“Historical novels are, without question, the best way of teaching history, for they offer the human stories behind the events and leave the reader with a desire to know more.” Louis L’Amour. Education of a Wandering Man. Bantam: 2008
Mister L’Amour’s words have proven true in my life. My three favorite genres have always been history, historical fiction, and biography, even as a child.
The historical fiction books I read during my growing-up years, such as The Horse Soldiers (Harold Sinclair), The Black Arrow (Robert Louis Stevenson), and The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas), spurred my youthful hunger for more knowledge about these novels’ eras. Getting lost in the past was, for me, sheer joy.
Sadly, many people today have little knowledge of the past. They learn their history from “historical” movies, most of which aren’t accurate. It’s become easier to watch a film than it is to read.
Therefore, we historical fiction writers have a challenge. Our writing must be at the “top of our game.” Not only must we write well, we must also strive for accuracy. Our books may not win a Pulitzer Prize, like Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels, about the Battle of Gettysburg, but if our works grab people’s interest about the past, our time and labor is worth it.
