Henri Strinati, French historical novelist
THE AUTHOR

HENRI STRINATI

A French novelist with a lifelong fascination for the Middle Ages.

Henri Strinati writes historical adventure rooted in the political, religious and human conflicts of medieval Europe.

His fiction combines extensive historical research with a strong sense of place, bringing together real events, imagined lives and characters confronted by loyalty, ambition, faith and power.

“Through fiction, I want readers to experience another time — not simply observe it from a distance.”
A LIFELONG FASCINATION

FROM READER TO NOVELIST

The Middle Ages entered Henri Strinati’s imagination long before he began writing historical fiction.

His fascination began with the great figures and stories of medieval Europe: Richard the Lionheart and Philip Augustus, the romances of Chrétien de Troyes, the Arthurian tradition and Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe.

He began writing as a teenager, drawn from the outset to storytelling, adventure and characters placed in extraordinary circumstances. Historical fiction eventually gave him the form in which these interests could come together.

The Knights Templar proved especially compelling: an order founded around ideals of service and protection, but which accumulated power, wealth and enemies before its dramatic destruction. That tension between ideals and power became one of the foundations of The Templar’s Odyssey.

01

THE MIDDLE AGES

Kings, crusaders, Arthurian literature and medieval adventure first opened the door to the period.

02

STORYTELLING

Writing began in adolescence and remained a constant thread alongside a long professional career outside publishing.

03

THE TEMPLARS

Their rise and fall offered the ideal setting for exploring loyalty, justice, faith and the exercise of power.

RESEARCH & WRITING

HISTORY BEGINS WITH PLACES

Henri Strinati’s novels grow out of extensive historical research, but also from direct encounters with the landscapes, fortresses, churches and towns in which medieval history survives.

01

RESEARCH

Geography, architecture, political history, religion and everyday life all form part of the preparation behind the novels. Historical detail establishes the world; fiction brings its inhabitants to life.

02

PLACES

Montségur, Montbazon, medieval commanderies, the castles of the Loire, Le Mans and Saint-Malo, as well as Gubbio and Urbino in Italy, have all contributed to the geography and atmosphere of his fiction.

03

PROCESS

“Ten per cent structure. Then the characters take over.”

Henri begins with a framework, but does not attempt to control every stage of the story in advance. As the characters develop, their choices increasingly determine where the narrative goes.

WRITING FOR READERS

ADVENTURE, HISTORY — AND THE PLEASURE OF DISCOVERY

Above all, Henri Strinati wants his novels to carry readers into another time: to experience its dangers, encounter its people and discover its history through adventure.


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