Writing with History in Mind

One of the fun and challenging aspects of writing the historical novel The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb was to give my fictional protagonist access to actual events  while maintaining historical, social and cultural accuracy. On the one hand, producing an engaging narrative was my main purpose in writing this work. It seemed self-evident that this aspiration granted me at least a quantum of “poetic license.” On the other hand, I felt an obligation to tell the truth, and I sensed that readers would feel betrayed by gross misrepresentations (as I certainly would have been). Resolution of this dilemma is especially challenging (one might use the term “impossible”) when the setting is the Arab-Israeli conflict, in which “the truth,” not to mention its interpretation, is the subject of such fierce dispute. 

The broad swaths of my depictions of history are accurate, at least as I interpret the historical record. Examples include the partitioning of the Middle East into regions of influence by the French and British after World War I, the immigration trends of Jews into Palestine, the Arab Revolt of the 1930s, the course of Israel’s War of Independence (known as the Naqba – “the Catastrophe” – by Arabs), the evacuation of Arab residents of Lydda, the rise of Palestinian nationalist terror groups, and other events and trends. For most such citations, I folded the facts into the narrative and relied on the reader to interpret them.

Rarely, I permitted myself to contextualize such facts. In one example, two main Arab characters assert that it would have been better had their leaders sought ways of prospering alongside the Jewish community rather than pursuing a self-destructive obsession with eliminating it.  

The more granular the events depicted in the book, the more liberties I took via invention. One example is the Egyptian/Syrian missile program of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which was led by German (former Nazi) rocket scientists. The existence of this program is a historical fact, as is the Mossad’s ultimately successful effort to scuttle it, which included targeted assassinations and other covert actions. However, I exaggerated the Syrian role in this program in order to give my protagonist, Joseph, an opportunity to participate in the action. 

Another critical scene, the Battle at Nabi Idris, is inspired by the real battle to capture the police station at Nabi Yusha, where 28 Palmach fighters fell. Here, I dared not risk dishonoring the fallen by presenting an incomplete or inaccurate depiction of events. Therefore, I changed the name of the fortress, the identities of  the participants, the course of the battle, and other details. People very familiar with the history of the conflict may recognize Nabi Yusha in Nabi Idris. I hope they appreciate that what I have depicted is what might have happened, and that I made no attempt to describe what did, in fact, happen.

In my Author’s Note, in which I list sources used in my research. I caution readers not to treat my novel as a historical document. Nonetheless, I have heard from many readers that the book taught them much about the history of the Middle East and the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict. I am OK with readers being influenced by my understanding of these matters, as that understanding is based on relatively deep knowledge of history and socio-cultural and religious factors. I acknowledge that there are other perspectives than my own, some of which I consider valid, while others are ahistorical and/or unsupportable.

If I have succeeded in telling an entertaining tale that reveals certain truths about the human condition while encouraging readers to educate themselves about the violence, alienation, displacement, tremendous potential, and reasons for hope embedded in today’s Middle East, I am gratified.

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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