Sharon Kay Penman Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Interview

Sharon Kay Penman talks about what drew her to write The Land Beyond The Sea, and it's relevance to the contemporary world.

Many things drew me to write The Land Beyond the Sea. What first struck me was how timely and relevant the kingdom's last years seemed. A clash of cultures, suspicions aroused by conflicting religious beliefs, and the different ways in which people responded to these challenges will sound very familiar. Little has changed in the ensuing eight centuries; peace in the Middle East remains as elusive today as it was in the 12th century and tensions continue between Christianity and Islam.

This is a story of high drama, triumph, and tragedy and the battle of Hattin is viewed as one of the most significant military confrontations of the Middle Ages, drastically changing the history of both the Levant and Christendom. I felt great sympathy for Baldwin, stricken with leprosy as a child, forced to fight two wars—one he cannot afford to lose against Saladin and one he cannot hope to win against the lethal disease ravaging his body.

The role of women in the kingdom is also intriguing. Unlike France, which prohibited a woman from inheriting the crown, and England, which would not willingly accept a queen until the 16th century, Jerusalem would be ruled in turn by three queens, Baldwin's sisters Sybilla and Isabella and Isabella's ...