Author, journalist, broadcaster, and historian Max Hastings spoke at this year’s WWI CCA about how the war began and the commanders of the Western Front.
As you mentioned, you were a journalist. Your first book came out in 1969?
Yes. I was reporting the election, and I was in Chicago and Washington during the riots. I covered Bobby Kennedy’s campaign and Eugene McArthur’s and so on. I thought I had a good story to tell, so I wrote it when I was 22. But as you can imagine, when you write books when you’re 22, they tend to be pretty awful, and this one was. But, I was glad I did it. I’m always telling my children that it was a huge thing for me spending that much time in America. When I became a newspaper editor later, I insisted that staff did not just stay on the East and West Coast. If you want to understand America, you’re much more likely to understand it in — dare I say it—- — Ohio, Michigan, and Minnesota than you are in New York City or California.
You wrote your first book in 1969, and you retired in 2002?
I never intended to be a newspaper editor. I started writing books when I was young. I reported a lot of wars when I was a young journalist, mostly for BBC TV. But after I came out of Saigon, off the roof of the American Embassy in 1975, I said I was done war reporting. I settled down to write books. But then I went back one more time to report the Falklands War — the South Atlantic War — in 1982, because I thought it was going to be a great event.
You were the first journalist allowed in?
I walked into Port Stanley ahead of the British task force. That was a good old-fashioned stunt. I was 36 and getting a bit old for that sort of thing. Then quite unexpectedly – I thought I was just going to carry on writing books – I was rung up at the end of 1985, and they said would you like to be editor of the Telegraph. I thought I couldn’t say no. I said I’d do it for five years, and I ended up doing it for 16. Then I went back to writing books, which is what I love. One of the things that’s marvelous nowadays about being an author is I have a website, and you hear from all over the world — especially from the United States — and it’s fascinating to hear people’s comments and ideas. You do feel in touch with your audience in a way that 30 years ago, before the Net, you didn’t.
You mentioned that you’ve always been passionate about writing. After a long career what would you say your biggest motivator is to continue telling stories?
I suppose when I was young, I wanted to have adventures. I thought all right-thinking young men should want to have adventures. And I thought it was wonderful anyone was willing to pay me money to fly around in helicopters in Indochina, and I loved all that. But then there comes the time when most of us grow up, and I suppose all the different phases in my life, I’ve been terribly lucky. Where one realizes one’s certainly lucky – two things: one, most people have an awful lot they want to say, but they never discover how to express themselves. If you’re able to express yourself, one is terribly privileged and lucky. Secondly, most people do jobs they don’t really enjoy. They do it to pay the rent. It’s marvelous if you’re lucky enough to do something you really enjoy doing.
You’ve written over 20 books. Do you have a favorite topic to research, or even a favorite book you’ve ever written?
I wrote about Winston Churchill during the war which I loved doing, writing about Churchill. He’s such an amazing leader. I adored doing that book, and it was really a pleasure doing it. It’s a favorite among my books.
On your website, you said you and your wife “garden enthusiastically.” What’s your favorite thing to grow and what do you like about gardening?
Sweet peas we love. We’ve got good sweet peas, and even now in September, they’re looking good. Gardening is one of those things you can keep doing ‘til you drop. When I was younger, I used to prefer fishing and hunting. Nowadays, I still fish, and I still hunt, but I prefer gardening. At every stage of life, different things open up to you. For instance, when I was young, I was completely uninterested in the opera and the ballet, but now we adore it and we go a lot. At the backend of one’s career, there are always new things opening up, as you will discover I hope.
