Intertwining History with Storytelling

You read history books and seldom connect with the characters on the page. The world of history needs the gentle touch of narrative voice.

I have been obsessed with the Drafting the Past podcast - a podcast that explores the craft of history. I am only four episodes in, but each episode has illuminated how important it is to intertwine storytelling when narrating and exploring the past. It is this crucial aspect that allows the reader to be entertained and informed and invites them to immerse themselves into real life world building. This is a practice I strive toward in my own writing as a historian, but I have to say, it is not easy.

The book I am currently writing explores the life of Sheikh Fehmi Imam and his journey from migrant to mufti. Without saying too much juuuust yet, the book begins with a seafaring story retold and reimagined through oral histories. Fehmi is on his way to Australia, on a ship that had, previously, served Australia in WWI and WWII. It was no luxury liner. But in every moment, I try to imagine the scene as I listen to, and read, the oral interviews and transcripts.

Here’s a sneak peek into Chapter One:

The rhythmic chug of the Hellenic Prince slowly comes to life as the last of Lebanese and Syrian passengers hop on board. The waves pound forcefully against the Port of Beirut as the ship surges forward. The pungent smell of fish slowly fades, and, in its place, the fresh scent of salty air breezes on board. In the distance, a gust of wind dances and twirls across the water’s surface, as if guiding the ship on its long journey. It is a journey of hope, a new beginning—a promise of a fresh future in the far away land of Down Under.

When the ship left the Port of Beirut, did the wind dance and twirl across the water’s surface? Possibly. Did Fehmi Imam hop on board the Hellenic Prince to begin a new life in the land of Down Under? Certainly.

The intertwining of history and memory, of truth-telling and story, is a delicate process albeit one that bridges the gap between academia and the public. Stan Grant, an Indigenous journalist, and author of The Queen is Dead, writes that ‘storytellers work with and against history. In history we find difference and conflict, yet the storyteller must find us in each other.’[i] History informs, storytelling ties us to the common ground of humanity. Storytelling can be creative; it can be the work of the writer putting sentences together to paint a pretty picture of the past. Storytelling can also be the work of memory as people narrate their experiences, their hopes, and their dreams to leave their mark on the historical record. This is what oral histories do, and this is what this book I am writing, does.

I have two chapters still to write, and while the research has pushed me back and taking it's sweet time to make sense, I am excited to find the words to conclude this book in a beautiful way. Writing this book as been a journey, but it is one that has made me a better historian and a better writer, all at the same time.

Until next time,

Mirela xx