Hastings, Beevor to publish competing general histories of World War II
The generals of Britain’s second world war book industry are planning a head-to-head clash with heavyweight new tomes retelling the story of the 1939-45 conflict.
Sir Max Hastings and Antony Beevor, who between them have covered campaigns from Normandy to Stalingrad and the Pacific, plan the 800-page volumes in 2012 as the pinnacles of their military history careers.
Beevor, author of Stalingrad, D-Day, and Berlin: the Downfall, has already won the first engagement with a publisher’s advance believed to be about £1m. Hastings is not far behind.
“Max and I are both great friends and great rivals,” said Beevor, whose book will be published in Britain by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. “It’s the whole war and yes, it’s a terrifying prospect.”...
Both Beevor and Hastings are known for their ability to cover the broad sweep of history while including vivid human stories. “It’s vital to get the point of view of those involved from both ‘above and below’, as it were,” said Beevor.
Hastings, whose most recent work was Finest Years: Churchill as Warlord, has his own thoughts about the 1939-45 conflict. “It’s perceived, albeit in some ways wrongly, as the last great simple collision between good and evil. It, of course, also includes a staggering range of remarkable stories of extreme human experience. Even now I keep discovering remarkable things about the period.”...
Read entire article at Sunday Times (UK)
Sir Max Hastings and Antony Beevor, who between them have covered campaigns from Normandy to Stalingrad and the Pacific, plan the 800-page volumes in 2012 as the pinnacles of their military history careers.
Beevor, author of Stalingrad, D-Day, and Berlin: the Downfall, has already won the first engagement with a publisher’s advance believed to be about £1m. Hastings is not far behind.
“Max and I are both great friends and great rivals,” said Beevor, whose book will be published in Britain by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. “It’s the whole war and yes, it’s a terrifying prospect.”...
Both Beevor and Hastings are known for their ability to cover the broad sweep of history while including vivid human stories. “It’s vital to get the point of view of those involved from both ‘above and below’, as it were,” said Beevor.
Hastings, whose most recent work was Finest Years: Churchill as Warlord, has his own thoughts about the 1939-45 conflict. “It’s perceived, albeit in some ways wrongly, as the last great simple collision between good and evil. It, of course, also includes a staggering range of remarkable stories of extreme human experience. Even now I keep discovering remarkable things about the period.”...