Tina

=Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks=

//Sebastian Faulks & his novels//
Sebastian Faulks is an English writer born in 1953. From an early age, his mother introduced him to music and reading and he found a huge interest in literature whilst reading George Orwell. His father, on the other hand wanted Faulks to become a diplomat but Faulks studied English at Cambridge where he later became a teacher. Afterwards he moved on to journalism, writing for the Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph and soon became the Deputy Editor of the Independent on Sunday. Sebastian Faulks also worked as a columnist for The Evening Standard and The Guardian. His first novel, published in 1984, was called A Trick of Light which at first he found hard to write, ‘I found it extremely difficult to get going as a novelist.’ 1. Things started to flow better for Faulks when he wrote his second novel ‘The Girl at the Lion d’Or as he ‘began to feel confident.’1.

The Girl at the Lion d’Or is the first of his ‘French trilogy’ which was published in 1989. The second book Birdsong was written very quickly as he only spent 6 months on it, he felt ‘absolutely fried up while doing it.’ 1 Sebastian Faulks would work for ‘three or four hours in the morning’1 and later wander to ‘do some research at the Imperial War Museum’1. To finish off the trilogy, Charlotte Gray was written and then published in 1998, which was made into a film, directed by Gillian Armstrong.

[[image:faulks_foto.jpg width="298" height="298" align="left"]]//Birdsong//
Birdsong was published on September 16th, 1993. Sebastian Faulk’s second novel of the ‘French trilogy’ is split into 7 different sections based on different time periods. The novel is mainly based on the character Stephen and his life spent in France, before and during the war. While the minority of the novel revolves around Elizabeth, Stephen’s granddaughter and her effort to find out about Stephen’s experiences in World War One.

The cover of the book is by a French painter painted in the 19th century by Hippolyte Flandin though Sebastian Faulks said that ‘It’s not especially appropriate,’ however in 1995 he said ‘we needed an image that suggested male strength and vulnerability.’

Here is a question to Sebastian Faulks asked by Kelly Shepherd from Derbyshire.

The trench battles in Birdsong are possibly the most heartbreakingly terrifying I have read in any novel. How did you feel writing it and how did you feel reading the research material that inspired you to write the book?

//“I frequently felt overcome by emotion. At such times I would stop writing. I felt the pity, the rage, the horror, very deeply and often, but it is no good being in a state when you write. The more profound the emotion you are hoping to evoke the more icily you have to concentrate on finding the exact detail that will chill or horrify. You cannot say, 'it was appalling' etc; you have to offer details that allow the reader to infer how appalling it was, and choosing those details is a very cold-blooded, intellectual thing to do. Tears get in the way, and they make your glasses foggy so you can't see the paper.”//

Why did Sebastian Faulks receive so much praise for his novel Birdsong?
Faulks manages to convey an underlying theme of how public events affect an individual. For example, in his novel Birdsong he has powerfully handled the 2 adulterous lovers & the emotional impact of First World War. His writing has been described as ‘compelling, at times superb, when detailing the gory details of the trenches and the intensely emotional relationships between men under fire, or waiting for a signal to attack, or seeking to rescue the wounded, and the mixture of deference and resentment obtaining between officers and men. Masculine endurance under extreme conditions, the soldiers' simple hopes revealed in letters home only to be cut short, are most movingly depicted.’ Faulks also received praise for his ability to write convincing female characters and depict gripping relationships between men under pressure and their emotions.

Below are some quotes of what people thought of his novel:

“Ambitious, outrageous, poignant, sleep-disturbing, Birdsong is not a perfect novel – just a great one.’ Simon Schama, New Yorker

“This is literature at its very best: a book with the power to reveal the unimagined, so that one’s life is set in a changed context. I urge you to read it.” Nigel Watts, Time Out

5 out of 5 stars: “Birdsong truly is the best book I have ever read. Faulks draws you into the book with his wonderfully descriptive prose. I was hooked immediately, quite simply one of the most touching, beautiful yet at the same time horrific books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Buy this book. “ Birdsong - simply fantastic, 2 November 2004 written by a customer.

Why did Sebastian Faulks receive some criticism?
On the other hand, Faulks also received criticism. Due to his increasing popularity, some critics wrote with snobbery about his work, describing his work as over sentimental and dull. One customer felt overwhelmed by the amount of historical information in the novel:

“Although written well there was far too much factual history within this novel for the reader to become entrenched (excuse the pun). It took me over a month to read because there was so much information to take in. I mean call me shallow but aren't novels supposed to be so good you can't put them down?” Would have been better as a history book - 7 December 2001

Useful Weblinks
· http://www.sebastianfaulks.com/index.php - This is Sebastian Faulk’s official website with information on all his books.

· http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/product/0099387913/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_img?_encoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1 - This is some customers reviews of the novel Birdsong.

· http://www.play.com/Books/Books/4-/214951/Birdsong/Product.html - if you wish to order the novel online.

1 The Telegraph, ‘Different Faulks’ 6 May, 2007.