Paths of Glory

Synopsis

This is the story of a man who loved two women, and one of them killed him.

Some people have dreams that are so outrageous that if they were to achieve them, their place in history would be guaranteed. Francis Drake, Robert Scott, Percy Fawcett, Charles Lindbergh, Amy Johnson, Sir Edmund Hillary and Neil Armstrong are among such individuals.

But what if one man had such a dream, and when he’d achieved it, there was no proof that he had fulfilled his ambition?

Paths of Glory is the story of such a man. But not until you’ve turned the last page of this extraordinary novel, will you be able to decide if George Mallory should be added to this list of legends, because if he were, another name would have to be removed.

Interesting fact

Jeffrey was the winner of the Prix Relay du Roman d’Évasion, a prize that rewards a novel in which readers can ‘escape from everyday life’, for his novel Paths of Glory. The award ceremony took place in the heart of the Faubourg Saint Germain, France, on Tuesday 8 June 2010 at the Maison de l’Amérique latine. This prestigious award has been running for 33 years, and previous winners include Irène Frain, Miko Bonné and many other celebrated writers. Jeffrey beat off stiff competition from a shortlist of other internationally acclaimed authors Luis Leante, Erik Orsenna and Simon Montefiore.

Paths of Glory was inspired by a true story, bringing to life one of history’s enduringly enigmatic heroes, George Mallory, and was a number one bestseller in both hardback and paperback in the UK in 2009.

This is the second major French literary prize Jeffrey has won; he was awarded the Prix Polar International at Prix Cognac Awards in October 2009 for his previous novel, A Prisoner of Birth.

Video

Jeffrey Archer talks about his book Paths of Glory, based on the life of George Mallory, the English moutaineer who participated in the first three British Mount Everest expeditions from the early to mid-1920s.