'Using history as the writing engine'

 

“Onceyou have your characters, they tell you what to write, you don't tell them.” – Alan Furst 

 

Born in New York City on this date in 1941, Furst is arguably the “inventor” of the historical spynovel.  And, he said he doesn’t write plots but rather writes aroundhistory and historical things to create his books.  “I use history asthe engine that drives everything.”   

  

After earning degrees from Oberlin College and Penn State, Furst returned to New York where he took writing classes atColumbia and worked at Esquire magazine.  After trying his hand at several novellas and a novel, which were modestly successful, he took a job at the International Herald Tribune in Paris.  It was there that he began working on his historical spynovels.  To date, he has written 15 of them -- known as the "Night Soldiers" series -- mostly set in the late1930s and World War II and all loosely connected. His most recent is Under Occupation.

Furst, who now lives on Long Island, said it takes him 3 months of research and 9 months of work to produce a book.“When I start writing, I do 2 pages a day; if I'm gonna do 320, that's 160days.”  Hiswriting advice is to find a time, place and idea and make it yourown.  Then do the research to make it believable.   “Peopleknow accuracy when they read it,” he said. “They can feel it.”