Bernard Cornwell

Author profile

born

in London, England, The United Kingdom

February 23, 1944

gender

male

website

http://www.bernardcornwell.net/

genre

Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers

About this author

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Cornwell was born in London in 1944. His father was a Canadian airman, and 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. After he left them, he changed his name to his mother's maiden name, Cornwell.

Cornwell was sent away to Monkton Combe School, attended the University of London, and after graduating, worked as a teacher. He attempted to enlist in the British armed services at least three times, but was rejected on the grounds of myopia.

He then joined BBC's Nationwide and was promoted to become head of current affairs at BBC Northern Irela...more Cornwell was born in London in 1944. His father was a Canadian airman, and 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. After he left them, he changed his name to his mother's maiden name, Cornwell.

Cornwell was sent away to Monkton Combe School, attended the University of London, and after graduating, worked as a teacher. He attempted to enlist in the British armed services at least three times, but was rejected on the grounds of myopia.

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. He relocated to the United States in 1980 after marrying an American. Unable to get a Green Card, he started writing novels, as this did not require a work permit.

As a child, Cornwell loved the novels of C.S. Forester, chronicling the adventures of fictional British naval officer Horatio Hornblower during the Napoleonic Wars, and was surprised to find that there were no such novels following Lord Wellington's campaign on land. Motivated by the need to support himself in the U.S. through writing, Cornwell decided to write such a series. He named his chief protagonist Richard Sharpe, a rifleman involved in most major battles of the Peninsular War.

Cornwell wanted to start the series with the Siege of Badajoz but decided instead to start with a couple of "warm-up" novels. These were Sharpe's Eagle and Sharpe's Gold, both published in 1981. Sharpe's Eagle was picked up by a publisher, and Cornwell got a three-book deal. He went on to tell the story of Badajoz in his third Sharpe novel Sharpe's Company published in 1982.

Cornwell and wife Judy co-wrote a series of novels, published under the pseudonym "Susannah Kells". These were A Crowning Mercy, published in 1983, Fallen Angels in 1984, and Coat of Arms (aka The Aristocrats) in 1986. (Cornwell's strict Protestant upbringing informed the background of A Crowning Mercy, which took place during the English Civil War.) He also published Redcoat, an American Revolutionary War novel set in Philadelphia during its 1777 occupation by the British, in 1987.

After publishing 8 books in his ongoing Sharpe series, Cornwell was approached by a production company interested in adapting them for television. The producers asked him to write a prequel to give them a starting point to the series. They also requested that the story feature a large role for Spanish characters to secure co-funding from Spain. The result was Sharpe’s Rifles, published in 1987 and a series of Sharpe television films staring Sean Bean.

A series of contemporary thrillers with sailing as a background and common themes followed: Wildtrack published in 1988, Sea Lord (aka Killer's Wake) in 1989, Crackdown in 1990, Stormchild in 1991, and a political thriller called Scoundrel in 1992.

In June 2006, Cornwell was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's 80th Birthday Honours List.

Cornwell's latest work is titled Azincourt and was released in the UK in October 2008. The protagonist is an archer who participates in the Battle of Agincourt, another devastating defeat suffered by the French in the Hundred Years War. However Cornwell has stated that it will not be about Thomas of Hookton from The Grail Quest or any of his relatives.(less)

20 posts
Bernard Cornwell's Blog

Bernard Cornwell isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but he does have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from his feed.

MONOMOY THEATRE, CHATHAM, MA

I am once again looking forward to performing in plays at the Monomoy Theatre located on Main Street in Chatham, MA.

This year I will play the role of Sir Lawrence Wargrave in Agatha Christie’s “Then There Were None’. The play runs from 2 July – 6 July 2013.

I will also appear as Max Reinhardt in Ken Ludwig’s “Shakespeare in Hollywood” from 20 August – 24 August 2013.

