Fires Which Burned Brightly: Ten Essays in Place of a Memoir

by Sebastian Faulks

Genres: Nonfiction

400 pages, Hardcover

First published September 2, 2025

About the author

Sebastian Faulks is a British novelist, journalist, and broadcaster best known for his acclaimed historical novels set in France, including The Girl at the Lion d'Or, Birdsong, and Charlotte Gray. Alongside these, he has written contemporary fiction, a James Bond continuation novel (Devil May Care), and a Jeeves homage (Jeeves and the Wedding Bells). A former literary editor and journalist, Faulks gained widespread recognition with Birdsong, which solidified his literary reputation. He has also appeared regularly on British media, notably as a team captain on BBC Radio 4's The Write Stuff, and authored the TV tie-in Faulks on Fiction. Honored as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and appointed CBE for his services to literature, Faulks continues to publish widely, with The Seventh Son released in 2023.

Reviews

[Paula Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this.

[Christy fictional_traits · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The only dividend of the years vanishing, as far as I can see, is that it makes aspects of the past appear more interesting or humorous than they felt at the time'.

Some of Faulks's best known books are set around wartime and its aftermath. After reading his latest book, a hybrid of autobiography and thoughtful essays, it is easier to understand why. As a baby boomer child, born in that decade after WW2 when so many were, his stories begin with a childhood in rural England still trying to claw its way out of the horror of not only that war but also the generations affected by the first world war too. To that end, his essays on growing up are an interesting personalised glimpse into England's social history - I particularly enjoyed learning of his boarding school experiences. However, other essays segue off into topics like mental health, which although part of his personal journey, are more of a general showcase of thoughts and opinions. Some readers might find the hybrid nature of the book somewhat jolting, however, others will enjoy the opportunity to dip in and out of essays at their leisure without losing any continuity or pace.

Readers who enjoy the work of Sebastian Faulks, as well as those simply interested in post-war social history, will find essays within this book that will resonate with them. A good overall read.

'The things that push themselves into your recollection are the ones that made your life different from others'.

[Mili Das · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fires Which Burned Brightly by Sebastian Faulks
Will be Published on 2 Sep 2025.
Thank you for providing me the digital ARC copy @netgalley @penguinrandomhouse

In Fires Which Burned Brightly, Faulks, a reluctant memoirist, offers readers a series of detailed snapshots from a life in progress. They include a post-war rural childhood – ‘cold mutton and wet washing on a rack over the range’ – the booze-sodden heyday of Fleet Street and a career as one of the country’s most acclaimed novelists.

There are not one, but two daring escapes from boarding school; the delirium of a jetlagged American book tour; the writing of Birdsong in his brother’s house in 1992; and memorable trips across the channel to France. Politics, psychiatry and frustrated ventures into the world of entertainment are analysed with patience and rueful humour.

The book is driven by a desire ‘to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.’ It ends with a tribute to Faulks’s parents and a sense of how his own generation was shaped by the disruptive power of war and its aftermath.

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It's nostalgic, warm, vividly portrayed exploring life and the world around us. Reminiscing adolescence and coming of age like an opportunity to stroll down memory lane.

I liked the crispy humourous tone which was different than his novel yet so firm, a delight to read.

[Kristiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faulks' approach to a memoir is unique - most likely because when he crafted these essays originally, he did not mean to shape a memoir from them. Thus, Fires Which Burned Brightly is less of a memoir and more of conversation with Sebastian Faulks. A conversation in which he talks about his childhood, his family, his career in journalism, the projects which have meant the most to him, and some of the processes behind the writing of some of his novels.

I began reading this memoir alongside reading Birdsong and so it was pretty special to read such a harrowing yet moving novel for the first time accompanied by the author, as Faulks explains his research methods for Birdsong in an essay.

And Faulks' essays are honest, witty, moving, and deeply insightful. From the establishment of The Independent to writing a speech for Prince William, Faulks has certainly had a rich career, and yet the writer remains humble and he cannot help but reflect somewhat on the world we are now being faced with. I feel I know Faulks far better now as both a man and a writer - a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Katy Wheatley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving away from strict autobiographical tradition, this is a collection of carefully balanced essays which the author has used to reflect certain aspects of his life, in rough chronological order, which he considers useful or indicative of the essential self he wishes to show the reader. There is, for example, very little mention of his wife and children but a great deal of reflection and focus on his relationship with his parents and brother. I enjoyed the book because it was slightly unconventional in its organisation and execution. Thoughtful, at times funny and at other times touching.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author's thoughtful, thought-provoking and insightful essays were a joy to read, especially as each was as well-crafted and reflective as his fictional writing. One of the things I find so satisfying about his storytelling is that his characters, his plotting and his evocations of time and place always feel credible and now, having read how meticulous his research is, it becomes so clear why his stories are not only believable, but also memorable.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different way to write a memoir. Ten essays on a life well lived, and a life not without struggles of its own. Some of these essays resounded with me and I loved them. Others, for instance there’s one about wine drinking, not so much. What I loved most was an unexpected insight into the man who wrote one of my favourite books Birdsong.