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:
- Rosemary Sutcliff influenced and inspired … Australian writer Keith Taylor
- Rosemary Sutcliff Dutch Translations
- Rosemary Sutcliff influenced and inspired … Reading University lecturer Matthew Nicholls
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
ROSEMARY SUTCLIFF (1920-92) 
We’ve discussed earlier the similarity of themes to be found in Rosemary Sutcliff’s work and Susan Cooper’s “Dark is Rising” sequence, particularly that of the Dark versus the Light.
http://rosemarysutcliff.com/2012/01/26/susan-cooper-wins-edwards-award-did-she-read-rosemary-sutcliff/
I recently re-read the “Dark is Rising” and was very struck by this piece, which also focuses on another theme dear to Sutcliff, continuity through transition, and thought I’d share it here:
“And into Will’s mind, whirling him up on a wind blowing through and around the whole of Time, came the story of the Old Ones. He saw them from the beginning when magic was at large in the world; magic that was the power of rocks and fire and water and living things, so that the first men lived in it and with it, as a fish lives in the water. He saw the Old Ones, through the ages of men who worked with stone, and with bronze, and with iron, with one of six great Signs born in each age. He saw one race after another come attacking his island country, bringing each time the malevolence of the Dark with them, wave after wave of ships rushing inexorably at the shores. Each wave of men in turn grew to know and love the land, so that the Light flourished again. But always the Dark was there, swelling and waning, gaining a new Lord of the Dark whenever a man deliberately chose to be changed into something more dread and powerful than his fellows. Such creatures were not born to their doom, like the Old Ones, but chose it. The Black Rider he saw in all times from the beginning.”
LikeLike
Hi Anthony
we have corresponded before regarding Rosemary’s former home Swallowshaw where we now live. We have been looking into the possibility of a blue plaque to commemorate Rosemary here in Walberton. After much effort we have discovered that this can be done through our local district council who have a scheme (English Heritage are no longer doing this outside London), and have indicated that they feel our application would be approved, we also have the backing of our local history group, many of whom remember Rosemary as an active member of village life here. Unfortunately Arun District Council want an estimated £750 to include Rosemary in their scheme and provide and fix the plaque. We would need to look at how we can raise this sum. Otherwise we can just go out and buy an off the shelf plaque without it being a part of any recognised scheme. Any thoughts? Would you be interested in getting involved? It would be great to have something official, with a proper unveiling and celebration, but we need to look at how to fund such an enterprise, and if there is sufficient interest to move it forwards.
Kind regards
Stephen & Liz
LikeLike
Hello again. Excellent idea. I would love it as all the others who would. Am appalled Arun Council charge, let alone circa £750! And appalled at London-centric English Heritage! I will be in touch by email.Maybe we can get all the publishers to pitch in and/or get a charity grant and /or use a crowd-source funding site to get say £75 x £10 contributions,. Sorry to say I have not the full £750 to offer although would be happy to join with others in contributing funding. Meanwhile it would be good to know what followers here think …
LikeLike
Anthony, do you have the email for the gentleman in Melbourne who was offering copies of the old tv series of Eagle of the Ninth? Many thanks. John Matthews
LikeLike
The book you mean is Flowers for Adonis. It seems to be very hard to get hold of and fetches huge prices on line. It’s one of the least known of Rosemary Sutcliff!s books, but well worth tracking down.
LikeLike
Then I’m in luck, since most of what I read, I’ve bought… so chances are that a copy of Flowers for Adonis is hiding in my hundreds of boxes of books. :D
(This ‘personal library’ thing has done got out of hand!)
LikeLike
I’ve just started rereading these works after a long hiatus, and still find them utterly gripping. And I credit Rosemary Sutcliff with my ongoing love of Roman Britain. :)
But that’s not what I’m here to mutter about… rather, being unable to locate a copy of the novel about Alkibiades — is this her work, that ends with the chilling line, “and now there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves” …. ?? (as best I can reproduce it from memory of a single reading 30+ years ago, but you can see how it’s stayed with me!)
LikeLike
It is indeed the last line of “Flowers of Adonis”, and you’ve remembered it almost spot-on – leave out the “now” and you have it.
