Authors and historical accuracy - a bit OT

I have just read yet another novel by Alan Furst (brilliant, by the way).  His books are set in various European countries in the 1930s, sometimes spilling over in WW2: obviously a  completely different period but in the reading group notes at the back, there is an interview with him:
 
Q:  Whilst a sense of authenticity is essential to a novel like "Mission to Paris", is historical accuracy also needed, or can it hinder the flow of the plot
 
AF: Actually it is used as the plot - the situations of the characters follow the flow of the history.  So it doesn't hinder the flow of the plot, it enables it."
 
I appreciate that 90% of the characters in his novels are fictional  rather than historical so there is a difference  between that and books about WOTR but why can't PG etc see this?  Thanks to his books I have learned more about what happened in France, Poland, Greece and Bulgaria  in the immediate run up to WW2 than I ever knew before AND I enjoyed myself doing so!

Liz
Have you read any of Philip Kerr's detective novels about pre WWII and post WWII Germany? He's very good at creating the atmosphere of Nazi Germany and what it was like.
Elaine

--- In , liz williams <ferrymansdaughter@...> wrote:
>
> I have just read yet another novel by Alan Furst (brilliant, by the way).  His books are set in various European countries in the 1930s, sometimes spilling over in WW2: obviously a  completely different period but in the reading group notes at the back, there is an interview with him:
>  
> Q:  Whilst a sense of authenticity is essential to a novel like "Mission to Paris", is historical accuracy also needed, or can it hinder the flow of the plot
>  
> AF: Actually it is used as the plot - the situations of the characters follow the flow of the history.  So it doesn't hinder the flow of the plot, it enables it."
>  
> I appreciate that 90% of the characters in his novels are fictional  rather than historical so there is a difference  between that and books about WOTR but why can't PG etc see this?  Thanks to his books I have learned more about what happened in France, Poland, Greece and Bulgaria  in the immediate run up to WW2 than I ever knew before AND I enjoyed myself doing so!
>
>
>

I've read one 3/4 years ago which a friend lent me and to be honest wasn't very keen..  I had already read a couple of David Downing's "Station" books and felt that Kerr just wasn't as good.    Of course it may just be that the one I read (no idea what it's called) wasn't one of his best.   I think Alan Furst is even better than Downing.
 

 

________________________________
From: ellrosa1452 <kathryn198@...>
To:
Sent: Thursday, 18 July 2013, 19:07
Subject: Re: Authors and historical accuracy - a bit OT

 
Liz
Have you read any of Philip Kerr's detective novels about pre WWII and post WWII Germany? He's very good at creating the atmosphere of Nazi Germany and what it was like.
Elaine

--- In mailto:%40yahoogroups.com, liz williams <ferrymansdaughter@...> wrote:
>
> I have just read yet another novel by Alan Furst (brilliant, by the way).  His books are set in various European countries in the 1930s, sometimes spilling over in WW2: obviously a  completely different period but in the reading group notes at the back, there is an interview with him:
>  
> Q:  Whilst a sense of authenticity is essential to a novel like "Mission to Paris", is historical accuracy also needed, or can it hinder the flow of the plot
>  
> AF: Actually it is used as the plot - the situations of the characters follow the flow of the history.  So it doesn't hinder the flow of the plot, it enables it."
>  
> I appreciate that 90% of the characters in his novels are fictional  rather than historical so there is a difference  between that and books about WOTR but why can't PG etc see this?  Thanks to his books I have learned more about what happened in France, Poland, Greece and Bulgaria  in the immediate run up to WW2 than I ever knew before AND I enjoyed myself doing so!
>
>
>

The earlier ones are the best. I found Downing's station books ran out of steam, excuse the pun, after a couple of novels and they were just formulaic and the main two characters were annoying, especially the girlfriend.
Elaine

--- In , liz williams <ferrymansdaughter@...> wrote:
>
> I've read one 3/4 years ago which a friend lent me and to be honest wasn't very keen..  I had already read a couple of David Downing's "Station" books and felt that Kerr just wasn't as good.    Of course it may just be that the one I read (no idea what it's called) wasn't one of his best.   I think Alan Furst is even better than Downing.
>  
>
>  
>
> ________________________________
> From: ellrosa1452 <kathryn198@...>
> To:
> Sent: Thursday, 18 July 2013, 19:07
> Subject: Re: Authors and historical accuracy - a bit OT
>
>  
> Liz
> Have you read any of Philip Kerr's detective novels about pre WWII and post WWII Germany? He's very good at creating the atmosphere of Nazi Germany and what it was like.
> Elaine
>
> --- In mailto:%40yahoogroups.com, liz williams <ferrymansdaughter@> wrote:
> >
> > I have just read yet another novel by Alan Furst (brilliant, by the way).  His books are set in various European countries in the 1930s, sometimes spilling over in WW2: obviously a  completely different period but in the reading group notes at the back, there is an interview with him:
> >  
> > Q:  Whilst a sense of authenticity is essential to a novel like "Mission to Paris", is historical accuracy also needed, or can it hinder the flow of the plot
> >  
> > AF: Actually it is used as the plot - the situations of the characters follow the flow of the history.  So it doesn't hinder the flow of the plot, it enables it."
> >  
> > I appreciate that 90% of the characters in his novels are fictional  rather than historical so there is a difference  between that and books about WOTR but why can't PG etc see this?  Thanks to his books I have learned more about what happened in France, Poland, Greece and Bulgaria  in the immediate run up to WW2 than I ever knew before AND I enjoyed myself doing so!
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>

I've read two I think, or it might be three.  I felt that the Kerr books were a bit Sam Spade-ish.
 
