Sharon Hart-Green's Blog
July 1, 2020
Why I Write
Delighted to be the featured writer on "Why I Write." Thanks to Christi Craig for featuring me! Here's the piece I wrote://mailchi.mp/946fd7dbfd6b/sunday-series...
April 19, 2020
Seekers of Meaning
I was honoured to be a guest on the podcast "Seekers of Meaning." Thanks to Richard Address for hosting a great conversation. https://jewishsacredaging.com/sharon-...
Seekers of Meaning
I was honoured to be a guest on the podcast "Seekers of Meaning." Thanks to Richard Address for hosting a great conversation. https://jewishsacredaging.com/sharon-...
January 11, 2019
A Heroine for a Day
I really don't think of myself as a heroine. But here I am featured on The Heroine's Journey. Go figure!
https://theheroinejourney2016.wordpre...
https://theheroinejourney2016.wordpre...
January 18, 2018
How I Became a Jewish Fiction Writer
I can still trace my fascination with Jewish writing to the day I picked up a dog-eared copy of S.Y. Agnon’s Twenty-One Stories at a used bookstore in downtown Toronto. I was eighteen years old and pursuing a career in the theatre, reading Flaubert and Dostoevsky in breaks between rehearsals. I somehow thought that somewhere between French romanticism and Russian despair, I would find clues to a meaningful existence. Though I was born Jewish, I had looked down at my middle-class Jewish background as hopelessly shallow and unsophisticated. But discovering Agnon’s writing turned all those presuppositions on their head. Why hadn’t anyone told me that I could find beauty and wisdom in Jewish literature?
Meanwhile, I was now acting in a new play, this time beside Gilda Radner—she, a rising star, and me, a shy kid trying to get noticed. When the play ended its run, I decided to leave behind the unforgiving lights of the theatre in search of another type of light. I enrolled in a Jewish philosophy class taught by Emil Fackenheim at the University of Toronto. After that I was hooked. I took courses in every Jewish Studies subject I could find that fit into my schedule. Two years later, I transferred to Brandeis University in Boston where I immersed myself in the writings of the great Jewish novelists and poets of the 19th and 20th centuries. But S.Y. Agnon was still my man. He was a master of language, a wellspring of textual knowledge--a writer whose sparkling imagination was as deep and varied as the sea.
In the coming years, I eventually completed a doctorate in Hebrew literature. I wrote my dissertation on (who else?) S.Y. Agnon, eventually publishing it as a book called Not a Simple Story with Lexington Books. Later returning to Canada, I took up a teaching position at the University of Toronto in modern Jewish literature. It was then that I started a new project: translating the poems of Hava Pinhas-Cohen, a contemporary Israel poet whose work I deeply admired. The collection was subsequently published by Syracuse University Press as Bridging the Divide.
Yet despite my growing academic career, something was still missing. As much as I loved being a professor and scholar, an intense desire to compose my own stories stirred inside of me. It was at this point that I tried my hand at writing fiction, and as soon as I started, the words seemed to pour out of me. Before long, I had written the first chapter of what would later become my debut novel Come Back for Me--the story of a young Holocaust survivor who goes to Israel after the war in search of his missing sister. Along the way, he falls in love, struggles with loss, and gets caught up in the tumultuous events of emerging statehood. It is ultimately a story about the redemptive force of Israel in the life of the Jewish people.
After numerous rewrites (and several literary agents), the novel was finally finished and eventually acquired by a publisher. It still sometimes surprises me that what started in adolescence with a single collection of stories by Agnon has led me to a lifelong engagement with Jewish literature. Although I have left Agnon behind for now, my desire to emulate his example has never waned. Whether I am teaching Jewish literature or creating it myself, I continue to draw from the well of Jewish knowledge, with the rapt awareness that, like Agnon’s imagination, it is as deep and varied as the sea.
Meanwhile, I was now acting in a new play, this time beside Gilda Radner—she, a rising star, and me, a shy kid trying to get noticed. When the play ended its run, I decided to leave behind the unforgiving lights of the theatre in search of another type of light. I enrolled in a Jewish philosophy class taught by Emil Fackenheim at the University of Toronto. After that I was hooked. I took courses in every Jewish Studies subject I could find that fit into my schedule. Two years later, I transferred to Brandeis University in Boston where I immersed myself in the writings of the great Jewish novelists and poets of the 19th and 20th centuries. But S.Y. Agnon was still my man. He was a master of language, a wellspring of textual knowledge--a writer whose sparkling imagination was as deep and varied as the sea.
In the coming years, I eventually completed a doctorate in Hebrew literature. I wrote my dissertation on (who else?) S.Y. Agnon, eventually publishing it as a book called Not a Simple Story with Lexington Books. Later returning to Canada, I took up a teaching position at the University of Toronto in modern Jewish literature. It was then that I started a new project: translating the poems of Hava Pinhas-Cohen, a contemporary Israel poet whose work I deeply admired. The collection was subsequently published by Syracuse University Press as Bridging the Divide.
