Ken Follett, international launch of “The Evening and the Morning”
On Tuesday 15 Sept 2020, Ken Follett’s publisher PanMacmillan held a virtual press conference, in association with the Foreign Press Association (FPA), to launch The Evening and the Morning. The virtual press conference was held on Zoom and moderated by the Director of the FPA, Deborah Bonetti.
I was one of the fortunate few who attended the event and I am so glad I did! The intention was to show a short film that Ken Follett had made giving a background to his interest in Kingsbridge, cathedrals, the desire to be historically accurate as far as possible, etc. Unfortunately the film refused to work due to a technical fault. So Ken Follett immediately stepped in with an impromptu and an excellent lecture on “Where do you get your ideas?” He answered it beautifully by saying it is not a bad question and that readers often provide the answer themselves. Then he spent the next ten minutes discussing it, weaving it around The Evening and the Morning. It was magical to hear a hugely successful author, who has purportedly sold 170 million copies of his books till date, talk about his writing craft, how to write historical fiction, why he writes such big fat stories that range between 300,000 to 400,000 words etc. It was a fantastic experience participating in the conference. Alas, neither the movie nor the recording of the press conference can be easily uploaded. I wish it was!
Nevertheless, the novel begins well. I have not finished reading it at the time of writing this novel as it is a doorstopper of a novel and needs to be read slowly. But from the little I have read, it is a promising read. Also as Ken Follett mentioned in the press conference that he would rather write novels that can be read slowly and savoured over time.
Press Release:
From the bestselling author Ken Follett, The Evening and the Morning is a historical epic that will end where The Pillars of the Earth begins.
A TIME OF CONFLICT
It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages, and England faces attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Life is hard, and those with power wield it harshly, bending justice according to their will – often in conflict with the king. With his grip on the country fragile and with no clear rule of law, chaos and bloodshed reign.
THREE LIVES INTERTWINED
Into this uncertain world three people come to the fore: a young boatbuilder, who dreams of a better future when a devastating Viking raid shatters the life that he and the woman he loves hoped for; a Norman noblewoman, who follows her beloved husband across the sea to a new land only to find her life there shockingly different; and a capable monk at Shiring Abbey, who dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a centre of learning admired throughout Europe.
THE DAWN OF A NEW AGE
Now, with England at the dawn of the Middle Ages, these three people will each come into dangerous conflict with a ruthless bishop, who will do anything to increase his wealth and power, in an epic tale of ambition and rivalry, death and birth, and love and hate.
Thirty years ago we were introduced to Kingsbridge in The Pillars of the Earth, and now in this masterful prequel international bestseller, Ken Follett will take us on a journey into a rich past, which will end where his masterpiece begins.
30 September 2020
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