This week’s open book blog topic is What are the ethics of writing about historical figures?
Most of my blogger friends will know that I like to write about historical figures which means that my stories and books include a lot of “real” people. The pinnacle of my historical writing to date is my new novel, A Ghost and His Gold, a supernatural historical novel told on two timelines and involving three ghosts. All of these ghosts died during or soon after the Second Anglo Boer War or South African War and the book delves into the details of their lives living through this war.
As the book is set in a historical time zone, it involves real locations and battles including the sieges of Mafeking, Ladysmith and Kimberley and the Mafeking Concentration Camp. My initial inspiration for this story was a real ghost story when Ouma [Granny] Smuts [the wife of South African General and President Jan Smuts] saw a ghost in their home in Irene, Pretoria. The two paragraphs I read about this reported ghost sighting sparked my 110 000 word story.
Initially, I was going to base the story around the real ghost, but I quickly realised that using a real person who died only 100 years ago was going to be restrictive. As the ghosts was likely to have surviving relatives living in South Africa, I would need to meticulously stick to the true facts of his life and experiences and research his real personality and nature. It would be insulting to his family not to do so and to misrepresent his life in a book. It could also have legal implications for me as the writer.
I decided to rather make my three ghosts fictional which gave me the liberty to let them follow the path I chose for them. I did masses of research before I started to ensure that the facts of my fictional characters lives did all stack up with real historical events. Pieter, the Boer [farmer] in my story, needed to belong to a military commando near Mafeking as I was setting a large section of my story in that town and the concentration camp that later developed. I had to chose a town and a commando and follow the real facts of that commando throughout the war.
As the circumstances and events in this book are all real, many real historical figures make an appearance as supporting characters. For example, Robert, my British soldier in Mafeking during the siege knows Lord Baden-Powell, commander of the Garrison in Mafeking and also Lady Sarah Wilson, Winson Churchill’s aunt, who was in Mafeking during the siege. All of the British military leaders featured in the book were real people, including Lord Roberts, Lord Kitchener and Sir Buller, amongst others.
The same is true of the Boer side of the war. Pieter and his daughter, Estelle, are both fictional, but all the Boer leaders mentioned in the book were real people including General Piet Cronje, General Snyman, General Christiaan de Wet and many others.
I spend many hours researching these real characters and ensuring I describe them and their roles in the South African story correctly and appropriately. I discovered that it is easier to assign personality characteristics to real historical figures through the dialogue and thoughts of my fictional characters. In this way, I can voice their opinions of these men and their actions.
I have realised from reading book reviews and various articles that a large cast of characters can confuse readers. I have included a character list of the real historical figures in the front of my book as well as a timeline of the real life battles and other war milestones that feature in my novel to make it easier for readers. I have also included a few original Boer war maps so that readers can visualise the places and layout of battles and defenses.
These are a few of my thoughts about writing using historical figures. Have you ever used real historical figures in your fiction?
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roberta-writes.com 
Interesting discussion. I’ve thought about this so I enjoyed reading their thoughts
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I’ve thought about it as well and landed on the occasional historical figure as an incidental character. Anything more that, and I’d be too worried about portraying the person inaccurately.
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It is a valid concern, Liz, from an ethical point of view, even if you don’t consider the litigation risk. It wouldn’t be right to portray a person inaccurately based on public sentiment or journalism at the time. I can see from our current situation just how inaccurate and misleading reporting of events can be.
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I also found it interesting to see what others think about this, Jacqui.
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It’s a great topic: a TV show here in the US used a movie star’s story but twisted it to make it more “salaciously entertaining.” She sued but has yet to win – so was it right for a TV Producer to smear an real Actress who was part of a film project 50 years ago, because he thought it made the real story “more entertaining?”
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Yes and no. Sensationalizing the real story was wrong. Sensationalizing a story that “sounds like” or parallels someone famous, go for it. Here’s a line from Alice Cooper, talking to Jeff Beck. – When people tell me stories, about you or even myself, I believe maybe 30 percent of them. They tell me stories about (Keith Moon) I believe all of it and there’s at least thirty percent more
So who’s to say it’s smear? Lawyers? The actress’s “legacy?”
