection (the boss aka my missus lets me purchase one a month ha ha) and having just listened to Sharpe's Escape, it's got me wondering. What becomes of Jorge Vicente, Sarah Fry and Major Ferreira? Also as I'm now listening to Sharpe's Fury, I'm wondering do you have any particular fate in mind for Pumphrey in the future? Am I reading Sharpe wrong to suggest Sharpe would feel the situation between himself and his Lordship is left unresolved? Do you have scope to bring back any of the above characters? Or are there not too many Sharpe prequals possible to do so? I can't wait for the next Sharpe, is it still a long time in the future? Lee

Are you going to write any more sharpe books? If so what is it going to be called or is that a suprise?

Kathryn Richardson

Mr. Cornwell - I've read nearly all your books and am currently working my way through the Sharpe series. Frequently you refer to Patrick Harper as a "giant of a man" (or some similar phrasing). One question for you - Does this indicate your personal opinion of someone who is 6'4" or are you reflecting what the characters in your story might think given that in the early 19th century the avg male height was around 5'6"? Just curious because I'm a bit over 6'4" and around 250 lbs but don't consider myself a "giant of a man".

Roman H

Dear Bernard, Can I start by saying what a big fan I am of your novels. My particular favourites have been the Arthur series. I grew up in rural Somerset so took great pleasure in your descriptions of the landscapes, I also very much enjoyed your take on the Arthur legend. I am currently reading the Saxon Stories, and have just started Sword Song which I am very much enjoying. I have the hard back version of Sword Song (ISBN 978-0-00-721971-1) my question or observation is in relation to the cover art work. It shows a stone bridge (collapsed in the middle) with soldiers surging on both sides, burning arrows over head and a castle in the back ground. Does this artwork depict a scene from the book? The castle in the background is stone built and looks fairly typical of castles across the British Isles, however it looks (to my very un-trained eye) that it is too advanced for the period? Uhtred says when discussing the buildings of London, that the Roman buildings were in ruins and that the Saxon city was built of thatch, wood and wattle. As the castle on the cover is not in ruin and does not appear to be Roman in design was this just a poor choice of art work on behalf of your publishers? (As I doubt you would make a historical error such as this). I realise this is quite a trivial thing but it has been nagging at me since the book arrived in the post. Many Thanks for your time, I await your reply, Charles