I was at the Society
of Authors North Summer Social yesterday and met Nina Boyd who has written From Suffragette to Fascist, the Many Lives
of Mary Sophia Allen, and who is currently working on a biography of
Lizzy Lind of Hageby, a Swedish feminist and campaigner for animal rights. We discussed
some of the problems we face when we try to write the story of people who are
not all that well documented and are no longer alive.
Uncovering the facts is hard enough. But we also need to pay
attention to the details of everyday life. Finding out about both of these
areas can be fascinating and can also be a great distraction. Often we’ll try
to find out these details before we start writing. Occasionally questions only
occur to us as we write. Sometimes the writing itself uncovers the truth.
We have to take care not to overwhelm our readers with facts.
It’s tempting to try and cram in everything we know. It’s better to relax into
the story and just write with the knowledge we’ve acquired rather than about
it. Somehow what the reader needs comes across. It’s like this with characters
we invent, too.
I’ve chosen to use a narrative-style that is more normal in
fiction. I believe this makes my text more palatable to the reader. Much of
what I am writing may be fiction anyway. Not only was Clara murdered but most
evidence of her existence was annihilated. There is very little of her left
apart from the plaque on the house in Schellberg Street and the Stolperstein in
front of it.
There is a huge ethical issue here, also. We put words into
these people’s mouths. We supply their voice and they cannot defend themselves.
This is slightly better than them having no voice but only if we represent them
accurately and sensitively. In Clara’s case I am related to her closest living
relatives – her great grandson and great-great-grandchildren. I have their permission
and trust.