Yet despite my growing academic career, something was still missing. As much as I loved being a professor and scholar, an intense desire to compose my own stories stirred inside of me. It was at this point that I tried my hand at writing fiction, and as soon as I started, the words seemed to pour out of me. Before long, I had written the first chapter of what would later become my debut novel Come Back for Me--the story of a young Holocaust survivor who goes to Israel after the war in search of his missing sister. Along the way, he falls in love, struggles with loss, and gets caught up in the tumultuous events of emerging statehood. It is ultimately a story about the redemptive force of Israel in the life of the Jewish people.
After numerous rewrites (and several literary agents), the novel was finally finished and eventually acquired by a publisher. It still sometimes surprises me that what started in adolescence with a single collection of stories by Agnon has led me to a lifelong engagement with Jewish literature. Although I have left Agnon behind for now, my desire to emulate his example has never waned. Whether I am teaching Jewish literature or creating it myself, I continue to draw from the well of Jewish knowledge, with the rapt awareness that, like Agnon’s imagination, it is as deep and varied as the sea.
September 6, 2017
The kind of review authors dream of
I was thrilled to discover a full page review of my novel COME BACK FOR ME in the Canadian Jewish News. It's the kind of thoughtful and articulate review that authors dream of.
http://www.cjnews.com/culture/books-a...
http://www.cjnews.com/culture/books-a...
May 24, 2017
Interview by Kate Brandes about my novel COME BACK FOR ME
We’re pleased today to be talking with Sharon Hart-Green about her debut novel, Come Back for Me.
(New Jewish Press: May 30, 2017)
Please describe what your book is about.
Artur Mandelkorn is a young Hungarian Holocaust survivor whose desperate quest to find his sister takes him to post-war Israel. Intersecting Artur’s tale is that of Suzy Kohn, a Toronto teenager whose seemingly tranquil life is shattered when her uncle’s sudden death tears her family apart, leading her into a troubled relationship with a charismatic musician. Their stories eventually come together in Israel following the Six-Day War, where love and understanding become the threads that bind the two narratives together.
Share a teaser sentence or two from your novel.
"I saw it set in the hollows of his eyes: he was a man whose past had died. Along with everyone else who was part of it."
What do you want people to know about your book?
COME BACK FOR ME is a novel that crosses continents and spans several decades. Plot-driven, it’s been described as a book that’s hard to put down.
What did you learn about yourself while writing this novel?
A lot! I learned that by listening carefully to suggestions from outside readers and editing partners, I can become a better writer.
What was your timeline from drafting to publication?
The first draft of my novel was started about seven years ago. However, that draft was totally different from the finished novel I have in my hands today. It took three or four substantive revisions (and a major structural change) before I finished the novel.
What is your favorite part of writing (drafting characters, making up scenes, plotting, developing emotional turning points, etc). Why?
On a good writing day, the process of creating something out of nothing is truly magical. But (alas) those days are few and far between. Most of the time, I write and delete, write and delete. As a rule, I do not enjoy plotting in advance, but prefer that my characters take me with them to places unknown and unplanned. To me that element of surprise is the best part of writing!
Briefly, where did the idea for your book come from?
I have always been intrigued by the fact that there are individuals who have endured unspeakable horrors in their lives, yet have managed to go on and lead productive lives. Many novels have been written about those who have been psychologically destroyed by tragedy. I wanted to write about individuals who seem to be able to transcend their own suffering. What is their secret?
When do you do your best thinking about your work in progress?
My best thinking often takes place when I least expect it: in the shower, in the car during a traffic jam, or just before falling asleep at night. I suppose it must have something to do with letting one’s thoughts run free. Creativity is a strange brew of opposites: hard work and letting oneself be free to do nothing but daydream.
Share something people may be surprised to know about you.
Before I pursued an academic career, I was involved in theatre and acted in several plays when I was still a teenager. In fact, I was in a play in Toronto with Gilda Radner. Her kindness to me (someone much younger and less experienced) is something I will never forget.
What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever gotten?
Write a little bit every day, even if you despise what you put down on the page. You can always edit it!
What’s next?
I’m working on a novel about a young man with mystical inclinations who is searching for love.
What writer influenced you the most?
