Bernard Cornwell

Bernard Cornwell – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Delve into the life, literary journey, and lasting legacy of Bernard Cornwell — the British historical novelist behind Sharpe, The Last Kingdom, The Warlord Chronicles, and more. Discover his philosophy, influences, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Bernard Cornwell (born 23 February 1944) is one of the foremost writers of historical fiction today. Born in London but living largely in the United States, he has authored more than forty novels, many of which are global bestsellers. His storytelling blends sweeping historical events with vivid characters and moral complexity. His works such as the Sharpe series and The Saxon Stories (The Last Kingdom) have gained huge popular reach, and many have been adapted into television series. Cornwell stands out for grounding his fiction in real history—he typically appends notes explaining where he took liberties, and invites readers to compare his narratives with the historical record.

Over his decades of writing, Cornwell has also reflected on the nature of storytelling, the responsibilities of historical fiction, and the line between fact and invention. His life—shaped by adoption, rebellion against religious strictures, transatlantic migrations, and a late reunion with his biological family—feeds into a sense of identity, destiny, and place that often animates his fiction.

Early Life and Family

Bernard Cornwell was born in London on 23 February 1944, during the closing years of World War II, to a Canadian airman (William Oughtred) and an English mother (Dorothy Cornwell) serving in Britain’s Women’s Auxiliary Air Force.

Shortly after birth, he was adopted by a family in Essex, the Wiggins family, and raised under their surname.

Cornwell’s childhood reflected tension between his inner imagination and an external environment that discouraged frivolity and emotional expression. He rejected religious belief in his youth and later identified as an atheist.

After Cornwell’s adoptive father died, he legally changed his last name from Wiggins to Cornwell (his birth mother’s maiden name). Saxon Stories.

Youth and Education

Cornwell was educated at Monkton Combe School in Somerset. History at University College London (between about 1963 and 1966).

After completing his degree, Cornwell worked as a teacher for a period.

It was during his BBC stint, while stationed in Belfast, that he met his second wife, Judy, an American travel agent with children from a previous marriage.

Cornwell has remarked that his move to writing was partly pragmatic: as an immigrant without a proper work permit, writing was a path he could legally sustain.

Career and Achievements

Early Fiction & Literary Breakthrough

Cornwell’s early interest in military and naval fiction reflects his admiration for the works of C. S. Forester (creator of Hornblower). He observed a lack of equivalent strong fiction for army campaigns, especially in the Napoleonic era, and sought to fill that gap.

His first published novels arrived in the early 1980s, among them Sharpe’s Eagle and Sharpe’s Gold (1981). He subsequently expanded the universe of his famous character, Richard Sharpe, across many campaigns during the Napoleonic Wars. Tiger, Triumph) and later adventures (e.g. Sharpe’s Devil).

He also co-wrote three novels under the pseudonym Susannah Kells with his wife Judy: A Crowning Mercy (1983), Fallen Angels (1984), and Coat of Arms (1986).

Beyond Sharpe, Cornwell expanded into multiple series and stand-alone historical novels:

• The Warlord Chronicles — his retelling of Arthurian Britain in the post-Roman era.

• The Saxon Stories / The Last Kingdom — focusing on the 9th-10th century Anglo-Saxon England and the struggles with Viking incursions.

• Grail Quest series — set during the Hundred Years’ War, following Thomas of Hookton and the quest for the Holy Grail.

• Starbuck Chronicles — set during the American Civil War, following Nathaniel Starbuck, a character with a tangential link to Sharpe’s world.

• Modern thrillers / sailing novels — a lesser but interesting branch of his output, using seafaring backgrounds and suspense plots.

Cornwell also published a nonfiction work: Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles, in 2014, timed with the 200th anniversary of Waterloo.

Throughout his career, Cornwell has been prolific, often writing two books a year in his heydays, later slowing to one per year as he aged.

His narratives frequently use a “big story” (the sweep of historical events) and a “little story” (the personal journey of protagonists). He includes author’s notes to disclose where he adjusted or diverged from the historical record.

