Swashbuckling literary hero returns for 25th instalment.
When Bernard Cornwell conjured up Richard Sharpe in 1980, little did he imagine his scrappy, straight-talking infantryman would still be sticking it to Napoleon’s troops 45 years later.
From Seringapatam in India to the muddy fields of Waterloo, via the Iberian Peninsula, Sharpe has fought his way through some of the most infamous campaigns in British military history.
Now marching forth for his 25th exploit – Sharpe’s Storm – the officer finds himself back in Southern France in 1813, charged with keeping a reckless admiral alive during a daring ground reconnaissance mission.
With his trademark combo of action and meticulous historical detail, Cornwell once again serves up the kind of ripping yarn that has seen his work adapted for screen – in addition to the hugely popular Sharpe series, fronted by Sean Bean, his Anglo-Saxon saga The Last Kingdom became a global Netflix hit.
And as the 81-year-old told Soldier, he has no plans to lay down his literary sword just yet…
What can readers expect from the new book?
Classic Sharpe. A return to the days when he’s at his best, fighting the French.
How difficult is it to get back into his head after a break?
Frighteningly easy. I sometimes feel he lives in my head. I’ve been writing him for over 40 years now and he’s always there somewhere, lurking around, being grumpy.
What is it about his character that has such enduring appeal?
I wish I knew, but the only answer I can ever come up with is that he sort of embodies the part of us that wants to cut through our difficulties. People feel harassed by officials, employers, taxmen and so on, and wish they could give them two fingers and tell them to bugger off. Sharpe does that for them.
Is it challenging to write for different cohorts of readers – both those who have been with Sharpe since the start and newer audiences?
I never think about that. I always take the view that we write for ourselves. You write the kind of books you want to read and you just hope that other people want to read them too.
You’ve previously said Sharpe was inspired by the Hornblower series – what other historical fiction do you read?
I try not to because I spend all day writing it, but I love Hilary Mantel’s work, and Maggie O’Farrell, who wrote Hamnet, and also C J Sansom’s Shardlake books.
With such an extensive back-catalogue, how hard is it to avoid continuity errors when returning to an earlier time in Sharpe’s life?
It’s actually quite difficult because he has a chronology which makes some sort of sense, but the books weren’t written in order. So I’m continually messing it up and I really did on Sharpe’s Storm – the grand ending had to be abandoned because I realised he would have had to have been in two places at once. And in the original books, I said that Sharpe learned to read when he was in the Seringapatam dungeons, but when I came to write that story maybe ten years later, I realised he was only in there for about four days. So I had to fudge that. I also feel terribly sorry for his women because later on he meets some wonderful heroines, who have to be killed off because they weren’t in the earlier books. But on the whole, my readers are very kind and forgive me for these errors.
Three of your series have been adapted for TV – how do you feel when the film plots diverge from the source material?
Oh, I’m entirely sympathetic to them – they have different constraints than I do. I also worked in television for ten years, so I have some appreciation for what they’re having to do. And I think they get round it very well. I’m just grateful they’re making the series at all.
Who would win in a fight, Sharpe or Uhtred from The Last Kingdom?
Well, Sharpe has a rifle and he knows how to use it. But I think they’d settle it over a pint of beer somewhere.
Do you have a favourite war film?
I don’t go out of my way to watch them but I’d have to say Lawrence of Arabia. It’s a magnificent movie.
Which historical figure would you most like to meet?
Oh, it has to be The Duke. Although Wellington would dislike me intensely. He always said he couldn’t abide authors.
Would you rather have been in the infantry or the cavalry in Wellington’s army?
The infantry. I share Sharpe’s prejudice that in the cavalry, it’s the horses that have all the brains.
Do you have a strict writing routine?
Lord, yes. I mean, it’s a job like any other. I’m usually at my desk by 0800 and work through till 1800, five or sometimes seven days a week. Although some of it is staring into space or walking the dog.
Do you suffer from writer’s block?
I don’t really believe in it. A nurse can’t get nurse’s block and not come into work, so what right do I have to say, ‘I can’t do it’? There are days when it doesn’t go well, but that’s just telling you you’ve taken the story in the wrong direction.
You have a very loyal fanbase – do you ever worry how they will receive a book?
Well I go back to what I said earlier about who you write for. If it lives up to my expectations then I assume readers will come along with me because experience tells me they like what I like.
Will you stop reading a book if you’re not enjoying it?
Absolutely – or skip to the last chapter to find out what happens. Life’s too short to sit and read a book that’s boring you.
You’ve made no promises about another Sharpe book – what else are you working on?
I’m actually writing another Uhtred story, which I once said I’d never do but I’ve found a gap in his history that could be filled nicely. I’m not entirely convinced it’s a good idea, but I’m rather enjoying it so maybe it will work out.
Interview: Becky Clark, Soldier
