Writer of the month: Human Woes - Researching Violence and Pain in the Archives by Joanna Bourke

10 December 2013

Throughout 2013, The National Archives will host a series of monthly talks to broaden awareness of historical records and their uses for writers.

Each month, a high-profile author will talk about using original records in their writing. Ben Macintyre kick-started the year as part of the Mining the Archives masterclass. Our distinguished speakers include: Tracy Borman, John Guy, Peter Hennessy, Dominic Sandbrook, and Lucy Worsley.

December's Writer of the Month is Joanna Bourke, on 10 December 2013 at 14:00.

Tickets are free of charge. Email writerofthemonth@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk to book your place now.

About the author

Joanna Bourke is Professor of History at Birkbeck College, University of London. She is the prize-winning author of nine books, including Dismembering the Male: Men's Bodies, Britain, and the Great War (1996), An Intimate History of Killing (1999), Fear: A Cultural History (2005) and Rape: A History from the 1860s to the Present (2007).

Joanna's book, What it Means to be Human: Reflections from 1791 to the Present was published by Virago in 2011. She is currently writing a book on the history of pain.