Poldark

Poldark is a series of historical novels by Winston Graham, set in Cornwall in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The central figure is Ross Poldark, a British army officer who returns home after the American War of Independence to find his world transformed by debt, social upheaval, and shifting loyalties. The narrative follows his efforts to rebuild his life and estate while navigating the challenges of a changing society.

The books also center on a cast of supporting characters, including Demelza, Ross’s wife, and George Warleggan, a rival who embodies the tensions between emerging industrial wealth and traditional landholding. The stories explore themes of love, loyalty, class conflict, and resilience against a backdrop of Cornish mining towns, fishing harbors, and rural communities. Through personal entanglements and broader political and economic currents, the novels illuminate the social fabric of the era, including issues surrounding debt, industry, and reform.

Publication and scope: Winston Graham published the Poldark novels between 1945 and 2002. The series is commonly referred to as the Poldark Saga, comprising twelve novels that trace the fortunes of the Poldark family across generations.

Adaptations: The books have been adapted for television in two major British series. The 1975–1978 BBC adaptation, with Robin Ellis as Ross and Angharad Rees as Demelza, brought the stories to a broad audience. A later BBC series aired from 2015 to 2019, starring Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson, offering a modern reinterpretation that follows the same core characters while revising certain plotlines.