I have always thought of Rafael Sabatini as a
member of a special trinity. Like the other two members John Buchan and Anthony
Hope, he provided food and fuel for the imagination and a chance to escape from
the mundane world. He gave a taste of romance, excitement and adventure, often
in glamorous and historic settings, to people who had little chance of getting
anything like it in real life.
John Buchan was also born in 1875, and by
coincidence there are significant occasions in February for all three men: Anthony
Hope was born on February 9th; John Buchan died on February 11th and Rafael
Sabatini died on February 13th.
I put Rafael Sabatini above Anthony Hope and
below John Buchan when it comes to both my enjoyment of their books and finding
them a good source of material for articles about unseen influences.
Previous references
Although his books do not inspire commentary the
way John Buchan’s do, Rafael Sabatini has been mentioned in a few articles. His
wise words about equality have been quoted; the tragic deaths of his son and step-son and his obvious favouring of heroes with black hair over their
rivals with blond hair have also been discussed.
To mark the occasion, I want to say a little
more about Sabatini and his books.