For more information about th...

combine editions
Bernard Cornwell's Books

Average rating: 4.07 · 170,768 ratings · 7,654 reviews · 117 distinct works · Similar authors

	The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories, #1) 4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 avg rating — 12,593 ratings — published 2004 — 48 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Winter King (The Warlord Chronicles, #1) 4.21 of 5 stars 4.21 avg rating — 10,577 ratings — published 1995	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lords of the North (The Saxon Stories, #3) 4.23 of 5 stars 4.23 avg rating — 7,612 ratings — published 2006 — 38 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories, #2) 4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 avg rating — 7,815 ratings — published 2005 — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Archer's Tale (The Grail Quest, #1) 4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 avg rating — 7,209 ratings — published 2000 — 40 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Excalibur (The Warlord Chronicles, #3) 4.32 of 5 stars 4.32 avg rating — 6,375 ratings — published 1997 — 39 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Azincourt 4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 avg rating — 7,261 ratings — published 2008 — 42 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sword Song (The Saxon Stories, #4) 4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 avg rating — 6,054 ratings — published 2007 — 36 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sharpe's Tiger (Sharpe, #1) 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 5,845 ratings — published 1997 — 42 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sharpe's Rifles (Sharpe, #6) 4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 avg rating — 5,323 ratings — published 1988 — 38 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Bernard Cornwell…

Series by Bernard Cornwell

Sharpe (21 books)
by Bernard Cornwell
4.037965550062943 of 5 stars 4.04 avg rating — 65,138 ratings

The Saxon Stories (7 books)
by Bernard Cornwell
4.1879381885820575 of 5 stars 4.19 avg rating — 41,934 ratings

The Warlord Chronicles (3 books)
by Bernard Cornwell
4.266160570508396 of 5 stars 4.27 avg rating — 21,735 ratings

The Grail Quest (4 books)
by Bernard Cornwell
4.004327006288582 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 17,333 ratings

The Starbuck Chronicles (4 books)
by Bernard Cornwell
3.8407315679176985 of 5 stars 3.84 avg rating — 5,249 ratings

More series by Bernard Cornwell…

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Quotes by Bernard Cornwell

“Life is a jest of the Gods and there is no justice. You must learn to laugh… or else you'll weep yourself to death.”
― Bernard Cornwell, The Winter King

tags: laugh, life, religion, weep

110 people liked it

“I do understand that you can look into someone’s eyes,” I heard myself saying, “and suddenly know that life will be impossible without them. Know that their voice can make your heart miss a beat and that their company is all your happiness can ever desire and that their absence will leave your soul alone, bereft and lost.”
― Bernard Cornwell, The Winter King

tags: love

23 people liked it

“Don't tell me the moon is shining, show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
― Bernard Cornwell

tags: on-writing, readers-and-writers, writing-craft

22 people liked it

See all Bernard Cornwell's quotes »

Polls

Bookaholics Anonymous
WAR (October 2012 Genre)

Deadline to vote: 9/22/12

The Weight of All Things by Sandra Benitez

3 votes, 25.0%

The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison

2 votes, 16.7%

Joan of Arc: Maid, Myth and History by Timothy Wilson-Smith

2 votes, 16.7%

The Religion: A Novel (Tannhauser Trilogy, #1) by Tim Willocks

2 votes, 16.7%

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

1 vote, 8.3%

Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda by Roméo Dallaire

1 vote, 8.3%

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

1 vote, 8.3%

Nella Last's War: The Second World War Diaries of Housewife, 49 by Nella Last

0 votes, 0.0%

Tides of War by Steven Pressfield

0 votes, 0.0%

12 total votes

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Bernard's Fans (1949)

Bernard Cornwell

Author profile

20 posts
Bernard Cornwell's Blog

combine editions
Bernard Cornwell's Books

Series by Bernard Cornwell

Upcoming Events

Quotes by Bernard Cornwell

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Add NewVideos

Bernard's Fans (1949)

Bernard Cornwell

Author profile

20 postsBernard Cornwell's Blog

combine editionsBernard Cornwell's Books

Series by Bernard Cornwell

Upcoming Events

Quotes by Bernard Cornwell

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Add New
Videos

20 posts
Bernard Cornwell's Blog

combine editions
Bernard Cornwell's Books