Historians document the past by presenting the available evidence. Their chief responsibility is to lay out “the facts” and help us interpret them. But historical novelists are storytellers whose mission is to entertain. Imagining, dramatizing, and speculating about the past are essential to their craft.
In History and Imagination: Historical Fiction’s Magic Elixir, authors Erica Obey (Dazzlepaint) and Martha Jean Johnson (The Queen’s Musician) will talk with author/moderator Helen Lundström Erwin (The Lure of Water and Wood) about how writers should balance their responsibility to “the facts” with their purpose as storytellers. Do historical novelists ever decide to simply “make that part up”? What about historical fantasies and alternate histories? Our three writers will consider how far a novelist can go in breaking the rules without sacrificing their responsibilities as historical novelists.
Join the NYC Chapter of the Historical Novel Society on April 22 from 5:30-7pm. This event will be hosted by the Book Club Bar, 197 East 3rd Street (and Avenue B) in the East Village. The Book Club Bar is an independent bookstore featuring a full espresso and cocktail bar. Our panel will begin at 6pm sharp! You are welcome to come early and stay late, browsing, socializing, and sipping spirits as you discover new authors. There will be book signings and sales following the panel.
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