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In his latest book, Omer Bartov notes that “Indicating where the line between truth and fiction lies is difficult, if not impossible, because in certain cases there may be more truth in fiction that in the mere retelling of facts.” 

In this our first episode of the podcast, we take a look at what happens when an historian turns to writing fiction about the past.  This was a really great conversation with Omer Bartov about his new book, the Butterfly and the Axe which is a fictionalized account of two families seeking the truth about their Holocaust past in Ukraine.

It was great to talk about memory and the complexity of historical truth as well as how one combines personal histories with scholarly ones.

We end our discussion by thinking a bit about how the Holocaust is being used and abused in the context of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  It’s a really thoughtful conversation that I think is fascinating.

Omer Bartov is the Samuel Pisar Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University.  He can be found on Twitter @bartov_omer.

His most recent book discussed here is: The Butterfly and the Axe 

You should also check out: Anatomy of a Genocide: The Life and Death of a Town Called Buczacz 

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You can find a complete reading list with books by our guests and also their suggestions here.