Lydia Syson on Pacific slavery, and a writer’s responsibility to tell our hidden histories. “Sometimes how one frames a story determines whether or not we will see the fullness of a character.” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, on Guardian webchat I didn’t set out to write a novel ‘about’ slavery. Or indeed to ‘dip my pen in […]
Are there multicultural boundaries we must not cross in historical fiction?
Dear Dr Darwin, I’m working on a script that begins during the 1830’s. The central character is a fictional young Black teen, and two major characters are actual historical figures: a young Native American warrior and a mixed-blood warrior; the true purpose of the script is to tell their fascinating story. I, however, am White. […]