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Jump to navigationJump to searchThe Interview: Bookbag Talks To Giles Milton (view source)
Revision as of 11:50, 1 March 2011
, 11:50, 1 March 2011no edit summary
GM: My wife helped enormously with the book. I decided right from the outset that Wolfram needed to relive his experiences in German. I don't speak German and so it was Alexandra who conducted all the interviews - 60 hours of them. I set all the questions and requested more information if and when I needed it.
My eldest daughter has just finished the book and found it fascinating - not just because it was about her family, but because she had never before considered what ordinary Germans experienced during the Third Reich.
* '''BB: Some critics have said that it would have been better if ''Wolfram'' had been written by a non-family member, but as I read I saw Wolfram as the German 'Everyman', with the particular subject being almost irrelevant. Have I missed the point?'''
GM: Actually, I'd say - in a nutshell - that my books are about ordinary people who find themselves (often through no fault of their own) in the most extraordinary situations. William Adams was a common mariner who ended up a samurai at the Japanese court. (Samurai William) Thomas Pellow was a cabin boy who found himself a slave at the Moroccan sultan's court. (White Gold) And Wolfram, in similar fashion, was an ordinary German who found himself conscripted into Hitler's brutal war machine.
* '''BB: Here at Bookbag our eyes light up when we hear of a new Giles Milton book. We loved [[According to Arnold: A Novel of Love and Mushrooms by Giles Milton|According to Arnold: A Novel of Love and Mushrooms]], which was fiction for adults. We know of one four year old who thinks that [[Zebedee's Zoo by Giles Milton and Katharine McEwen|Zebedee's Zoo]] is one of the bestest books ever and now we're enjoying ''Wolfram'', a serious biography and history book. Is there no end to your genius? What can't you do?'''
GM: You're very kind! I can't do anything except write. And cook. Yes, I do love to cook. Maybe one day I shall write a cookery book. My favorite cuisine is Middle Eastern and North African. Meat with fruit - that sort of thing! And I can rustle up a delicious fish tagine.
