Author Greta van der Rol discusses bringing historical figures to life

In the previous post, guest blogger Greta van der Rol talked about her research of the events before and after the wreck of the Dutch ship Batavia. In this one, she'll give us some insight into how she developed her characters from that information:


"Okay, so I had a pretty good idea of the recorded facts and the historical and visual context. But that’s not a novel, is it? Characters make novels.

Always, always I went back to the journal to try to see into these people’s minds. Most historians support the notion that the Batavia’s captain, Adriaen Jacobsz, was in a plot with Cornelisz to hijack the Batavia, kill Pelsaert and go pirating. Drake-Brockman supported that belief, so did Dash, although Godard (another amateur) had his doubts. But it seemed strange to me for many, many reasons, not least because there is no record of Jacobsz having been executed.

My picture of Pelsaert soon became one of a man trying to salvage his own reputation. He and Jacobsz had a history, they despised each other. Reading the early part of the journal, where Pelsaert describes the initial wreck, I raised an eyebrow as Pelsaert used ‘I’, implying he gave orders that would have been given by the captain. The same thing happened during the longboat’s journey as Pelsaert claimed credit for things I felt were beyond his knowledge. Jacobsz deserved the credit and received none. It was also important to remember the man for whom Pelsaert was writing this journal – the formidable Jan Pieterszoon Coen, Governor of the Indies. A harsh and puritanical man, he was unimpressed (to say the least) at the loss of a ship and its cargo. One could expect Pelsaert to be at pains to present his own actions in the best possible light.

In contrast, my picture of the captain was of a tough, strong, capable man. A hard drinker, a womaniser sure enough. But a true leader, somebody these hardened seamen would follow. Zwaantie, the young woman who won Jacobsz’s affection, is depicted in the journal as a tart. But again, some of the evidence for that conjecture comes from Cornelisz. I think the mere fact that Jacobsz took Zwaantie with him in the longboat indicates a little more than a casual fling.

The journal reveals Cornelisz as a psychopath, silver-tongued, charismatic and an accomplished liar who would say anything to save himself. The main evidence for the existence of the piracy plot implicating Jacobsz comes from Cornelisz. There is corroborating evidence given by some of the other henchmen, but men said things like “I didn’t know about a plot until after the wreck” or evidence was extracted through torture. I began to wonder if I could build a case that Cornelisz deliberately wove a tale of a plot to seduce his followers. He needed sailors to pull off his plan to capture a rescue ship and he was a merchant. What better way to add validity to his plan than to implicate the popular captain? Pelsaert, of course, jumped at the notion of a plot.

The other two characters, Lucretia and Wiebbe Hayes, are merely bit players in the journal. Dash and Drake-Brockman gave me the wherewithal to paint Lucretia as a real woman, a grieving mother going off to join her husband in a far-off land. Combine that with the perilous situation of a high-born lady left with a mob of louts and it’s easy enough to imagine how difficult it would be for her. I took the opportunity to use her as the eyes of the victims, if you like, interpreting events on Batavia’s Graveyard from her point of view.

Dash also gave me a start with Hayes, probably a junior son of a fairly well-born family. From there, the unwritten story emerges in the journal. A leader who could pull together such a disparate bunch of men and forge them into a group that could threaten armed thugs.

Of course I made some things up. It’s a novel, after all. I guess every historian has a duty to examine the facts and interpret them and in a way, that’s what I’ve tried to do in this book. One reader (who knew the history) describes the novel as dramatization rather than fiction. I’ll take that, with a bow."

***CLICK HERE FOR THE YOUTUBE LINK FOR THE NEW TRAILER FOR DIE A DRY DEATH!

Many, many thanks, Greta! To say that I was impressed by this novel is a huge understatement. It was riveting. A bit adventure and thriller - something you usually don't get in a historical novel. If you haven't yet heard of it, do check it out on Amazon.com or see my review on Die a Dry Death below.

Until later,

Gemi

Author Greta van der Rol discusses researching the historical novel

I'm always curious how other writers of historical fiction research not just events, but the people they're writing about. Greta van der Rol, author of Die a Dry Death, was gracious enough to write two guest posts for me. The first one here will examine how she uncovered the detailed events that provided the framework for her fascinating book. The next post will discuss how she got into the minds of the historical figures who took part, to weave those events into a plot driven by said characters.

Here is the first installment:

"Gemi has asked to write about the historical research that went into ‘Die a Dry Death’ my novel about the wreck of the Dutch merchant vessel Batavia in 1629, and then to talk about characterisation in said novel. Now I’ve written this, I find it isn’t a generic ‘this is what you do’. It’s very much a personal story of what I did for this book. So take it as a case study. Maybe there’s something in here for the student.

Research and characterization feed off each other, of course. Especially in this case, where all the people in my book were real. They lived and died and their story has resonated down through the centuries. For me, that gives the author an added responsibility, to try to get it as right as can be.

