Andrew Van Ness
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
I've been listening to an excellent podcast about WWI and the diplomatic/military complexity of the situation is astounding. What historical influences/texts helped you to form the mindsets of Aral, Piotr, and Miles? I love the way they strategize and plan. They make me think of many different generals and tacticians, and I would love to read those auto/biographies. I wish to plumb the depths of your mind.
Lois McMaster Bujold
My mind has no wish to be plumbed at this time, nor even have wiring run in, but off the top I can direct you to T. E. Lawrence, Basil Liddell Hart, John Keegan, and Barbara Tuchman.
Probably about a hundred more historians and memoirists (first-hand accounts are way the best) whose names escape me without a major spelunking. I read a lot of this stuff back in my teens, when WWII was still saturating the zeitgeist, and my 20s. I was recently reminded of Bat Bomb by Jack Couffer, my fave WWII memoir, although it has no actual war in it. Unless you count burning down the army air corps base.
I don't think you realize how far down and murky the depths of my mind are by now. A lot of my references are reduced to hand-waving and things like, "that memoir by the youngest paratrooper general (oh, Gavin), or "that appalling account of the Bataan death march" (could be any of many), or "the one by the Pacific pilot (Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, aha!) or "the one about the Flying Tigers", or, "the one about the borked first landing in Italy", or... And so on.
You could just take it chronologically, and start with Thucydides, I suppose. Or Herodotus. I can't say that either informed my mind that much, but I guarantee many of the military geeks you wish to study, studied them. Have not read Julius Caesar, but he still has works in print, too.
Ta, L.
My mind has no wish to be plumbed at this time, nor even have wiring run in, but off the top I can direct you to T. E. Lawrence, Basil Liddell Hart, John Keegan, and Barbara Tuchman.
Probably about a hundred more historians and memoirists (first-hand accounts are way the best) whose names escape me without a major spelunking. I read a lot of this stuff back in my teens, when WWII was still saturating the zeitgeist, and my 20s. I was recently reminded of Bat Bomb by Jack Couffer, my fave WWII memoir, although it has no actual war in it. Unless you count burning down the army air corps base.
I don't think you realize how far down and murky the depths of my mind are by now. A lot of my references are reduced to hand-waving and things like, "that memoir by the youngest paratrooper general (oh, Gavin), or "that appalling account of the Bataan death march" (could be any of many), or "the one by the Pacific pilot (Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, aha!) or "the one about the Flying Tigers", or, "the one about the borked first landing in Italy", or... And so on.
You could just take it chronologically, and start with Thucydides, I suppose. Or Herodotus. I can't say that either informed my mind that much, but I guarantee many of the military geeks you wish to study, studied them. Have not read Julius Caesar, but he still has works in print, too.
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
Adam White
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
I know it's just over a 12 hour flight, but ever thought of coming to New Zealand to give a reading? You could go to Australia too. Although it is hot and has many snakes, actually if memory serves 7 or 8 of the top killers in the world. Aotearoa, land of the long white cloud, and the only thing you have to worry about is sheep.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more