Interpreting our lives: memory, truth and fiction

Abstract

Interpreters is a novel that explores the secrets and lies within families, the parent-child relationship, the interpretation of the past and the collective and personal guilt of a generation who grew up in Nazi Germany. Mindful of the moral and ethical issues inherent in memoir and autobiography, I explore the challenges and dilemmas encountered in creating a work of autobiographical fiction that draws on the experiences of those who may never have expected, or wanted, their stories to be told. I attempt to ensure ethical and artistic integrity by recording emotional rather than actual truths, by changing the stories' and the characters' natures, and liberating myself from the constraints of conventional life writing with its requirement for historical accuracy, logical timeframe and expectation of truthfulness.