I think that the writer Isaac Bashevis Singer had the greatest influence on me. To me, his novels and short stories possess that rare combination of compelling storytelling, inventive prose, and deep insight into the human condition. Although he has set the bar extremely high, it is something I strive to achieve in my own writing.
comebackforme
COME BACK FOR ME: A NOVEL
Loss, trauma, memory, and, above all, the ties of family are the elements that weave together this panoramic story. Artur Mandelkorn is a young Hungarian Holocaust survivor on a desperate quest to find his beloved sister, Manya. Intersecting Artur’s tale is that of Suzy Kohn, a Toronto teenager whose seemingly tranquil life is shattered by her uncle’s sudden death. Their stories come together in Israel following the Six-Day War, as the narrative travels through time and place to bring us, ultimately, to the connections between generations. Like SARAH’S KEY, Sharon Hart-Green’s debut novel COME BACK FOR ME deals evocatively with the scars left by tragedy and the possibilities for healing.
(New Jewish Press: May 30, 2017)
Please describe what your book is about.
Artur Mandelkorn is a young Hungarian Holocaust survivor whose desperate quest to find his sister takes him to post-war Israel. Intersecting Artur’s tale is that of Suzy Kohn, a Toronto teenager whose seemingly tranquil life is shattered when her uncle’s sudden death tears her family apart, leading her into a troubled relationship with a charismatic musician. Their stories eventually come together in Israel following the Six-Day War, where love and understanding become the threads that bind the two narratives together.
Share a teaser sentence or two from your novel.
"I saw it set in the hollows of his eyes: he was a man whose past had died. Along with everyone else who was part of it."
What do you want people to know about your book?
COME BACK FOR ME is a novel that crosses continents and spans several decades. Plot-driven, it’s been described as a book that’s hard to put down.
What did you learn about yourself while writing this novel?
A lot! I learned that by listening carefully to suggestions from outside readers and editing partners, I can become a better writer.
What was your timeline from drafting to publication?
The first draft of my novel was started about seven years ago. However, that draft was totally different from the finished novel I have in my hands today. It took three or four substantive revisions (and a major structural change) before I finished the novel.
What is your favorite part of writing (drafting characters, making up scenes, plotting, developing emotional turning points, etc). Why?
On a good writing day, the process of creating something out of nothing is truly magical. But (alas) those days are few and far between. Most of the time, I write and delete, write and delete. As a rule, I do not enjoy plotting in advance, but prefer that my characters take me with them to places unknown and unplanned. To me that element of surprise is the best part of writing!
Briefly, where did the idea for your book come from?
I have always been intrigued by the fact that there are individuals who have endured unspeakable horrors in their lives, yet have managed to go on and lead productive lives. Many novels have been written about those who have been psychologically destroyed by tragedy. I wanted to write about individuals who seem to be able to transcend their own suffering. What is their secret?
When do you do your best thinking about your work in progress?
My best thinking often takes place when I least expect it: in the shower, in the car during a traffic jam, or just before falling asleep at night. I suppose it must have something to do with letting one’s thoughts run free. Creativity is a strange brew of opposites: hard work and letting oneself be free to do nothing but daydream.
Share something people may be surprised to know about you.
Before I pursued an academic career, I was involved in theatre and acted in several plays when I was still a teenager. In fact, I was in a play in Toronto with Gilda Radner. Her kindness to me (someone much younger and less experienced) is something I will never forget.
What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever gotten?
Write a little bit every day, even if you despise what you put down on the page. You can always edit it!
What’s next?
I’m working on a novel about a young man with mystical inclinations who is searching for love.
What writer influenced you the most?
I think that the writer Isaac Bashevis Singer had the greatest influence on me. To me, his novels and short stories possess that rare combination of compelling storytelling, inventive prose, and deep insight into the human condition. Although he has set the bar extremely high, it is something I strive to achieve in my own writing.
comebackforme
COME BACK FOR ME: A NOVEL
Loss, trauma, memory, and, above all, the ties of family are the elements that weave together this panoramic story. Artur Mandelkorn is a young Hungarian Holocaust survivor on a desperate quest to find his beloved sister, Manya. Intersecting Artur’s tale is that of Suzy Kohn, a Toronto teenager whose seemingly tranquil life is shattered by her uncle’s sudden death. Their stories come together in Israel following the Six-Day War, as the narrative travels through time and place to bring us, ultimately, to the connections between generations. Like SARAH’S KEY, Sharon Hart-Green’s debut novel COME BACK FOR ME deals evocatively with the scars left by tragedy and the possibilities for healing.
March 4, 2017
Writers: How to Tell if Criticism is Valid
One of the best ways to improve your manuscript and get it ready to submit to agents and editors is to have another writer read it and offer an honest critique...But how do we determine what is a valid criticism versus that which is purely subjective or even gratuitous? When should we listen to the criticism? And once we do, what steps should we take to follow that advice?
If you would like to read more, see my full article in this week's Writers Digest. Hope you'll find it helpful!
http://www.writersdigest.com/online-e...
If you would like to read more, see my full article in this week's Writers Digest. Hope you'll find it helpful!
http://www.writersdigest.com/online-e...
