Historical Fiction - Worthy or Worthless?

this is actually an interesting subject and something I think merits debate.

I write historical fiction, but there is a subject, very personal to me which I find it difficult to go with.

I have a maltese background (grandparents) and have a great affinity for the place. I also have a deep interest in the seige 1940 -42 including Faith, Hope and Charity and then the later arrival of hurricanes and spitfires to the island.

now the fighter flight had 8 pilots. but there is collectively, very very very little information about them.

so, if writing a fiction about faith hope and charity, do I use the characters names? or do I make a new unit, placed in the same historical situation.

the movie malta story goes with fictional characters and I think that is the way I MUST go.

to use historical people does them a disservice and could offend relatives and family members which is not my intention. but I'm also constrained by historical fact.

This is a dilemma, and one which I have thought a number of people have not done well. Personally I would write about a fictional unit, and try to add the historical characters in context.

 

I liked the tone of the few pages of Radcliffe’s book offered in the Amazon publicity and will be buying a copy soon.
I feel a well researched novel can add to the understanding of original operations/battles/units in a way that perhaps some rather ’dry’ historical or factual publications cannot.
In the way that Lofty recalls Margeret Mayhew travelling 300 miles to drive a K2 ambulance I wonder whether Radcliffe visited any of the preserved Lancasters to experience the crew proximity/separation? I suspect he did but I doubt he would have had the opportunity to fly in City of Lincoln – that would have been the ideal.
In the same way that I feel Len Deighton’s ‘Bomber’ and to a lesser extent Guy Kingston’s ‘Main Force’ gave me something of an insight to RAF bomber crew experiences on ops I think fiction can be a useful way of introducing a ‘personal’ view that strictly historical accounts cannot achieve. How many historical accounts contain a true first hand and honest account of the participant’s gut feelings at critical times (and without the passing of many years to dim or amend the memories)?
That it is a novel allows the author latitude to bring the characters to life with conversation and personal opinion (hopefully contemporaneous and thoughtfully written) that is not always possible in factual accounts. A novel has to be ‘readable’ wheras a factual document does not have to be.
As long as the historical background is accurate and the achievements of the veterans are not tarnished (without justification) I can’t see the problem. Books such as Harris’s Enigma and Deighton’s SSGB are, I think good examples.

To summarise I feel a well written and well researched novel can only add to the interest in operations such as Chastise.

 

There have been books that I have found very good in this genre, Peter Elstob's Warriors for the Working Day dealing with a tank crew post D-Day, Alan White's books on the Commandos in the 'Long' series of books; Long Night's Walk, Long Day's Dying etc - and of course Zeno's The Cauldron. All give a good level of detail and examine the emotions, fears and minutae of soldiering in the period.

 

Interesting! I seldom.(If ever) read fiction. But I am very interested inthe "factual" exploits of my own and associated companies from Sword Beach onwards. The best way to read the real story is by those that served or by the actual regimental or Corps war diaries.

Though having sent for mine, I found sheaves of paper that had never been filled in. I do not find that surprising as the demands on the Sappers, gave little time to sit down and recall what happened that day.

 

Remembered getting involved on a similar thread
http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/books-films-tv-radio/11912-war-novels-2.html
which got me shaking the dust off my one & only novelette "Semper's Revenge".

I wrote this as a fun piece that un-ashamedly contained chunks of my memories as a member of a tank crew in the last stages of the war in Italy.

If any sadist wants to read this masterpiece, just send me an e-mail to the address quoted saying merely "Yes please" and I will attach the whole piece in WORD.doc format.

If I get less than 10 replies I will get the message that none of you really have any faith in my writing abilities even when it won't cost you a penny

Ron

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Has anybody read Charlotte Grey by Sebastian Faulks?
I'm also thinking of reading Deighton's SSGB.

 

If any sadist wants to read this masterpiece, just send me an e-mail to the address quoted saying merely "Yes please" and I will attach the whole piece in WORD.doc format.

"It was a dark and stormy night." One ordered

 

I'm also thinking of reading Deighton's SSGB.


I found that it's getting a bit dated now - try and find Gordon Stevens' now very rare And All The King's Men for a good story about Occupied Britain.

 

One of the more influential fiction books I read as a child was Montserrat's The Cruel Sea. I read it because I had a general interest in WW2, and it made a lasting impression. I enjoy reading fiction of many types. It was good stories that helped to pique my interest and lead me to study history.

 

Two "fictional Biographies" come to mind: 'Forgotten Soldier' and 'Battle Cry', both comprise two of my favorite reads.

Getting ready to set down with 'War Hawks' an account of a P-47 pilot in the European theatre.

 

I might add Leon Uris' Mila 18, and John Hersey's The Wall. I found both riveting.

 

If any sadist wants to read this masterpiece, just send me an e-mail to the address quoted saying merely "Yes please" and I will attach the whole piece in WORD.doc format.


I'd rather not read anything that makes me a sadist...?!

 

Heimbrent
I'd rather not read anything that makes me a sadist...?!


I certainly wouldn't want to do that to you ..............

Ergo, will not be sending you a copy

Ron

 

Heimbrent


I certainly wouldn't want to do that to you ..............

Ergo, will not be sending you a copy

Ron

In case you were unaware of it (I very much hope that to be the case):
A sadist enjoys humiliating and/or inflicting pain on other people or animals.
A masochist likes to suffer pain.

 

Heimbrent

I once heard a definition of both terms which went :

A masochist says to a sadist "Go ahead and hit me" to which the sadist replies "No I won't !"

Please kind Sir (or kind Madam, whichever the case may be) , life is much too short to take any of my utterings seriously

Ron

 

Talking of fictional war books, the greatest book I ever read was 'HMS Ulysses'. I literally could not put it down. But it is supposed to be fiction. Having served in the RN I can say that it is exceptionally good fiction. In fact, I can relate to it as being almost painfully truthful. The only thing I cannot comment on is the actual battle engagements. But as far as life at sea goes, it is absolutely spot on.

 

Talking of fictional war books, the greatest book I ever read was 'HMS Ulysses'. I literally could not put it down. But it is supposed to be fiction. Having served in the RN I can say that it is exceptionally good fiction. In fact, I can relate to it as being almost painfully truthful. The only thing I cannot comment on is the actual battle engagements. But as far as life at sea goes, it is absolutely spot on.

Is that by Alastair Mclean? loved his books and he served in RN during WWII so the book is written with authenticity I would imagine.

 

Is that by Alastair Mclean? loved his books and he served in RN during WWII so the book is written with authenticity I would imagine.

Yes it was Alistair Mcclean. If you get a chance to read it, please do. I would love to get your reaction. I read it about 4 times but it got lost in a move. I must get it again. Sussex Stationers ahoy

 

Yes it was Alistair Mcclean. If you get a chance to read it, please do. I would love to get your reaction. I read it about 4 times but it got lost in a move. I must get it again. Sussex Stationers ahoy

I have read all his books (back in the 70s/80s) and have them in the loft somewhere. Haven't read any for a long while, but they are among my favourite books and count among the few fiction books I have read again and again. brilliant author, among the best of his genre.