Fantasy-adjacent historical fiction finds fans worldwide

Winnipeg Free Press

2 days ago

It's difficult to neatly categorize Guy Gavriel Kay's published work of the last 35 years — and that's just the way he likes it.
The Saskatchewan-born, Winnipeg-raised Kay, now 70, was studying at the University of Manitoba when he was enlisted by J.R.R. Tolkien's son Christopher to help edit his late father's unpublished work, The Silmarillion, in Oxford, England.
After returning to Canada and completing his law degree in Toronto, Kay set about writing fantasy of his own, beginning with the three books in The Fionavar Tapestry.
But since his breakout 1990 novel Tigana, set in a world similar to Renaissance Italy, Kay's writing has moved away from deep fantasy, treading a fine line between fantasy and historical fiction, inspired by real-life events in history but with a certain mystical element underlying his novels.
'I write about the past — I do that quarter-turn to the fantastic, but essentially, I'm writing about moments in history that seem to me powerful and resonant for today,' says Kay, who will launch his latest novel, Written on the Dark, at McNally Robinson Booksellers' Grant Park, where he will be joined in conversation by Bruce Symaka.
Written on the Dark follows the exploits of Thierry Villar, a tavern poet in the town of Orane (a stand-in for Paris) in medieval France, who becomes embroiled in the machinations of local politics, war and an investigation into the murder of one of the local dukes, the king's brother.
Kay took inspiration from real-life poet François Villon and the assassination of the Duc d'Orleans in Paris during the Hundred Years' War.
Avoiding straight historical fiction has allowed Kay to explore themes that continue to resonate today without being hemmed in by the hard facts of what happened at the time.
'History rhymes for me, and it underlies my entire literary method, which is that I'm not trying to pretend I know the thoughts and feelings of real people — I'm fine with other people doing that,' he says.
'I'm happier with that quarter-turn so that my protagonists and the secondary characters are clearly identified as inspired by real people, but not equivalent to them.'
Kay's body of work continues to be widely read; his books have translated into dozens of languages, with the bulk of his novels still in print.
Tigana and his 1995 novel The Lions of Al-Rassan, set in a world similar to medieval Spain, have both enjoyed a particular uptick in popularity in recent years thanks to BookTok, the TikTok sub-community that posts reviews and thoughts about books, and where fantasy novels remain incredibly popular.
'I've been given a gift by readers around the world. I don't sell on the order of people who've had movies and television series made of their books, because I don't write those kinds of books, but by great good fortune, I sell well, and I sell around the world, and the books stay in print around the world,' Kay says.
Among Kay's recent global accomplishments are the recent release of Tigana in Taiwan, for which he wrote a new introduction, and some of his books having been published in Ukrainian in the last 18 months, with two more in the works.
He admits to being moved by the fact that not only is the war-torn country still publishing and reading books, but that his are among them.
'In a war zone, in a country afflicted the way it is, especially as I get older, that sort of thing really gets to me,' he says.
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Kay recognizes one of the keys to success is recognizing who can help you get your art into the world, acknowledging that doing book tours and interviews in advance of a new work's release is all part of the business of writing.
'All artists need a patron — whether it was the Borgias or Medicis or the pope in the Renaissance, or the Chinese emperor in the Tang Dynasty, or McNally Robinson stocking you at the front of the store, or the Canada Council supporting you if you're a poet, he says.
'Artists have always needed to find a way to appeal to those who can let them make a living, let them make their art.'
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Ben SigurdsonLiterary editor, drinks writer
Ben Sigurdson is the Free Press's literary editor and drinks writer. He graduated with a master of arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba in 2005, the same year he began writing Uncorked, the weekly Free Press drinks column. He joined the Free Press full time in 2013 as a copy editor before being appointed literary editor in 2014. Read more about Ben.
In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the Free Press's editing team before being posted online or published in print. It's part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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