Find out the latest indie author news. For FREE.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Embalmed Head of Oliver Cromwell: A Memoir

Adult; General Fiction (including literary and historical); (Market)

Oliver Cromwell led the charge in the beheading of England's King Charles I in 1649. But little did he know that his own head would soon roll. And roll and roll-for the next three hundred years across the Commonwealth. The execution of Charles I ended the monarchy, and Cromwell became the Lord Protector of England until his own death from natural causes in 1658. His body was embalmed and buried in Westminster Abbey, only to be exhumed by King Charles II three years later. The new king had restored the monarchy and wished to avenge his father's death by hanging Cromwell and beheading him posthumously. Now, for the first time, the memoirs of Oliver Cromwell's embalmed head have surfaced, making it the first account of any world leader-or any human being for that matter-chronicling the afterlife. This remarkable memoir recounts its journey through the centuries, beginning with Cromwell's decapitation and the head's impalement on a post at Westminster Hall, where it stayed for more than twenty years before being freed by a heavy storm. Over the centuries, the head enjoyed a series of unexpected adventures, encountering a host of bizarre and well-known characters-from its many owners, curious anatomists and misled but obsessed phrenologists to other preserved decapitated heads and impostor Cromwell heads. These escapades came to an end only after the head was donated to Cromwell's alma mater, Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge, where it was eventually buried for good in 1960.
Reviews
San Francisco Book Review

You might not know the whole story, but you probably know the big strokes. One motivated man took down the British monarchy and instituted his own brand of justice and order across the land as Lord Protector. After his death, he was exhumed, decapitated, and his head mounted on a spike for all to see. Little did you suspect, that was only the beginning.

The Embalmed Head of Oliver Cromwell is an exceptionally well-researched and thoughtful look at an influential figure in history and how he might’ve reacted to the many events that followed his rise and fall. The idea that Cromwell’s spirit continued to observe the world through the eyes of his severed head is a fascinating one, and it provided a storytelling perspective quite unlike anything I’d read before. (The closest example of a similar narrator that comes to mind? Newton’s Principia Mathematica in James Morrow’s wonderful novelThe Last Witchfinder.)

Cromwell proves to be an engaging voice. Biased, opinionated, curious, and clever, Cromwell allows the reader deep insight into the decision-making and dubious morality that guided his choices in life, and through him, we ponder how he might’ve changed with decades of perspective granted by death. As Cromwell’s head passes from owner to owner and he encounters a few historical icons along the way, Hartzman cagily comments on both the past and present through Cromwell’s eyes.

As for those historical cameos, each serves a purpose and develops the story in meaningful ways. What could have easily descended into an upper-crust version of Forrest Gump instead feels like a history lesson on British culture through unexpected eyes.

Hartzman includes many annotations and notes in the back clarifying biographical and historical references made by Cromwell, offering readers the chance to learn more without disrupting the novel’s flow. You can easily enjoy Cromwell’s narrative without further research, but the door is left open for those who want a full sense of Cromwell’s perspective on a given topic or historical moment.

And Cromwell’s charm, despite his many flaws and great misdeeds while alive, will easily carry any readers less common with that period in British history. In fact, that charm makes the ending of the book that much more effective. Although the novel ended the only way it could, I was saddened by the passing of that last page, because Cromwell was an able and entertaining guide.

The Embalmed Head of Oliver Cromwell is historical fiction done with grace, style, and ingenuity. (I haven’t even mentioned the absolutely stunning cover.) What an unexpected treat.

Reviewed by Glenn Dallas

News
05/16/2016
Cover featured in the 2016 Communication Arts Illustration Annual

Vi Luong's cover art for The Embalmed Head of Oliver Cromwell: A Memoir was selected from nearly 4,000 worldwide submissions for the 2016 Communication Arts Illustration Annual.

09/03/2016
Now available in paperback!

The launch date, Sept. 3, 2016, marked the 358th anniversary of Cromwell's death — and the moment at which his head's posthumous adventures began.

06/01/2016
Shortlisted in the World Illustration Awards 2016

The cover art for The Embalmed Head of Oliver Cromwell: A Memoir was shortlisted in the World Illustration Awards 2016. Winners will be announced soon. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Loading...