LikeLike
Wow, the ol’ noggin is still working, heh :) That line made my hair stand on end for days afterward. It’s just occurred to me that I’ve echoed it, not the same words but the same feeling, a couple times in my own writing (I write space opera) — that it was the source I’d learned from.
LikeLike
Hilary, I can totally relate to your experience of rediscovery :-). I have read many of Sutcliff’s books as a child and teenager snd started re-reading them a couple of years ago as a “mid-fortyager” and it was like meeting old friends. visiting old places, but seeing them now from a different perspective. For instance I am now able to read them in English, too (as a child I only read the German translations) and noticed some very interesting and peculiar aspects about the process of translation (I wrote to Anthony about that and he very kindly made a main posting ot that letter, too), and also I understood much more of the background of the stories. I marvel at the obvious fact that Rosemary Sutcliff’s books are equally fascinating for children and adults and somehow seem to mature from within. Everything “adult” I find in them, now, has been there from the very beginning on. I did not overlook it then, but I looked at it with a child’s eyes. Now I look at the same things and see the adult meaning AND the meaning they held for me as a child. Take Aquila wedding Ness. As a child I was mostly troubled with how unnecessary the whole thing was, since she obviously didn’t want to marry him and he only married her to please Ambrosius. She was a nuisance! Now I can still see the trouble and pain in the story, still see them not wanting to marry each other, but as a wife and mother-of-four I can identify much better with Ness. I wonder what these books will feel like when i read them at age seventy ;-).-
LikeLike
I am looking for any novel about King Richard lll which includes his illegitimate son John of Gloucester there is one called John of Gloucester by Wendy Miall but I am looking for other novels about King Richard lll which includes John of Gloucester.
carole.pebble@gmail.com
Thanks.
LikeLike
Thanks Anthony. If you’ve a minute, would you mind removing my careless apostrophe in “open’s” towards the end of that post? many thanks H
LikeLike
I rediscovered Rosemary Sutcliff’s novels this winter, having watched the film The Eagle. I remembered how much I had enjoyed reading a number of her books as a teenager, so launched in with The Lantern Bearers, as the first one that I came across on my eldest son’s rather disorganised bookshelves. I then read The Silver Branch and just for completeness, reverted to The Eagle of the Ninth which I had read repeatedly as a child and young teen, so it definitely felt like rediscovering an old friend. If you know the series you’ll realise this is completely reverse order, which just seemed to add to the charm. And I honestly thought that was it for the series. Although I knew there were plenty of other books, I didn’t realise that she had continued the story over so many generations, and in fact that, in many ways the climax was still to come. So how wonderful when my caring husband produced A Sword at Sunset as a Christmas present. Genuinely, the book I really wanted to exist, but had no knowledge of! I escaped into the dark ages for the Christmas holidays and thoroughly enjoyed the epic tale, the battles, the adventuring, the sad realness of the love story and the freshness of the storytelling, despite its roots in the Arthur legend.
Now, Dawn Wind came along at Easter, just republished and a very fine piece of writing. I really have no memory of reading this as a teenager and although the book may have been aimed at young adults, either that’s still the stage I’m at (I wish) or there’s really a great deal more there for the taking. The characterisation is convincing, the story enthralling as each new stage of Owain’s life open’s up. The descriptions of place, of time, of conflict, of dogs and horses, loyalty, love and commitment are as engaging as ever. In case you’ve not read it, I’ll not spoil the ending, but go on the adventure and discover what happens in Owain’s long journey across dark age Britain for yourself!
LikeLike
Thank you for posting this. I trust it is OK with you, but I have re-produced your comments as a main post on the blog. Your professional expertise shows!(I looked up Cygnus Extra …)
LikeLike
It’s noticeable how many historical novelists who set their stories in the Ancient Roman world (and in particular Roman Britain) claim Rosemary Sutcliff as a major inspiration.
Here’s a dedication from Hazel B. West, whose 2012 young adult novel “By Blood and by Bond” is set in Rome and Caledonia.
“This book is for Rosemary Sutcliff who inspired so many of us and because, one: she made me realize that brotherhood stories were not totally out of fashion, two: she showed me that Romans weren’t all bad…if they were written into fiction, and three: because I wouldn’t know what to do without Marcus, Esca and all the others.”
LikeLike