Publications
War and Combat 1150-1270: The Evidence from Old French Literature
Published by Boydell and Brewer in 2003.
ISBN: 9780859917810
War and C
ombat is an academic book which takes an interdisciplinary look at warfare in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
War and combat were significant factors in the lives of all conditions of people during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries; thousands of men, women and children prepared for, engaged in and suffered from the consequences of almost endemic armed conflict. However, while war and combat feature prominently in many of the forms of literature written at the time, the theme of warfare in some types of narrative source remains a relatively under-studied area. This book offers an investigation of the depiction of warfare in contemporary writings, in both fictional narratives and factual accounts, aiming to bridge the gap between the disciplines of literature and military history.
Excerpts from reviews of War and Combat
Partonopeus de Blois
An Electronic Edition
Prepared by
Penny Eley, Penny Simons, Mario Longtin, Catherine Hanley, Philip Shaw
Partonopeus de Blois is a medieval French verse romance, composed in the last third of the twelfth century. It tells of how the young hero, Partonopeus, is transported to a mysterious city where he encounters the heroine Melior. He becomes her lover without ever seeing her, but eventually breaks the taboo on bringing a light into her bedchamber and is banished by her. After various adventures, he is forgiven, wins her hand in marriage at a three-day tournament, and becomes emperor of Byzantium. A continuation then tells the story of the hero’s former squire, Anselot, and of an unsuccessful invasion by Partonopeus’s former love-rival, the sultan of Persia.
It’s a combination that is probably not readily apparent, but I also used to have a sideline writing about cricket, having had articles published in Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, the Australian Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack (known for short as Wisden Australia), Wisden Cricket Monthly, the website wisden.com, and Inside Edge (an Australian cricket magazine). I loved it, and I’m pleased to say that while I was involved in cricket writing, I was able to pursue a lifelong interest, and to meet a number of utterly charming sports journalists (that’s not a phrase you hear often!), players and ex-players.
The Sins of the Father
Published by Quaestor2000 Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 9781906836115
Edwin Weaver has led an uneventful life until now. His father is the bailiff at Conisbrough castle, responsible for law and order on the estate, but the most exciting thing which ever happens is a dispute over a few yards of land. All this changes when his father becomes ill and when the earl their master becomes involved in the civil war which is tearing the realm asunder. Suddenly Edwin is propelled into a different world, one which he finds hard to understand.
A visiting lord seeking evidence of treachery is murdered, and Edwin is given the arduous task of finding the culprit. His findings may have an effect not only on the people of Conisbrough, but also on the outcome of the war and the future of the kingdom, and he has only been given two days to come up with an answer.
You can order my book online at:
Waterstones.com or purchase at your local bookshop.
