"Winter of the World," by Ken Follett
Jeff Glor talks to Ken Follett about, "Winter of the World: Book Two of the Century Trilogy."
Jeff Glor: What inspired you to write the book?
Ken Follett: The 20th century is the most dramatic century in the history of the human race, with terrible wars, mass murder, and nuclear weapons--and it's also the century in which I and most of my readers were born, so it's our story.
JG: What surprised you the most during the writing process?
KF: I was shocked to learn that Stalin's regime in the Soviet Union was as brutal and murderous as Hitler's in Germany.
JG: What would you be doing if you weren't a writer?
KF: Tough question, as I've been doing this full time since I was 28. I'd probably be a journalist, interviewing authors.
JG: What else are you reading right now?
KF: "Shakespeare's Language" by Frank Kermode. I'm a Shakespeare nut and I bought this in Stratford two weekends ago.
JG: What's next for you?
KF: Writing Book Three in the Century trilogy, which is called "Edge of Eternity" and is about the Cold War.
For more on "Winter of the World," visit the Penguin Publishing website.
