Roger Moorhouse

(appearing on 21November)

What motivated you to write Berlin at War: Life and Death in Hitler's Capital, 1939-45?

Berlin at War is a subject that had never been done before. It is strange, but despite all the thousands of history books devoted to Nazi Germany and World War Two, not one of them concentrated on the experience of ordinary civilians living in the German capital - a remarkable omission.

Seeing the gap, I set about writing a book which would rely (as far as is possible) on firsthand accounts - using diaries, published and unpublished memoirs and interviews to frame the narrative. It was certainly not an easy book to write, but I am delighted to say that it has been very wellreceived, and was even shortlisted for a history prize!

More importantly, perhaps, the book has helped to shift the focus onto the everyday experience of war for civilians in the Third Reich - a subject that has previously been rather neglected.

You are doing an event entitled 'What is history?' - what is history?

Well, you will have to come to the event to find out! Seriously, it's one of the most interesting questions that we have to wrestle with as historians.

History is almost limitless in its potential range, timeframe and subject matter - and of course, no two nations, or even historians, view events in the precisely same way. Different eyes see different things. And therein, of course, lies the fascination for the subject.

On top of that, there have been a number of shifts in historiography over recent decades - micro-history and oral history to name but two - which have made matters still more complex and nuanced. I think it will be a really interesting discussion.