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I get it – but they made stuff up about her – it wasn’t a “story everyone knew” – they just made up stuff about her to use in the story because it sounded dirty…that’s all, I agree that most of what you read is enhanced, but would it be fair to call you a child molester and use your name and occupation because it made the story better? That’s the issue here…it just didn’t seem fair to me for them to make stuff up about her for no reason – she wasn’t even a main character…I know it’s a tough issue and there are so many nuances –
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Like I said, should’ve been parallel. The names have been changed to protect…everyone. Even if “everyone knows” who it is, making the story fictional is a more palatable solution.
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I agree with you, John. It is very wrong to deliberately libel a person by manipulating facts to make a story more appealing to the public. It is a lie and misleading. People generally believe things they see in the media without applying any thought or commonsense to the information. I am a cynic and rarely believe anything I read until I have checked the source and verified the information on other trusted sources.
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Robbie, I am all for the freedoms that Artists have to interpret…the case I’m referencing was admitted to be made up completely, but the person who did it said they had the “artistic freedom” to do so. I’m not sure I always agree with that defense.
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Yes, interpretation is one thing, complete fantasy is another.
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What’s sad is there are people who believe because it’s on TV or in a movie or a book it’s true, even if the producers or writers state it’s fictionalized.
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“Well she looked just like Marilyn Monroe” syndrome.
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A lot of people are very gullible and they actively chose to believe negative things about famous people too. When I look at some of the terribly evocative lies that are being spread during this lock down it really saddens me and so many people believe it without using any common sense or checking the sources.
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I don’t agree, Phil. Deliberately misleading the public even if it is behind a thinly veiled guise, is wrong and terribly hurtful and destructive for the people involved. A lot of this sort of maligning is based on human jealousy which is the worst of all human traits and characteristics.
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I really don’t think that is right at all, John. It is tragic for the victim and her family.
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Robbie, not to go on about it, but the show just decided to turn an honorable person into something else as a plot device…not sure it was right, even if legal. We used to joke in our “news” days that a great promo going to commercial break to keep the audience from switching the channel would be “is Tom Hanks a pedophile? The answer after the break!” Then come back and answer “of course not!” Here in the US, charges ar front page, but innocence is buried in the back of the paper….same furor TV news shows.
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We have the same thing here, John. The newspapers print factually inaccurate stories and then put the correction at the back of another edition in small print. I don’t believe anything I read in the media until I have checked it back to source and it is supported by several other reliable sources, and I think it is terrible that this is the case.
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I love research, of making sure that everything is as accurate as you can make it. Even though I don’t write historical fiction, it’s still a vital part of making everything feel real.
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I agree, Richard, there might be more research involved for a historical novel, but any book requires a fair amount of research to ensure everything stacks up. I have had to study maps of cities and routes for my children’s books and heat and cold waves for my WIP which is sci-fi. Not sure if I’ll finish that one now with this pandemic changing our world so much. I’ll have to see how the global economy pans out before I can finish it now.
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I need to come back to read this post again. This one that needs a note book and pen
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I am glad you found it interesting, Bella. I have enjoyed reading the other posts about this topic.
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I wrote a collab with a woman from England. Modern day admin spy types hiding a 100 year old secret and the vengeful ghost of an experiment gone horribly wrong who wants a retired to solo work spy investigating the inexplicable and spinning it for the Queen to make it right. Gothic meets conspiracy theory and spy pulp. I learned all about WWI chemical weapons work at Oxford under the guise of academic experimentation. Didn’t use much of it but figured I should know in case I was asked. My stories are carried by the characters’ relationships and dialogue. Tall glass office buildings, a modernist house made of cubes in Oxfordshire, a rusty shipwreck on the pounding NW coast. I don’t do travelogue nor do I set in specific events other than “WWI” so I am saved from everything but clothing. I admire your tenacity.
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This sounds like an interesting story, Phil. I don’t use all the information I research either but it enables me to write with a ring of truth, I hope. I enjoy research so it is not a hardship for me to do it.
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Coincidentally, a couple of weeks ago, there was a spirited debate in another writers’ forum I belong to about the question of ethics in memoir and, even more so, creative nonfiction.
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An author should aim for balanced views in these sorts of books, and not use them as a whipping post for perceived or even real prejudices outside of how they impacted the MC from a personal point of view. How we as individuals see events and behaviours is personal and should be described from that perspective. This is my view, of course.
