Bernard Cornwell

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Image:BernardCornwell promo.jpg Template:SharpeSeries Bernard Cornwell (born February 23, 1944) is a prolific and popular British historical novelist.

He was born in London in 1944. His father was a Canadian airman; his mother English, a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. He was given up for adoption and brought up in Essex by the Wiggins family, who were part of the Peculiar People, a strict Protestant sect who banned frivolity of all kinds and even medicine. He was sent away to Monkton Combe School, attended the University of London and after graduating worked for BBC Television as a director. He married Judy in 1980 and re-located to her home country, the USA. Unable to get a Green Card, he started writing novels, as this did not require a work permit.

His 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 battle 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 TV series starring Sean Bean as Sharpe. Further books written subsequently have been slotted in to different parts of Sharpe's timeframe.

Cornwell has also written the tetralogy The Starbuck Chronicles set during the American Civil War; a trilogy The Warlord Chronicles dealing with Arthurian Britain and another trilogy His The Grailquest novels, dealing with a 14th Century search for the Holy Grail, around the time of the Hundred Years' War.

His latest series - The Saxon Stories- is set in 9th century Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great, dealing with his defence of his kingdom against the Danes (Vikings), becoming as a result the only English monarch to be awarded the epithet "the Great" by his people.

Contents 1 Series 1.1 The SHARPE series (in historical date order) 1.2 Sharpe TV Movies 1.3 The STARBUCK Chronicles 1.4 The Warlord Chronicles 1.5 The GRAILQUEST novels 1.6 The Saxon Stories 1.7 Crowning Mercy (co-written with Judy Cornwell under the pseudonym Susannah Kells) 1.8 The Thrillers 2 Other novels 3 See also 4 External links

Series

The SHARPE series (in historical date order)

• "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 Battle" (1995) — Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, May 1811
• "Sharpe's Fury" (2006) — The siege of Cadiz, Winter 1811 - not yet published - due October 2006
• "Sharpe's Company" (1982) — Siege of Bajadoz, 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" (?) — 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) — Peace of 1814
• "Sharpe's Waterloo" (1990) — Waterloo Campaign, 15 June to 18 June 1815
• "Sharpe's Devil" (1992) — French Emperor,1820-21

Sharpe TV Movies

some of the book adaptations are more loose than others

• Sharpe's Rifles — 1993 (based on the book)
• Sharpe's Eagle — 1993 (based on the book)
• Sharpe's Company — 1994 (based on the book)
• Sharpe's Enemy — 1994 (based on the book)
• Sharpe's Honour — 1994 (based on the book)
• Sharpe's Gold — 1995 (based on the book)
• Sharpe's Battle — 1995 (based on the book)
• Sharpe's Sword — 1995 (based on the book)
• Sharpe's Regiment — 1996 (based on the book)
• Sharpe's Siege — 1996 (based on the book)
• Sharpe's Mission — 1996
• Sharpe's Revenge — 1997 (based on the book)
• Sharpe's Justice — 1997
• Sharpe's Waterloo — 1997 (based on the book)
• Sharpe: The Legend (compilation tape) — 1997
• Sharpe's Challenge — (forthcoming 23 & 24 April 2006 - UK TV) (set in post Waterloo India)

The STARBUCK Chronicles

1. "Rebel" (1993)
2. "Copperhead" (1993)
3. "Battle Flag" (1995)
4. "The Bloody Ground" (1996)

The Warlord Chronicles

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

The GRAILQUEST novels

1. "Harlequin" (re-named The Archer's Tale in the USA) (2000)
2. "Vagabond" (2002)
3. "Heretic" (2003)

The Saxon Stories

1. The Last Kingdom (2004)
2. The Pale Horseman (2005)
3. "The Lords of the North Country" (forthcoming 2006) UK publication date is June 2006. US publication is September 2006.

Crowning Mercy (co-written with Judy Cornwell under the pseudonym Susannah Kells)

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

The Thrillers

• "Wildtrack"
• "Sea Lord" (aka "Killer's Wake")
• "Crackdown"
• "Stormchild"
• "Scoundrel"

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

Other novels

• "Redcoat"
• "Stonehenge: A Novel of 2000 BC"
• "Gallows Thief"

See also

Sharpe (TV Series)

External links

• Author's official site
• Christopher Seufert interviews Bernard Cornwell
• Popular fan sitecs:Bernard Cornwell

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