Lynn Bushell's Blog
October 10, 2021
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Q. Turning real life into fiction.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz - A story full of fascinating and harrowing detail, told to the author by an Auschwitz survivor – the tattooist of the title. As a literary work it suffers to some extent from the understandable strictures this places on the narrative. The writer feels bound to 'tell it as it is' and this is fine whilst the characters are incarcerated. You lose yourself in the story and the often surprisingly uplifting responses of the inmates to their terrible situation but the ending seems somewhat 'thin' in consequence.
The fact is that real life is mundane. That's why we read fiction. I felt the book hadn't quite come to terms with whether it was a novel or a documentary. The most shocking fact to emerge at the end was the fate of a 16 year old girl seduced by the camp commandant who having submitted to rape on a daily basis for two years was then charged as a 'collaborator' by the Russians 'liberating' the camp and sentenced to another 15 years hard labour. An example of 'real life' out-stripping fiction in its cruelty.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz - A story full of fascinating and harrowing detail, told to the author by an Auschwitz survivor – the tattooist of the title. As a literary work it suffers to some extent from the understandable strictures this places on the narrative. The writer feels bound to 'tell it as it is' and this is fine whilst the characters are incarcerated. You lose yourself in the story and the often surprisingly uplifting responses of the inmates to their terrible situation but the ending seems somewhat 'thin' in consequence.
The fact is that real life is mundane. That's why we read fiction. I felt the book hadn't quite come to terms with whether it was a novel or a documentary. The most shocking fact to emerge at the end was the fate of a 16 year old girl seduced by the camp commandant who having submitted to rape on a daily basis for two years was then charged as a 'collaborator' by the Russians 'liberating' the camp and sentenced to another 15 years hard labour. An example of 'real life' out-stripping fiction in its cruelty.
May 17, 2021
Hoping to be remaindered
You don't often hear an author saying they wish their book would disappear, but the first one I wrote back in 1985 (were any of you even born then) keeps coming back to haunt me. In those days I didn't consider myself a writer. I knocked the book off in 6 weeks and sent it out as it was. It's the only one I haven't spent at least two years revising. Writing is easy until you start to take it seriously.
When I wrote the next one in 2008 I thought the last copy of the first one would have vanished. To my horror I found there were 3 copies available at £15, £69 and £104! It was only £6.99 new so I hope no one was naive enough to buy it, but it goes to show how rarity can work in your favour (or not in this case). I'm wondering how long it will take for my last book 'Painted Ladies' to get down to the final 3 copies and whether the rather casual sales might turn into a stampede. Perhaps I should suggest as a marketing ploy that they only publish 10 of the next one to start with and see how that works. Worth a try, maybe.
When I wrote the next one in 2008 I thought the last copy of the first one would have vanished. To my horror I found there were 3 copies available at £15, £69 and £104! It was only £6.99 new so I hope no one was naive enough to buy it, but it goes to show how rarity can work in your favour (or not in this case). I'm wondering how long it will take for my last book 'Painted Ladies' to get down to the final 3 copies and whether the rather casual sales might turn into a stampede. Perhaps I should suggest as a marketing ploy that they only publish 10 of the next one to start with and see how that works. Worth a try, maybe.
