A Tough Look at History

Title: A Shooting Star and Other Stories
Author: M. Iksaka Banu
Translator: Tjandra Kerton
Publisher: Lontar Foundation (BTW Books)

The success of Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cromwell Trilogy, with its first instalment Wolf Hall selling over one million hard copies in the United Kingdom alone, seems to indicate a hungry fascination with historical intrigue among fans of literary fiction. The genre itself (if you can call historical fiction a genrethere are certainly those who beg to differ) can seem like an unsettling paradox, with readers and moviegoers alike complaining endlessly about historical inaccuracies with a disappointment that verges on a feeling of immense betrayal. Therein lies the mysterious predicament: the balancing act between adhering to 'facts' and constructing a sweeping narrative arc that often resists fidelity to said facts.

December 8, 2015