Conn Iggulden: Author Interview-Literary Festival

There is something magical about meeting and interviewing an author with an international reputation. So, the visiting celebrity author Conn Iggulden, was a huge success with the students and staff who gathered in T13 to listen and question him.

He explained that he enjoyed writing historical fiction, especially of the Roman era. He outlined how he researched and wrote his novel called The Death of Kings. Set in North Africa, it tells the story of Roman legionaries up against and a band of pirates who kidnapped Julius Caesar for ransom. Most of the novel is based on fact; the gaps allowed Iggulden to use his knowledge and understanding of the time to fill in missing details with a plausible explanation and how he explained this was fascinating.

One important point he made was about the importance of visiting the location of the novel’s setting: so much insight can be harnessed by being on the site where events happened, albeit centuries ago.

Many thanks to Catherine Griffiths, who organised this great literary event: thanks, too, to the students who asked such insightful questions.