‘Often, we the natives of the Balkans or the Middle East, with our extraordinarily polyphonic histories and hurts, are narrated by others – usually others from the dominant colonising cultures.’
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The past is a dimension of the present: a conversation with Javier Cercas
‘I’m not interested in history itself. I’m interested in the past that has not passed.’
Read MoreThe past and the present side by side: a conversation with Peter Kimani
I am contesting the validity of history as we know it, because what is recorded is never told from the perspective of the victim, it is always the victor.
Read MoreImagining the past – a few notes on the art of the historical novel
Otto de Kat writes for PEN Atlas about the risks and benefits of using history in the novel, a device that when used badly can lead to over-writing and when used well serves the novelist like a butler
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