You Write!

This page is to help me gather material about Rosemary Sutcliff, historical novelist, writer of children’s books and  fiction for young adults; and for you to take part, should you wish!

Posts made because of contact from this page or by email include:

You might use this page to send me copies of reviews, or links to your own or other people’s material that you think might interest me and the increasing number of visitors to this blog. What have you read of Rosemary’s or about her or her work? What did you enjoy? Why? Would you recommend it to others? Have you recommended it? Who to ? Was your career (if you have one) or life influenced by Rosemary Sutcliff or her books at all? Anything else you want to suggest I put here about her? Do you have advice on improving this site and especially on fostering a network of the many people interested in Rosemary or touched by her in her lifetime or since? Anybody in particular to connect with for some reason? I look forward to hearing from some of you

Thank you! Anthony Lawton
a(dot)g(dot)lawton(at)gmail(dot)com

160 thoughts on “You Write!”

  1. I have come here via the Awfully Big Blog Adventure site. I first read Rosemary Sutcliff as a child. Her books came to via the Children’s Country Lending Service – a marvellous scheme that got library books, free of charge, to children in remote areas of South Australia.
    For me the books were far more than mere stories. They were an escape into an entirely different world. The characters were my companions in what would otherwise have been a very lonely existence. My love of history at school can be directly traced back to reading Rosemary Sutcliff and Cynthia Harnett.
    Some years later I mustered enough courage to actually write her a letter and thank her. I knew it would be as difficult for her to reply as it was for me to actually write the letter so I asked her not to answer but a letter came back anyway – in her own handwriting. I have had to write thousands of letters over the years and received thousands in reply. Eventually I had to destroy all but a few but I have kept hers and one or two others. She also supported my endeavours in getting International Literacy Year off the ground by asking a number of people of her acquaintance to write to the United Nations in support of the idea.
    It would have been fascinating to actually personally know someone with such a feel for history. Best wishes with your endeavours.

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    • Catriona: What a lovely comment to wake up to …. it does not surprise me that Romie – as I knew her – responded by hand to you, as she always did to every single letter.
      May I take your ‘comment’ and post it on the main page? I would love to do that.

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  2. Hi, Anthony,

    As you know I’ve written a few appreciative posts about Rosemary Sutcliff on my blog. Here’s one of the many facets of her writing that appeals to me.

    She’s such a great story-teller that I sometimes find myself racing through her descriptions of the natural environment to get to the next development of plot. I think she put some of her best descriptive images closest to unfolding plot climaxes. Your eye catches the fine phrases and, if you’re like me, this puts you in a quandary, whether to move swiftly on or linger over the marvelous images. Here are some of the phrases I’ve most enjoyed (usually on my second or third reading of the books in which they occur):

    — a brief wing of sunlight brushed along the flank of the little glen

    — a dark soughing of the wind across the dead heather

    — the green rooty smell of things growing, and the air full of the lonely bubbling mating-call of curlew

    — the first pollen scattered from the whippy sprays so that they rode through a sudden golden mist

    — Snow was still spitting down the wind as they rode out, but the sky was less full than yesterday; and presently as they rode, the low dawn showed a bar of cold daffodil yellow through a break in the cloud-room far down to the south-east.

    — A puddling of snow still lingered in the hollows; and far off, the higher hills of the Frontier Country were still maned and crested with white; but nearer moors showed the sodden darkness of last year’s heather, and the wind that always harped along the Wall had gone round to the West, and the green plover were calling.

    — He saw the hearth-smoke rising blue against the tawny flank of the mountain beyond, and a few people moving about the kale plots and the cattle-byres. The track swung right hand, towards the village, skirting a small village, an orchard cradled in the loop of the river, the apples ripe on the dripping branches of the little half-wild trees.

    This last one describes an art and by extension the culture of a people:

    — “Look now at this shield-boss. See the bulging curves that flow from each other as water flows from water and wind from wind, as the stars turn in the heavens and blown sand drifts into dunes. These are the curves of life; and the man who traced them had in him knowledge of things that your people have lost the key to – if they ever had it.”

    Jeff

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  3. Dear Anthony,
    I was a bit left out in my family when everyone else was reading & enjoying The Eagle of the Ninth (it was too serious for me then) until I got a copy of The Armourer’s House (‘cosy & sweet’ = just right).
    It became my favourite book and I later called my cat Tamsyn – then regretted not keeping the name available for my firstborn.
    Having authors and books that we all like is curiously important for families and I was surprised quite how delighted I was when my niece’s frst work experience on a film set was make-up for roman soldiers for the new film of one of ‘our’ books.
    One day I’d like to plot the story on Google Earth then visit some of the places Tamsyn visited.
    Warm Regards,
    Alison.
    PS I always wondered what the carols sounded like. Now, by the power of you-tube, I can hear them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUTINiGtctc&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzptn_a2QGs .

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  4. Hello, here is a nice academic site which has reviews of several works of Arthurian fiction:

    http://www.cit.griffith.edu.au/~s285238/DECB/DECB-fiction_reviews.html

    The author is Professor Howard Wiseman of Griffith University in Australia.

    The Lantern Bearers and Sword of Sunset are reviewed here, and come off better than most.

    As for me, I really liked them, and I’m glad my interest in Arthurian novels led me to discover Sutcliff. I’ve also read The Shining Company – more of the same good gloomy stuff. I’m trying to finish The Eagle of the Ninth before the movie comes out.

    What are the chances of the other dolphin ring books, especially the two Arthurian ones, being filmed in the future? It’s just that there are quite a few Arthurian projects in the works of late. The people behind The Tudors are doing Camelot, and Hollywood will be making three movies, two of them called Excalibur. The other will be called Pendragon.

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  5. With excitement about “The Eagle” movie building up, I thought maybe other readers might like to check out this information sheet (with photo) from the Reading Museum on the Silchester Eagle, the discovery of which was the inspiration for Rosemary Sutcliff’s novel “Eagle of the Ninth”.

    Click to access sileagle-38.pdf

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  6. Jim Bob

    I don’t know how your search has gone, but RS’s Camelot stories are available as a 3-in-1 edition which is can be bought from Amazon via various sellers. It isn’t currently in print, but second-hand copies are readily available, and not too expensive.

    Cheers,
    Anne

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    • Sorry; a new job is keeping me from this blog and keeping up-to-date. This will improve: Rosemary Sutcliff’s 1st cousin twice removed (my son!) is going to help for the next few weeks.

      I saw the whole film last week, kindly invited to the cast and crew preview. The film is very, very good …

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  8. This is a wonderful site. May I just point out a small error. You say that The Lantern Bearers is set in the seventh century AD. Surely, however, it’s set in the fifth century?

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    • oops! WIll amend to ensure accuracy….thanks for highlighting this. And of course thanks for the kind compliment. Maybe you’d write something at the You! tab about your reading of RS? (And anyone else who reads this)

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  9. Dear Anthony,

    I’m trying to locate all of the Camelot Novels. The only one that appears to currently be in print is The Sword and the Circle. Do you know where in the US I can find all three? Thanks!

    Blessings,
    Jim Bob

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    • Jim Bob, there is an edition (a UK one) which has the three books in one volume, under the title The King Arthur Trilogy. Here is the citation, and you can find it from Amazon.co.uk or blackwell.co.uk:

      Sutcliff, Rosemary. The King Arthur Trilogy. London: Random House UK, 1999. ISBN10: 0099401649 . GBP8.99

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