Emes – Yiddish for “truth,” which also happens to be my name.
Emmet is a researcher and Ob-Gyn physician in Evanston, IL. In his creative writing, he seeks meaning in a fact-based world.
On Being a Physician-Author
When I was in high school, comical skits I wrote and performed for my classmates were received with great acclaim. At age seventeen I told my mother I was thinking of becoming an actor.
“That’s a fine idea,” she responded, “for you to consider after you get your medical degree.”
My wise mother knew that once I was safely in medical school, my thespian aspirations would survive on meager rations of the occasional home-made movie or synagogue show. At the time, I was bitter, but now I thank her for sparing me from a life of indignity and impoverishment as a mediocre actor.
Writing has always been an alternative outlet for my creative juices. While in medical school, I wrote a bi-weekly opinion column entitled Jabberwocky for The Daily Northwestern. My father used to share these pieces with Tom Friedman, Jerusalem bureau chief of the New York Times and eventually a three-time Pulitzer Prize-winner. My dad, whose children never did anything that wasn’t the greatest thing in the world, figured he was just giving one great author the opportunity to appreciate the work of another.
When the obligations of marriage, parenthood and career expanded, writing took a back seat to other priorities. Those responsibilities eventually eased, and I began composing short stories, creative non-fiction, and now two novels.
I am often asked how being a physician informs my writing. In some cases it is obvious: My “day job” (which is also a night job) as an obstetrician-gynecologist provides ample material. The miracles of human reproduction, the elation and tragedy that visit the labor room, medical education and ethics, and the impact of illness are just some of many areas that inspire me. My first novel, The Education of Doctor Montefiore, was about a resident in obstetrics and gynecology, and my short stories and essays often communicate through the medium of medical tales.
Health and illness are such essential elements of our existence that they figure in many, if not most, works of fiction. In that sense, I believe the hundreds of authors and playwrights throughout history who were also physicians have enjoyed a certain advantage over their peers. Familiarity with medicine’s vocabulary and methods can only help writers as they try to extract meaning from their characters’ journeys through life. Physician-authors can readily combine the telling of engaging tales with the first dictum of authorship, to “write what you know.”
But specialized knowledge of the mechanics of life do not grant me singular insights into the essence of being human. My latest novel, The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb, is about recovery from trauma and betrayal. I believe my profession gives me no more purchase on this theme than I might have had were I a historian, an accountant, a mental health provider, or the holder of an MFA degree in literature. The keenest observers of humanity draw on powers not developed in medical school.
That being said, I still hope to secure a bit part in the film adaptation of The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb.
Take that, Mother!
The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb can be found in paperback, hardcover, e-book and audiobook formats at most places online where books are sold. You can ask your library or bookstore to carry it.
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Check out my webpage! https://emmethirsch.com
