Postmortem

Bernard Cornwell (born February 23, 1944) is an English author of historical novels, known for his meticulous research and engaging storytelling. Born in London, England, to a Canadian airman father and a mother in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, he was adopted by a family in Essex belonging to the Peculiar People sect. Cornwell attended London University and worked as a teacher before joining the BBC, where he spent a decade, eventually becoming Head of Current Affairs in Northern Ireland. Bernard Cornwell is renowned for his long-running series of novels, including the Sharpe series about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe, the Saxon Stories (also known as The Last Kingdom series), which explores the unification of England, the Warlord Chronicles set in Arthurian Britain, and the Grail Quest series, which delves into a 14th-century search for the Holy Grail during the Hundred Years' War. Cornwell has written historical novels primarily based on English history, in five series, and one series of contemporary thriller novels. A notable feature of his historical novels is an end note on how they match or differ from history. He has also written a nonfiction book on the battle of Waterloo. Three of his historical novel series have been adapted for television: the Sharpe series by ITV, The Last Kingdom by BBC, and The Winter King for MGM+.