Ask the Author: Rob Edmunds
Answered Questions (8)
Rob Edmunds
For the most part, my interest in the Carthaginians was quite accidental and serendipitous. I've always had a broad fascination with ancient history, but my knowledge didn't really extend much beyond the Greeks and Romans.
By chance, I came across a little of the biography of the Numidian King Masinissa and I found it to be completely compelling. The more I learnt about him and the period and events he lived through, the more intrigued I became and the more research I undertook. It fitted nicely with some of the knowledge I already had. For instance, the Greek historian Polybius, who had met Masinissa quite late in the king's life, referred to him as "the best man of all the kings of our time."
My interest in him and Numidia naturally burgeoned out to the Carthaginians and Hannibal. Also, many of the battlefield locations in the Second Punic War, at least the ones that I became interested in, took place in the Iberian Peninsula and the southern part of modern Spain. It's an area I know quite well and this piqued my interest further.
In truth, my interest leans more towards Numidian as opposed to Carthaginian history but the two are, in large part, intertwined.
It's also a very rich seam to mine culturally. Sophonisba, the woman Masinissa loved, could be regarded as the second most well known person of all time. I recently came across a video which made that assertion on the basis of the amount of artworks, of all types, that have been made about her life. There have been, over the centuries, many plays, paintings, operas, ballets and even films which have featured her. My most recent cultural discovery also makes a few incongruous connections. The most recent person to have played Masinissa in the movies was the legendary athlete and actor Woody Strode, whose best known for his role in Spartacus. He also was one of the athletes to break the colour bar (for the second time) in the NFL and is the person after whom the character Woody from Toy Story was named. I really never thought I'd come across a connection between Disney, the Second Punic War and the Los Angeles Rams!
By chance, I came across a little of the biography of the Numidian King Masinissa and I found it to be completely compelling. The more I learnt about him and the period and events he lived through, the more intrigued I became and the more research I undertook. It fitted nicely with some of the knowledge I already had. For instance, the Greek historian Polybius, who had met Masinissa quite late in the king's life, referred to him as "the best man of all the kings of our time."
My interest in him and Numidia naturally burgeoned out to the Carthaginians and Hannibal. Also, many of the battlefield locations in the Second Punic War, at least the ones that I became interested in, took place in the Iberian Peninsula and the southern part of modern Spain. It's an area I know quite well and this piqued my interest further.
In truth, my interest leans more towards Numidian as opposed to Carthaginian history but the two are, in large part, intertwined.
It's also a very rich seam to mine culturally. Sophonisba, the woman Masinissa loved, could be regarded as the second most well known person of all time. I recently came across a video which made that assertion on the basis of the amount of artworks, of all types, that have been made about her life. There have been, over the centuries, many plays, paintings, operas, ballets and even films which have featured her. My most recent cultural discovery also makes a few incongruous connections. The most recent person to have played Masinissa in the movies was the legendary athlete and actor Woody Strode, whose best known for his role in Spartacus. He also was one of the athletes to break the colour bar (for the second time) in the NFL and is the person after whom the character Woody from Toy Story was named. I really never thought I'd come across a connection between Disney, the Second Punic War and the Los Angeles Rams!
Rob Edmunds
Thanks Gary. I really appreciate your interest in my books. I hope you will enjoy them when you do get a chance to read them. The history within them is pretty fascinating. I learnt such a lot whilst I was researching them and I'm still learning the odd thing these days, particularly in terms of the cultural legacy some of the individuals I've written about have had.
Rob Edmunds
Hi Howard, I have heard of Ben Kane and I know a little of his reputation, both as a writer and as a person. I've never met him but, anecdotally, I've heard as you've confirmed that he's a really decent guy. I definitely intend to read some of his novels, not least as a few of them are quite similar in theme and period to the ones I've written. Thanks for the prompt. I'll delve into some of his books as soon as I have the chance. Kind Regards, Rob
Rob Edmunds
Thank Markus, that's a great review. I think perhaps the story of Jugurtha might be worth a fresh interpretation. You've given me something to think about and I'll certainly order and read Sallust's book about him now. There is actually a character called Micipsa in my novels. Livy and Polybius are quite similar, They both wrote great speeches that they attribute to Hannibal prior to the Battle of Zama. Polybius did visit Masinissa towards the end of the King's life and was enormously impressed by him. "The histories" or "The Rise of the Roman Empire" are titles by Polybius. Thank you very much for ordering my books. They probably link quite well with "Jugurtha's War."
Rob Edmunds
Hi Marcus, historical fiction is my favourite genre too. Masininissa does pop up in a few ancient works. I read Sallust's reference about him too. The sources I most relied on were by Livy and Polybius. I have two books about him. The first is Masinissa: Ally of Carthage and the sequel is Masinissa: Ally of Rome. They feature events during the Second Punic War between 213 and 202BC. Both books are available from Amazon and from all of the other major online book retailers. I hope you will enjoy them. Thank you.
Rob Edmunds
Thank you so much Dillon. I really appreciate that. Can I ask you which of the two you've purchased? The first is Masinissa: Ally of Carthage and the sequel is Masinissa: Ally of Rome. I hope you will enjoy whichever one it is!
Rob Edmunds
Hi James, the historical story is pretty fascinating and quite momentous. It was a real pleasure to research and write about Masinissa's story, or a part of it at least. He is still a very important figure across North Africa, a fact I wasn't aware of when I started to learn about him. The books are in order. The first is Ally of Carthage and the sequel is Ally of Rome. Thanks very much for your interest in them and I hope, when the opportunity arises, that you will enjoy whichever of the two you read.
Rob Edmunds
I might read some travel literature as the real thing may still be denied me for a little while longer! I hope to read the books DH Lawrence wrote about Italy and Mexico and read more from travel writers I admire like Jan Morris, Eric Newby and Paul Theroux. If I'm feeling strenuous, I'll read the White Spider by Heinrich Harrer again. It's a great book about the conquest of the North Face of the Eiger and is written by the person portrayed by Brad Pitt in the film Seven years in Tibet. I'm currently reading Charlie Chaplin's autobiography which is excellent and I have a copy of his novel Footlights which is semi-autobiographical.
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