Telling the Truth though Fiction: Author Esther Erman Writes a Jewish Novel with Heart and Personal History

Born in Stuttgart, Germany, Esther Erman entered the world 18 months after her Jewish parents endured the Holocaust and many horrors of Auschwitz. “Each parent was the sole survivor from their family of origin,” Esther said. “We immigrated to the U.S. when I was a baby, starting off on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. I spent most of my formative years in New Jersey, which I regard as my home base.”

Now living in the San Francisco Bay area, Esther shares her remarkable novel with the world, and tells us how growing up in a refugee family with lots of refugees in her circle gave her personal perspective and a frame of reference for her story.

“Rebecca is called to provide care for a young victim of rape. I have a fondness for what happens in Palermo.“
~ Esther Erman, author of Rebecca of Salerno: A Novel of Rogue Crusaders, A Jewish Female Physician and a Murder

Q: What sparked the idea for your book?

A: I have my BA and MA in French. As much as I loved studying French literature, as a Jewish woman I had to compartmentalize because the few Jews who showed up in what I read were villains. When I was working on my doctoral dissertation in language education, I researched images of Jews in literature — and was astonished to discover Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe — and his creation of Rebecca. Here was a positive image of a Jewish woman! Her character stayed with me. When I discovered the medieval medical school at Salerno, where a Jewish woman would have been able to study (this was real!), something clicked for me. I knew what Rebecca would do after fleeing for her life from England at the end of Ivanhoe, so I decided to write her story as a refugee making her life in a new place.

Q: Writing a book is a process with highs and lows. What challenges did you overcome to
get your story written, and what tools or practices helped you achieve the goal?

A: Indeed, lots of highs and lows! A high was going to Salerno in 2015. It’s always wonderful to travel to the actual site of a story. One challenge was basing my work on a character created by another writer. As much as it is almost miraculous that Walter Scott came up with Rebecca (interesting mystery as to how and why he did that), he was not historically accurate and he was not particularly knowledgeable about Judaism. I had to incorporate his errors into my Rebecca, which I hope I did in an acceptable away (I haven’t heard any complaints about that aspect of the story).

Pantsing Through The Pages of a Novel:

“My writing style is that I’m a pantser — which means a quick draft and lots of revisions. Sometimes one gets tired of revising…”
~ Esther Erman

Q: Tell us about the people, places or things that inspire your creativity.

A: I’m a voracious reader — which is always stimulating for the writing process. Talking with other writers is also stimulating. I learned English as a second language at age five, which sparked my lifelong passion for language. In addition to English, I do (the NY Times word puzzle) Wordle each day in French, Italian, and Spanish. Yiddish was my first language. I’ve also studied Russian and am now trying to teach myself Polish. Quilting and other fabric arts are part of my creativity. My son lives in England and the edge of a moor. Talk about stimulating for the creativity! I find the sights and sounds of travel a rich source.

Q. What are your next projects, writing or otherwise?

A. I am hoping to update the novelized version I wrote, that was published in 2003, of my family’s story. I’m trying to write something that bridges the memoir and novel form and am not sure how to do that. In the twenty years since I thought that book was done, I’ve learned a lot that changes the story and makes it more poignant.