Emmet Hirsch
Author Interview - Emmet Hirsch
Author of The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb
In the Lebanese village of Bhamdoun in 1931, Joseph Friedmann is born to a 15-year-old Syrian-Jewish girl hastily married off to a Belgian businessman thirty years her senior. After his parents divorce, Joseph's new Christian step-father refuses to rear a Jewish child. At the age of eight, Joseph is banished to a Catholic convent, where he experiences betrayal, anti-Semitism, and a deep trauma he cannot bring himself to name. He learns to survive by locking away his feelings. But at the age of fifteen, he allows himself to fall in love with Isabella, a nun-in-training. This, too, ends in heartbreak. She leaves the convent, taking with her Joseph's unborn child and his hopes of ever belonging in Lebanon.
Joseph sets out on foot toward Palestine, where he takes part in Israel’s 1948 War of Independence. He is finally home. But his new country needs his unique set of skills, and Joseph returns to Lebanon as an Israeli spy. Over time, the tools of his trade – daring, violence, deceit, and suppression of self – exact an ever-increasing toll. After twenty years under cover, he completes one final, decisive operation. Now he faces a choice: escape to safety in Israel, or attempt to lay claim to his future by confronting the past – the mother who forsook him; the abbess who abused him; the lover who deserted him.
THE WOLF SHALL DWELL WITH THE LAMB is a literary thriller. This work contextualizes the geopolitical, religious, social and historical realities of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the roots of the current violence in the Middle East. The world needs this novel precisely at this time. The book reminds us of the historical imperatives leading to the founding of the State of Israel, while acknowledging the pain and longing experienced by its Arab citizens and neighbors.
Author Interview - Emmet Hirsch
Author I draw inspiration from:
It depends on my frame of mind. While writing "The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb," I was inspired by Kristin Hannah for her character-driven and thoroughly research historical fiction, and by Daniel Silva, for his thrilling and realistic depictions of Israeli spycraft. When I write humor, satire and social commentary, P.G. Wodehouse whispers in my ear, reminding me that rhythm is everything. George Orwell insists that I be guided by my values. Jane Austen is a fun companion.
Author Interview - Emmet Hirsch | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
My library.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Yossarian, the tortured bombardier of "Catch-22," by Joseph Heller. Yossarian tries hard to feign insanity, an effort hampered by the fact that he is, in fact, crazy (or at least conditionally so). He tries to leverage this insanity to escape the suicidal bombing missions his commanders repeatedly send him on, but these efforts fail, because his desire to avoid flying demonstrates that he is perfectly sane after all. Along the way, Yossarian makes sensible yet absurd observations like his famous: ""I'm going to live forever, or die in the attempt." I suspect it wouldn't take long for me to beg for deliverance from the presence of this mad genius, however. There is only so much of this sort of thing a non-fictional person can take.
Author Interview - Emmet Hirsch | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
When I sat on my mother's lap reading Dr. Seuss.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I am usually simultaneously reading a physical book (either paperback or hard-cover; I don't own an e-book reader) during my quiet hours and listening to an audiobook while driving or performing "mindless" tasks. Unlike some people, I find I can focus on the audiobook while my body and part of my consciousness are engaged in other activities. I love both forms of reading.
The first audiobook I ever listened to was the Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Killer Angels," by Michael Shaara. The book is a stunningly effective fictionalization of the Battle of Gettysburg, told from the perspectives of the real combatants. The brilliant narration was by George Guidall, with whom I fell in love instantly. I was so excited when, after e-mailing Mr. Guidall out of the blue, he agreed to narrate my book, "The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb!"
The last book I read:
I read "The Book of Internal Grammar," by David Grossman in the original Hebrew. It is an astonishing tale of a 12-year-old boy whose physical development (and to a parallel extent, his intellectual growth) arrest, while everyone around him moves on and up. The painfully frank insights into the minds of the main characters, exposing ugliness and wounds most of us conceal even from ourselves, were revelatory. At the same time, the book was hard to get through. The writing was complex, with sentences sometimes lasting multiple pages at a time, and with word choices that would stretch anyone's vocabulary. I wonder how it comes out in English translation.
Author Interview - Emmet Hirsch | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I write only on my laptop. I can't imagine a different method. To quote Humpty Dumpty: "When I use a word...it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less." In addition, I burden each of my words with sounding right; its rhythm and texture, in addition to its meaning, must serve my purposes. This process tends to demand a lot of the Backspace key as I experiment with different formulations until I get it just right. I know some authors take the approach of "just get something down and revise it later." That does not describe my process. I struggle with first drafts and revise and revise and revise, and when the work is finally done, let it sit for a while, and revise some more. Then I send it out to beta readers and revise based on their feedback. Then I let it ferment again and revise. I keep revising until it gets published. Then I read the published work and identify all the things I wish I had revised before sending it out.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Emma Woodhouse, the heroine of Jane Austen's novel "Emma." She is bright, creative and energetic and -- every movie version of the story confirms it -- beautiful with an enchanting smile. I think I would have endlessly good times with her.
Author Interview - Emmet Hirsch | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I already have a day job. I am a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist and research scientist. "Author" is my response to the question: "If you weren't a doctor, what would you be?"
Favorite decade in fashion history:
The "Flapper Era" seems fun. My own fashion choices tend toward the non-creative.
Place I’d most like to travel:
Yosemite National Park. I love mountain scenery and hiking, and Yosemite is the number one destination that remains on the bucket list.
My signature drink:
Turkish coffee, a special kind of brew associated with campfires and the outdoors.
Favorite artist:
Elton John.
Number one on my bucket list:
Still Yosemite National Park.
Find more from the author:
Webpage: https://www.emmethirsch.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emmethirschmd/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmethirschmd/
X/Twitter: @EmmetHirschMD
About Emmet Hirsch:
Emmet Hirsch
Emmet Hirsch grew up in Jerusalem and served as an artillery officer in the Israel Defense Forces. He is now a researcher and obstetrician-gynecologist based in Evanston, Illinois. In his creative writing, he seeks meaning in a fact-driven world. He is the author of the novels "The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb" and "The Education of Doctor Montefiore." His reflections on the interface of medicine and human relationships have been published in various literary, professional and media outlets.
