Episode 921: Bernard Cornwell on “Sharpe’s Storm”
Newt's World
Gingrich 360
4.7 • 6.3K Ratings
🗓️ 14 December 2025
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Newt talks with Bernard Cornwell about his latest book, “Sharpe’s Storm: Richard Sharpe and the Invasion of Southern France, 1813.” Cornwell shares the serendipitous start of his writing career, which began when he moved to the United States and decided to write a book due to difficulties in obtaining a work permit. His first novel, "Sharpe’s Eagle," set in 1808, marked the beginning of a series that follows the character Richard Sharpe through various historical battles. Cornwell explains his inspiration for writing about the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars, filling a gap he perceived in historical literature. He also discusses the challenges and intricacies of writing two major series, one about Sharpe and the other about The Saxon Stories, which explore the creation of England. Their conversation touches on historical figures like Wellington, whose military strategies and personal characteristics are vividly brought to life in Cornwell's novels. Cornwell also reflects on his characters, expressing a closer connection to Sharpe due to the character's long-standing presence in his work. He hints at the possibility of future Sharpe novels, though he is currently focused on writing another book in The Saxon Series.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:08.4 | On this episode of NUCHWorld, one of my all-time favorite authors is Bernard Cornwell. |
| 0:17.0 | His best-selling novels of historical fiction have kept me entertained and educated for years. |
| 0:23.8 | The Wall Street Journal calls in quote, |
| 0:26.2 | the most prolific and successful historical novelist in the world today, |
| 0:31.1 | and that is quite competent. |
| 0:34.2 | Now, he's joined me today to discuss his latest book, Sharp Storm, set in the year 1813 on a battlefield in France. |
| 0:42.1 | I've read it. I highly recommend it. |
| 0:44.6 | But I'm not going to let him get away with just talking about that. |
| 0:47.5 | He's such an interesting person, and his background is so cool. |
| 1:03.0 | Music And his background is so cool. Bernard, thank you so much for joining me. |
| 1:06.7 | Well, thank you for inviting me. |
| 1:08.5 | You've said your writing career started almost by accident. |
| 1:13.4 | Tell us about that, because it's kind of amazing that you are this successful by accident. |
| 1:18.7 | Well, it was an accident. |
| 1:19.9 | I think I always wanted to write novels, but many, many people have that wish. |
| 1:26.8 | And I really couldn't see it happening. |
| 1:29.6 | And I had a perfectly good job. |
| 1:31.3 | I was a producer for BBC television working in Northern Ireland. |
| 1:36.2 | And purely by chance, I met an American. |
| 1:39.9 | A woman who I saw getting out of an elevator in Edinburgh, |
| 1:43.4 | and I looked at my reporter and said, |
... |
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