Successful authors discuss the influence of historical events on world literature
Sharjah: How do you merge historical facts with engaging fiction writing? This was the question posed by authors of historical fiction as they share tips on how to merge fact and fiction at 39th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF).
Egyptian novelist and short story writer Mansoura Ez Eldin also offered insights during the virtual session titled, ‘The Imaginary World of a Novelist’. She said: “I am not interested in relating history at it is; I like to blur lines between fact and fiction. My stories begin with an idea. To build on it, I reference a certain period of history through the characters that I imagine. My recent novel, Emerald Mountain is looked upon as a historical novel, but it is intertwined with the Thousand and One Nights.”
In another online session, Russian author Yaser Akel and Bahraini novelist Leila Al Mutawa discussed the influence of historical events on world literature.
Al Mutawa added: “Imagination played a major role in shaping literature, while history was based on facts. A historian relies on research, investigation, and verification to confirm or deny historical facts, while a fictional work is fuelled by the writer’s imagination even if it is based on historical facts. Historians, on the other hand, must be open to their findings being questioned and subject to further research.”
“When I started to see some success with my books, I knew what success looked like. As fans clamoured for more content in a wider expanse of sci fi genres, I began to collaborate with other indie authors, creating new titles across multiple sci-fi, fantasy universes,” he added.
Organised by Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), SIBF 2020 concludes on Saturday (November 14). This year’s edition of SIBF is a combination of online and face-to-face events. Online or in-person visitors can register for online discussions.
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