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My current WIP has parts of it set in and around actual events in history (for example, the vanishing colonists at Roanoke). Instead of using the names of actual colonists, I invented new people and used them instead of actual people, to honour the memory of the real colonists who lost their lives there. Same goes for my soon to be published work – I needed a tribe of native americans who would be affected by a supernatural ailment, but instead of picking a real tribe, I invented a new one. I just think it’s the respectful thing to do.
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Yep
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Hi Jessica, yes, it does make it much easier for the author. It gives us the latitude to write the story as we see it without risking offense and inaccuracy. I have had to stick to real events and people to a certain extent, but my fictional characters carry the story and the real history is woven in.
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We’ll just call it poetic licence 🙂
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I think your approach is a good one. It’s hard to write fiction about actual people without overstepping into murky ethics. But having fictional characters give their view of them is a way to incorporate reality into fiction. (K)
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Hi Kerfe, letting my fictional characters comment on the real historical figures is something I did instinctively, before I even researched this aspect of writing historical fiction. Maybe because of my legal background. Thanks for your comment.
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I like when authors have a character list at the front of a book; it is a useful reference.
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Thanks for giving your view, Jim. I wasn’t sure if I should add it but your opinion has reinforced that I should. Much appreciated.
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You are welcome, Robbie.
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No I’ve never used historical figures in my fiction writing. as I would worry about it causing problems with any surviving relations they might have (though if you go far back. like Classical Rome or Greece I guess it shouldn’t be a problem). Look at the fuss that happened with the film Bram Stoker’s Dracula when they linked Vlad the Impaler with being Dracula (Stoker based Dracula after reading about Vlad, but never explicitly stated it in his novel). It turns out Vlad has relations alive today and they were angered that their ancestor was vilified like that, and he’s also considered a national hero in Romania…
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You have to be careful. I did know that Vlad was considered to be a hero, quite bizarre I though, but maybe I don’t know all the facts. I haven’t vilified anyone in my novel although the Boers express opinions about the British and vice versa, only fictional characters have an opinion and they are usually fairly general and not aimed at specific personalities.
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Thats a really interesting discussion, Robbie! In journalistic terms in particular, I often have to put ethics aside here. My subjects are mostly about the recent past germany, the Nazi empire. Too much ethics is not helpful when it comes to exposing honored people as people involved in Nazi atrocities.
I think I only find such issues, because I also often face questionable clergy when it takes to investigate sexual abuse. Here I cannot gain much from Christian ethics. Michael
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Thank you for adding your thoughts, Michael. The Nazi war criminals and abusive clergy are different, as they really have done terrible things to people and deserve to be exposed. I was meaning more when people embellish a story to make it seem much worse than it actually was and do damage to a person reputation that is not deserved. Your work is very interesting. I feature Nazi’s in my book, Through the Nethergate.
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I’ve read a part of Through the Nethergate. I am currently researching the German Notary Law. There is a provision after a request for information requires you to identify exactly the document or the circumstance. Otherwise, the information will be refused. An ideal German law to prevent investigations into so-called “arized Jewish property”. Since I have been dealing with these matters, I understand why the Federal Republic of Germany had to become the legal successor of the Nazi Empire.
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That is very interesting, Michael. I also like to research information like this. Jennifer Alderson has written a few books about Nazi looted art during WWII and searches by investigators for these missing works. I learned a lot from those books about both the looting and the restitution process.
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Thank you for the tips, Robbie! Yes restitution of robbered art is very difficult. Here in Germany we had transformed to much Nazi law into ours. Just after the WWII a lot of Nazi lawyers got places again. ;-(
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Hey Robbie, an interesting post and some good points raised here. I love history too and am currently working on an historical fiction. To answer your question about using real characters, my answer is, “yes,” but only to mention their names, not as main characters. I agree with your decision to use fictional characters, much safer.
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It is much easier too, you have a lot more freedom with your writing.
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This book just seems ever so cool! Looking forward to it.
I’m writing an alternate universe historical fantasy. A lot of the characters have elements based on real people, but only a few characters are intended to be true facsimiles of a person who really lived. I doubt it’ll ever see the light of day (several, several beta readers have quit because they didn’t like it), but I feel like I did alright. 🙂
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I look at it this way, H., there are lots and lots of fantastic and unusual books with a range of ratings from 1 star to 5 stars. One of my favourite books, Fahrenheit 451 has a lot of 1 star reviews. There are always people who won’t like a book, especially if it is different and pushes the usual boundaries. That is life.
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A good way to look at it.
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