logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2023
58m 38s

How to Write Historical Fiction | Interv...

Wondery / Patrick Wyman
About this episode

Every historian I know has a secret dream of writing historical fiction, but few ever do it. Dan Jones, a longtime friend of Tides of History and an outstanding historian, has actually done it: Essex Dogs, his fantastic debut novel about a group of soldiers during the Hundred Years' War, is out now. I talk to Dan about writing historical fiction and what it can do that pure history can't.


Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: https://bit.ly/PWverge


Listen to new episodes 1 week early, to exclusive seasons 1 and 2, and to all episodes ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery Ap https://wondery.app.link/tidesofhistory

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Yesterday
Encore: The Rise and Fall of the Medici Bank
The Medici name still carries echoes of power and labyrinthine politics. But the Medici got their start as bankers, and built a financial empire that spanned fifteenth-century Europe. Popes, kings, and merchants all did business with the Medici, and the family's power over Floren ... Show More
54m 19s
Jul 3
The Roman Conquest of the Hellenistic World
For most of its history, Rome barely bothered with the Greek east. Then, quite suddenly, Rome exploded onto the scene, laying low the two most powerful Hellenistic warrior-kings of the past century. Within ten years, Rome became the undisputed hegemonic power of the Mediterranean ... Show More
43m 35s
Jun 26
Who was Thomas More? Interview with Dr. Joanne Paul
Thomas More is one of the most fascinating figures of the 16th century: saint, persecutor of Protestants, government official, martyr. But who was he, really? Dr. Joanne Paul has written a wonderful new biography of More, entitled Thomas More: A Life, which explores his origins a ... Show More
45m 4s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2021
14. Historical Fiction
Is the author’s responsibility to the quality of the novel or the truth of history? What makes a great historical novel and which authors have contributed to our understanding of history. Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook range across literature in search of the best of historica ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 2021
What would you ask a historian?
Greg Jenner talks about his latest book, Ask A Historian, which tackles 50 burning questions that people have about the past Public historian Greg Jenner talks to Elinor Evans about his latest book, Ask A Historian, which tackles on 50 questions exploring some unexpected chapters ... Show More
45m 26s
Dec 2022
A Short History of The World
How can you condense the history of the world into a book? Well-celebrated historian Simon Sebag Montefiore does just that in his new epic. He takes Dan on an exhilarating journey through the families that have shaped our world: the Caesars, Medicis and Incas, Ottomans and Mughal ... Show More
28m 57s
Nov 2023
The Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War plunged England, France and their allies into over a century of conflict. This bleak period of history had rebellions, assassinations, open warfare and even the Black Death as the two rival dynasties went head-to-head for the French throne. Dan is joined by ... Show More
51m 9s
Jul 2022
Formidable Heroines of History
From the notorious thief Mary Frith in the seventeenth century to industrialist and LGBT trailblazer Anne Lister in the nineteenth, these heroines redefined what a woman could be and what she could do in pre-twentieth-century Britain. Holly Kyte, author and literary critic, joins ... Show More
26m 13s
Dec 2022
Dan Snow's History Hit Quiz!
Fingers on buzzers for a very special History Hit end-of-year treat. Tricky expert questions, history in the headlines, historical fact or fiction? It can only be the History Hit Big Quiz of 2022 - a seasonal test where you can pit your wits against our in-house history brains, o ... Show More
42m 59s
Feb 2023
The Murder of Charles I
It's 1660 and General Edward Whalley and his son-in-law board a ship bound for the New World. They're on the run, wanted for the murder of King Charles I. His execution, the culmination of the English Civil War, sees control taken from the royalists by Oliver Cromwell and his par ... Show More
30m 35s
Oct 2023
History Daily: The Unearthing of the Cardiff Giant
October 16, 1869. An American trickster masterminds the discovery of a mysterious petrified giant in upstate New York.You can listen ad-free in the Wondery or Amazon Music app. Or for all that and more, go to IntoHistory.comHistory Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.G ... Show More
15m 18s
Sep 2023
The Legacy of Rome
Rome has attracted aspiring conquerors and leaders for millennia, not just as a great metropolis, but as an idea. It has long been a symbol of military might and universal power, defined by political and religious authority as well as great feats of engineering that would leave i ... Show More
23m 24s