It was only after five years in the army, when I was having to do a very boring job in a very boring place, that I thought: 'Why not try writing a novel?' partly out of youthful arrogance and partly… — Antony Beevor Copy Share Image
The memory of the Second World War hangs over Europe, an inescapable and irresistible point of reference. Historical parallels are usually misleading and dangerous. — Antony Beevor Copy Share
I believe passionately in preemptive pessimism, especially before a book comes out. I expect the worst both from reviewers and sales, and then, with… — Antony Beevor Copy Share
It is important to understand the continuing, confused fascination with the Second World War. For most of us, the great unspoken question is how… — Antony Beevor Copy Share
I was in Estonia when a professor asked me if I was aware that making any criticism of the Red Army during the war… — Antony Beevor Copy Share
The blurring of fact and fiction has great commercial potential, which is bound to be corrupting in historical terms. — Antony Beevor Copy Share
A blend of fact and fiction has been used in various forms since the dawn of creative writing, starting with sagas and epic poems. — Antony Beevor Copy Share
When my first novel was published, I went in great excitement round bookshops in central London to see if they had stocked it. — Antony Beevor Copy Share
I feel slightly uneasy at the way historians are consulted as if history is going to repeat itself. It never does. — Antony Beevor Copy Share
I'm often reassured in a bizarre - perhaps perverse - way when I find in the archive stuff that contradicts what my assumptions have… — Antony Beevor Copy Share
The duty of a historian is simply to understand and then convey that understanding, no more than that. — Antony Beevor Copy Share
Every country has its own perspective on the Second World War. This is not surprising when experiences and memories are so different. — Antony Beevor Copy Share
There are one or two very good women military historians who use imagination, great study and research; they can put themselves in the boots… — Antony Beevor Copy Share
I think one of the great disasters (in military history) is the way that the Second World War has become the defining reference point… — Antony Beevor Copy Share