Adaptations & Cultural Impact

The Sharpe novels were adapted into a television series (1993 onward) starring Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe. The Last Kingdom (based on his Saxon Stories) has been adapted into a popular TV series by the BBC / Netflix. The Winter King (from Warlord Chronicles) has been slated for adaptation.

In recognition of his contributions to literature and their adaptation to screen, Cornwell was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2006 for services to literature and television production.

He has sold millions of copies globally—by some counts around 30 million by mid-2010s—making him one of the most commercially successful writers in historical fiction.

In recent years, his pace has slowed; for instance, in 2024 he apologized to fans for not having released a new Sharpe novel, citing health issues and personal constraints.

Historical Milestones & Context

• Cornwell’s choice to write about the Napoleonic era (via Sharpe) filled a storytelling gap in Anglophone historical fiction. Rather than naval adventures, he focused on land warfare, campaigns, and the gritty life of infantrymen.

• His later pivot to the formation of England (in The Saxon Stories) reflects both a personal and cultural inquiry: how did disparate peoples (Anglo-Saxons, Danes, Britons) converge into one nation?

• Cornwell’s works often explore the moral ambiguities of war, leadership, clash of cultures, loyalty, and fate. His protagonists are rarely flawless—they rise, fall, suffer, and redeem.

• Because he supplies notes on where history diverges from fiction, Cornwell encourages readers to think critically about historical narrative and memory.

Legacy and Influence

Bernard Cornwell’s influence is wide:

• He has modernized and popularized the genre of historical fiction, making history accessible and thrilling to large audiences.

• His adaptations (TV series) have further extended his reach, bringing his settings and characters to new generations.

• His method—melding rigorous research with imaginative storytelling—serves as a model for many historical fiction writers.

• His emphasis on moral complexity and human agency within sweeping events elevates his work beyond mere pageantry.

• Finally, he offers a bridge between British and American readerships, demonstrating that history—even foreign history—can captivate across borders.

Personality and Talents

Cornwell is often described as a disciplined, hardworking, and intellectually curious writer. He is a strong planner and researcher, sometimes to the point of wrestling with plot details because of his commitment to internal consistency across dozens of novels.

Though shaped by a restrictive religious upbringing, Cornwell’s life reflects a spirit of rebellion, questioning, and liberation—traits that inform many of his protagonists who push against boundaries, destiny, and convention.

Despite living in the U.S., he retains a strong sense of Englishness and often feels the “British voices” in his head when writing.

Famous Quotes of Bernard Cornwell

Here are several memorable quotes that reveal Cornwell’s mindset about writing, history, and life:

“I write to try to see what I see, to record it for others—but also to see what I am seeing.”
“Stories are, after all, the most powerful way history can be explored by ordinary readers.”
“I often say that a good historical novel should feel as if it admits you by stealth.”
“You don’t choose history. It hits you in the back of the head.”
“One of the curses of historical fiction is that you bring your own humanity to people who sometimes did not share it.”

(Note: many of these are paraphrases or collected from interviews and essays by Cornwell rather than from slim published aphorism collections.)

Lessons from Bernard Cornwell

1. Balance fact and fiction intelligently. Cornwell shows that you can tell a compelling story without abandoning historical integrity, if you clearly acknowledge your departures.

2. Characters matter as much as events. The emotional core of a historical novel is the personal struggle, the moral dilemmas, and the human relationships amid foment and conflict.

3. Persistence and discipline pay dividends. His prolific output stems from dedication and planning over decades.

4. Embrace complexity. His novels rarely deal in pure good vs evil—they reflect the messy, ambiguous nature of human choices and history.

5. Your past need not define your boundaries. Cornwell’s evolution—from strict upbringing to a life of creative freedom—suggests that legacies can be reinterpreted and transcended.

Conclusion

Bernard Cornwell’s life and work offer a compelling example of how storytelling can breathe vitality into the past and inspire reflection in the present. His blend of academic rigor, narrative drive, and human empathy has carved a unique and lasting place in modern literature.

If you'd like, I can prepare a visual timeline of his novels, or a comparative analysis of Cornwell’s Sharpe vs The Last Kingdom series. Would you like me to do that?