Monday, July 9, 2012

“H” is for Robert Harris

The Alphabet in Crime Fiction meme hosted by Kerrie Smith at her blog, Mysteries in Paradise, moves relentlessly through the alphabet. For the letter “H” I have chosen to profile author, Robert Harris.

Out of my personal “H” choices I settled on Harris as he is one of the few authors I have read both for non-fiction and fiction.

He was born in Nottingham, England and grew up there. He attended Cambridge University.

Following university he worked for the CBC and, at 30, moved to the newspaper world where he worked for The Observer, The Sunday Times and The Daily Telegraph.

He started writing non-fiction books in 1982 and fiction in 1992.

Of the Harris books I have read I enjoyed best his non-fiction work, Selling Hitler, about the fake Hitler diaries for which Stern paid about $4,000,000 over a generation ago. The book is really a non-fiction mystery. A plane carrying Hitler’s private papers disappears at the end of WW II. Decades later a reporter is given access to the diaries and Stern eagerly buys them. Harris unveils the forgery and the identity of the forger.

A profile at The Guardian states:

In the early Nineties, Harris resigned from The Observer and announced he was going to write a novel, based around the notion that Hitler and the Nazis had won the Second World War. 'It was an idea he had talked about when we were all at Cambridge,' says Mitchell. By then, Harris had already published three well-regarded works of non-fiction - an account of the fake Hitler diaries scandal at the Sunday Times, Gotcha!, about the press and the Falklands, and a biography of Bernard Ingham - but this was a very different venture. Howard admits he thought the novel a silly idea. Paxman, though, was convinced it would work. 'He's just an extremely clever, talented and funny man. I never had any doubt it would be a success.'

I remember reading Fatherland though it was before I started writing reviews. I read it swiftly drawn by a narrative of a Nazi run Europe that seemed all too plausible. The mystery part of the book was alright but the Europe created by Harris after a Nazi victory was brilliant.

Of his subsequent works of fiction I read Archangel which appeared to draw on Selling Hitler in that the plot involved a search for Stalin’s journal. The plot got somewhat bizarre to me as it reached a conclusion.

Of his Roman novels I have read Pompeii and Imperium. I liked them both but thought Pompeii was a better book. There are not many thrillers that feature a water engineer, Attilius. In the book he sets out to repair the great Aqua Augustus aqueduct which has failed in the vicinity of Mount Vesuvius.

In a subsequent Guardian article he provided advice on writing including:

To these three dictums, Polonius-like, I can add a few more. Don't try to write too much in a single session. One thousand words a day is quite enough. Stop after about four or five hours. Remember that most writing is done in the subconscious ("the boys in the basement," as Stephen King calls his unseen helpers) and that inspiration is only a posh word for ideas. Pace yourself, get some recreation, avoid tiring yourself out. Cut your manuscript ruthlessly but never throw anything away: it's amazing how often a discarded scene or description, which wouldn't fit in one place, will work perfectly later. Resist the temptation to show off your research (one of Tom Stoppard's maxims is, Just because it's true doesn't mean it's interesting). Be economical: Noel Coward's definition of good writing was the art of conveying something in as few words as possible

I have not read his most recent books, The Ghost and The Fear Index, which have generated significant controversy.

18 comments:

  1. I read the Hitler Diaries and, later, Fatherland, but I did not think Fatherland as good as SSGB by Len Deighton. I haven't read any more of his books, though others in my family have read the Roman ones and The Ghost, and enjoyed them.

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  2. Good post Bill. I liked Harris' Roman books but thought THE GHOST average (at best, lots of spleen-venting thinly disguised as a thriller really) and THE FEAR INDEX was one of the worst books I have read in a very long time. Utter drivel from beginning to end. So I'm afraid I'm done with Mr Harris I think.

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  3. Bill - A very fine post, for which thanks, and a good reminder to me that I need to read Harris' Roman novels. I agree with you that he creates a strong sense of place in both his fiction and his non-fiction.

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  4. I haven't read the Harris Roman novels. Thanks for the heads up.

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  5. Maybe I live in a bubble... I haven't heard of this author before, but your post, Bill, plus the comments make me curious to check him out. I am impressed by any author who does both fiction & nonfiction.

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  6. Maxine: Thanks for the comment. I concur on Selling Hitler being better than Fatherland as a book though the plot of Fatherland lingers still in my mind.

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  7. Bernadette: Thanks for the comment. I remember your review of The Fear Index. It was a memorable review.

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  8. Margot: Thanks for the comment. I will be interested in hearing which of the Roman books you liked best.

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  9. Clarissa: Thanks for the comment. If you want to experience Roman life they will take you there.

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  10. Jill: Thanks for the comment. I suggest you read Selling Hitler and Fatherland. I could see you writing a non-fiction book like Selling Hitler which is a real life mystery / thriller.

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  11. One of the reasons The Ghost was popular/notorious in the UK is that Robert Harris was one of Tony Blair's inner circle of friends but fell out with him. The Ghost was supposed to be his revenge and the main character based on Blair. I never understand quite why Blair is so vilified in the UK, most particularly by his own party, as he's the most successful Prime Minister we've had in my memory (Thatcher, Major, Brown, Heath, Douglas Hume, Callaghan, etc....give me a break!)

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  12. Not least Cameron, of course! How could I forget - must have blanked him.

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  13. I was glad to see this overview of Robert Harris because I have 3 of his books, unread: THE GHOST, FATHERLAND, and ENIGMA. This motivates me to try one of the Roman novels also.

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  14. Maxine: Thanks for the further comments and your candid assessment of British Prime Ministers. The last thinly disguised political fiction I have read was Primary Colors. I enjoyed the book.

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  15. TracyK: Thanks for the comment. I look forward to your thoughts in the future on the books of Harris.

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  16. Nice post Bill. I am a fan 'counterfactual history' as a sub-genre so remember liking FATHERLAND and ARCHANGEL but haven;t really kept up with Harris after that - I was quite tempted by THE GHOST but haven't even seen the movie actually. Thanks for the prompt!

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  17. Sergio: Thanks for the comment. I hope you read The Ghost. I would be interested in your thoughts. The books has engendered strong opinions.

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  18. Idea is cool! I'm thinking to make out the alphabetic meaning of my name, too. Thanks for an interesting idea. Good luck H (or Harris) ;)!
    nottingham writers

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