A historian’s greatest challenge is to convey the excitement and drama of history. This is especially true for more obscure subjects, as the reader doesn’t already come with some emotional attachment. But this is exactly where Christine Bender excels. By using fiction as her vehicle to explore historical events, Christine is able to delve into the hearts and minds of her subjects, imagining how they thought and felt during some of history’s most exciting and crucial times. Using her own Basque heritage as inspiration, she focuses on the adventures of Basques during the Age of Discovery, when the world was being explored to extents previously unheard of. Her most recent book, The Whaler’s Forge, examines that time when Basques first found the North American coast in their search for new hunting grounds.
In this interview, Christine describes how she chooses her subjects and how she puts herself into their shoes to explore both their character and the world around them, and she even gives us a glimpse of the subject of her next novel.
Eskerrik asko, Christine!
[...] Click here o view a collection of historical photos of San Francisco Basques. See a profile of Christine Bender on Buber’s Basque Page. [...]
This was a wonderfull interview, many of the question’s were on mind also so it was very informative for me.
I have shared Christine’s book’s with people because I feel it is a great way to teach Basque history. I have always been a fan of historical fiction so when you throw in the Basque aspect I’m in Literary Heaven.
I will be waiting for Christine’s next book just as I have since I read the first one. With anticipation.
Once again I tip my Txapela to the Author.
Nickolas Garatea