Having grown up in Western Australia, I heard about the Batavia and the other Dutch wrecks of the 17th and 18th centuries at primary school. That was a long time ago and I think I’ve read most of the non-fiction about all those wrecks. I’ve been to the maritime museum in Fremantle and seen the artefacts recovered from the site, including the Batavia’s actually keel, rebuilt in the basement. I’ve been on the Batavia replica built in Holland (there are some pictures on my website) and I’ve stood on the forbidding cliffs the longboat sailed along. So I’ve been immersed in the story for a long time.

But back to research. Any book about the Batavia is based on one main account of the events – Pelsaert’s journal. Francisco Pelsaert was an employee of the Dutch East India Company, the Upper Merchant in charge of the fleet of which the Batavia was the flagship. So while Adriaen Jacobsz, the ship’s captain, was in command of the ship he was beholden to Pelsaert. (Who was not a sailor.) After the Batavia was wrecked, Pelsaert started a journal to record events. On his return to the Abrolhos islands to rescue the remaining survivors, he documented the trial of Cornelisz and his band of thugs.

Apart from the journal, the only other known contemporary document is a letter written by Predikant Bastiaensz to his family. It is about the only source for what happened in the last few days when the thugs made their final attacks on the soldiers.

Henrietta Drake-Brockman’s Voyage to Disaster (UWA Press, 2006) contains a translation of Pelsaert’s journal, Bastiaensz’s letter and other documents she was able to procure from Holland and Jakarta, such as Coen’s orders to Pelsaert. As an aside, Drake-Brockman, an amateur historian, actually deduced the whereabouts of the wreck from reading the descriptions of locations in the journal and the Predikant’s letter. Archaeologists had been looking on the wrong reef. The ship was finally found in 1963, when her book was first published.

Mike Dash’s wonderful book Batavia’s Graveyard (Phoenix, 2002) is a much more recent work written by a trained historian. The book provided details about life on the ship and life in the colonies. I found out what people ate, discovered the soldiers would have had to buy their own equipment and got a real feel for the rigid layering of society. Dash used records from the other Dutch wrecks to deduce what life might have been like for the survivors; what they may have eaten – and who would have eaten what. He also researched the backgrounds of the main players in the drama – Pelsaert, Cornelisz and Lucretia van der Mijlen in particular. For me, this was fantastic. I could start to see what I was dealing with and put the people into historical context. I augmented impressions with the paintings of the Dutch ‘Golden Age’ where one can see clothing, food, interiors – both in Holland and in the city of Batavia. The Dutch national gallery proved to be a wonderful resource. I could see drawings of the fort, sketches of Batavia street life, paintings of the wealthy burghers.

My third main source was The First and Last Voyage of the Batavia by Philippe Godard (Abrolhos Publishing, 1993). Godard’s lavish coffee table book provided photographs and sketches of the Abrolhos islands and its wildlife, coloured pictures of paintings, the layout of the fort at Batavia, the marine archaeology and cross-sections of the ship itself. The author commissioned paintings of the main players, too. But I ignored them. No one knows what any of these people looked like, not even Pelsaert."

Thanks, Greta! To be continued . . .

Until later,
Gemi

Die a Dry Death by Greta van der Rol

Based on a true story, Die a Dry Death is a fascinating historical adventure that ratchets up the tension with every turn of the page. Greta van der Rol's accomplished debut novel is a gripping exploration into both the endurance of the human spirit and its darker side. Steeped in authenticity, Die a Dry Death is sure to impress even the most demanding of historical fiction readers.

In 1629, the Dutch ship Batavia is on its maiden voyage from Amsterdam to the East Indies when an uncharted reef snags its hull. Captained by the gruff, yet sea-wise Adriaen Jacobsz, the crew has just enough time to unload most of its passengers and essential cargo and head for a nearby string of islets, before the sea claims the once glorious Batavia. But the land that they seemed to have been so blessed to find is barren: rock-strewn, sun-baked, scant on animal life and lacking in fresh water. The only hope of rescue is for Captain Jacobsz and the ambitious Commandeur Pelsaert to set out across unknown seas with a small crew in the longboat, leaving a hundred and eighty survivors of the shipwreck to fend for themselves.

As the survivors begin to realize that their dwindling supplies may not be enough to sustain them until help arrives, mayhem quickly ensues. But when Under Merchant Jeronimus Cornelisz, third in command, escapes the sinking ship and arrives on the island called Batavia'a Graveyard, order is seemingly restored and even the lovely Lucretia van der Mijlen is reassured by his charm and authority.

Soon, however, it becomes apparent that the greatest threat to their survival is not the scarcity of food and water, but the very man to whom they have looked for leadership.

The most intriguing aspect of this story is how the author skillfully unravels one man's motives for gaining power through use of fear and examines to what lengths a person will go to preserve his own life. With such complex and deeply motivated characters, conflict abounds, creating a fast-paced and thrilling read.

Peppered throughout are exquisite details: of vivid seascapes, clothing, work implements, and nautical terminology. Readers who love to be immersed in a historical period will appreciate the precise research that has gone into this work; while those who enjoy an action-oriented and plot-driven story will be riveted.



(Also available for Kindle)