History and Historical Novels

years ago, a novel of mine dealing with the German Peasants' War appeared in England. As is customary, my publisher sent copies to various outstanding people, among them an eminent historian at Oxford. Soon after, I received a letter from the don which I so carefully filed away in order to treasure it that I have been unable ever again to find it. The sense of it, however, was that he regretted to say he could not read my novel because he never read novels, being profoundly uninterested in the actions of unreal men and women, their trivial loves and hates, as opposed to the grander sweep of history itself. He ended, however, by inviting me to tea.