The Burning Shore

The Burning Shore is a novel by Wilbur Smith set during and after World War I.[1]

The Burning Shore
First edition
AuthorWilbur Smith
CountryFrance/South-West Africa/South Africa
LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Courtney Novels
PublisherHeinemann
Publication date
1985
Preceded byA Sparrow Falls 
Followed byPower of the Sword 

Smith called the book his "Road to Damascus" moment because it was the first time he used a female as a major character.[2] It is one of the Courtney Novels.

Plot

In 1917 during World War I, South African fighter pilot Michael Courtney falls in love with Centaine, a French woman. On their wedding day – prior to their wedding – Courtney is killed in action, and, following the destruction of her home by a German bombardment, the pregnant Centaine enrols as a nurse and embarks on a hospital ship for South Africa. The ship is torpedoed by a German U-Boat and Centaine lands on the Skeleton Coast. She attempts to make her way south to South Africa but is adopted by two San who teach her how to survive in the desert.

Background

Smith later recalled "The women in some of my books are more powerful than the male characters, and that one was the breakthrough novel, because the female lead kicked the arse of all the males in the book... I was involved at the time with a very kick-arse woman [second wife Danielle Thomas] and she was fascinating, and I adapted her into the story."[3]

1991 film adaptation

The book was adapted into a film in 1991 called Mountain of Diamonds or The Burning Shore. It was directed by Jeannot Szwarc.

Cast
gollark: We all know Lyric's entry is just LITERAL pythonoforms.
gollark: I mean, more so.
gollark: The one which turns ABR into dangerous superintelligent AI.
gollark: My scheduler algorithm says this is the best time to merge it or not.
gollark: ++remind 12.7h merge PR or don't

References
  1. Stephen Hunter (Oct 7, 1985). "Doomed by Romance: THE BURNING SHORE By Wilbur Smith Doubleday. 420 pp. $17.95". The Washington Post. p. B11.
  2. "Wilbur Smith answers your questions", BBC News,, 6 April 2009, accessed 14 March 2013
  3. Kerridge, Jake (14 September 2014). "Wilbur Smith interview for Desert God: 'My life is as good as it's ever been'". www.telegraph.co.uk.


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