Try Alan Furst if you haven't read him.  The bbc did a dramatisation of The Spies of Warsaw, don't know if you saw tha.  I haven't read that one; I am finding the others addictive. 


________________________________
From: ellrosa1452 <kathryn198@...>
To:
Sent: Thursday, 18 July 2013, 21:26
Subject: Re: Authors and historical accuracy - a bit OT

 
The earlier ones are the best. I found Downing's station books ran out of steam, excuse the pun, after a couple of novels and they were just formulaic and the main two characters were annoying, especially the girlfriend.
Elaine

--- In mailto:%40yahoogroups.com, liz williams <ferrymansdaughter@...> wrote:
>
> I've read one 3/4 years ago which a friend lent me and to be honest wasn't very keen..  I had already read a couple of David Downing's "Station" books and felt that Kerr just wasn't as good.    Of course it may just be that the one I read (no idea what it's called) wasn't one of his best.   I think Alan Furst is even better than Downing.
>  
>
>  
>
> ________________________________
> From: ellrosa1452 <kathryn198@...>
> To: mailto:%40yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Thursday, 18 July 2013, 19:07
> Subject: Re: Authors and historical accuracy - a bit OT
>
>  
> Liz
> Have you read any of Philip Kerr's detective novels about pre WWII and post WWII Germany? He's very good at creating the atmosphere of Nazi Germany and what it was like.
> Elaine
>
> --- In mailto:%40yahoogroups.com, liz williams <ferrymansdaughter@> wrote:
> >
> > I have just read yet another novel by Alan Furst (brilliant, by the way).  His books are set in various European countries in the 1930s, sometimes spilling over in WW2: obviously a  completely different period but in the reading group notes at the back, there is an interview with him:
> >  
> > Q:  Whilst a sense of authenticity is essential to a novel like "Mission to Paris", is historical accuracy also needed, or can it hinder the flow of the plot
> >  
> > AF: Actually it is used as the plot - the situations of the characters follow the flow of the history.  So it doesn't hinder the flow of the plot, it enables it."
> >  
> > I appreciate that 90% of the characters in his novels are fictional  rather than historical so there is a difference  between that and books about WOTR but why can't PG etc see this?  Thanks to his books I have learned more about what happened in France, Poland, Greece and Bulgaria  in the immediate run up to WW2 than I ever knew before AND I enjoyed myself doing so!
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>

I love Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe so that's probably why I like them. I saw The Spies of Warsaw. it was one of the BBC's better dramas. I've read a couple of Alan Furst's, The Foreign Correspondent about the Italian fascists which was pretty good and another I can't remember the name of.
Elaine

--- In , liz williams <ferrymansdaughter@...> wrote:
>
> I've read two I think, or it might be three.  I felt that the Kerr books were a bit Sam Spade-ish.
>  
> Try Alan Furst if you haven't read him.  The bbc did a dramatisation of The Spies of Warsaw, don't know if you saw tha.  I haven't read that one; I am finding the others addictive. 
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: ellrosa1452 <kathryn198@...>
> To:
> Sent: Thursday, 18 July 2013, 21:26
> Subject: Re: Authors and historical accuracy - a bit OT
>
>  
> The earlier ones are the best. I found Downing's station books ran out of steam, excuse the pun, after a couple of novels and they were just formulaic and the main two characters were annoying, especially the girlfriend.
> Elaine
>
> --- In mailto:%40yahoogroups.com, liz williams <ferrymansdaughter@> wrote:
> >
> > I've read one 3/4 years ago which a friend lent me and to be honest wasn't very keen..  I had already read a couple of David Downing's "Station" books and felt that Kerr just wasn't as good.    Of course it may just be that the one I read (no idea what it's called) wasn't one of his best.   I think Alan Furst is even better than Downing.
> >  
> >
> >  
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: ellrosa1452 <kathryn198@>
> > To: mailto:%40yahoogroups.com
> > Sent: Thursday, 18 July 2013, 19:07
> > Subject: Re: Authors and historical accuracy - a bit OT
> >
> >  
> > Liz
> > Have you read any of Philip Kerr's detective novels about pre WWII and post WWII Germany? He's very good at creating the atmosphere of Nazi Germany and what it was like.
> > Elaine
> >
> > --- In mailto:%40yahoogroups.com, liz williams <ferrymansdaughter@> wrote:
> > >
> > > I have just read yet another novel by Alan Furst (brilliant, by the way).  His books are set in various European countries in the 1930s, sometimes spilling over in WW2: obviously a  completely different period but in the reading group notes at the back, there is an interview with him:
> > >  
> > > Q:  Whilst a sense of authenticity is essential to a novel like "Mission to Paris", is historical accuracy also needed, or can it hinder the flow of the plot
> > >  
> > > AF: Actually it is used as the plot - the situations of the characters follow the flow of the history.  So it doesn't hinder the flow of the plot, it enables it."
> > >  
> > > I appreciate that 90% of the characters in his novels are fictional  rather than historical so there is a difference  between that and books about WOTR but why can't PG etc see this?  Thanks to his books I have learned more about what happened in France, Poland, Greece and Bulgaria  in the immediate run up to WW2 than I ever knew before AND I enjoyed myself doing so!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>