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Author Biography | Interview | Books by this Author | Read-Alikes
C. J. Sansom was educated at the University of Birmingham, where he took a BA
and then a PhD in history. After working in a variety of jobs, he decided to
retrain as a solicitor (lawyer). He practiced for a while in Sussex as a lawyer
for the disadvantaged, then he quit in order to work full-time as a writer. C.J. Sansom is the #1 bestselling author of the Matthew Shardlake series of historical thrillers. He died at the age of 71.
Dark Fire won the 2005 CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger and
Sansom was "Very Highly Commended" in the 2007 CWA Dagger in the Library award,
for the Shardlake series.
The BBC have commissioned an adaptation of Dissolution with the actor
Kenneth Branagh set to star as Shardlake. The rest of the Shardlake books are
expected to follow.
Bibliography:
Publication dates based on first publication in the UK
Matthew Shardlake series
Dissolution (2003)
Dark Fire (2004)
Sovereign (2006)
Revelation (2008)
Heartstone (2010)
Lamentation (2014)
Tombland (2018)
Standalone
Winter in Madrid (2006)
Dominion (2012)
C.J. Sansom's website
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Could you tell us about your inspiration for writing Dominion?
Everyone who studies history seriously considers counterfactuals — if a particular event, or decision, had gone differently, what would the effects on history have been? And of course one intriguing theme is what would have happened if Britain had been defeated or surrendered in 1940.
What drew you to the particular era that your book depicts? What are some of the challenges and/or delights about writing about this time?
As well as the Tudor era, I have always been very interested in European and British history before, during, and after the Second World War, and Winter in Madrid is also set within this broad period. Dominion's setting is Britain in 1952 , the year I was born. Although it is an alternate history and many things are different, I try to catch the atmosphere of 1950 s Britain in such things as the general drabness, the intense social
conservatism, but also the importance of personal integrity as epitomized in characters like David and Sarah. It was very interesting to create characters rooted in a time which I can just remember, as well as little details like the fact that everybody smoked, and it was routine for dogs to do their ...
Vanora Bennett became a journalist almost by accident. Having learned Russian and been hired after university by Reuters, she was catapulted out of the classical-music life of her family and straight into the adrenaline-... (more)
If you enjoyed:
Revelation
Try:
Portrait of an Unknown Woman
by Vanora Bennett
Charles Cumming is a British writer of spy fiction. He was educated at Eton College (1985-1989) and the University of Edinburgh (1990-1994), where he graduated with First Class Honours in English Literature. The Observer has ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
Winter In Madrid
Try:
The Spanish Game
by Charles Cumming
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