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Booksense Book
of the Year, 2001
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How did you do your research?
Was there really a red tent in ancient times?
What exactly are the midwife's "bricks"?
How long did it take you to write The Red Tent?
What is your work process?
How is it that the female characters worship gods other
than the god of Jacob?
What led you to characterize Rebecca as you did?
Why did you change the rape to a love affair?
What is your Jewish background/education?
Are you available to lecture?
Where did the idea for The Red Tent come from?
Do you try to write for a specific type of reader?
To what extent do your own experiences influence your work?
Are you trying to convey a message in your work?
Which writers have influenced and inspired you?
Did you always want to be a writer? How did you get your start?
How did you make the transition from non-fiction to fiction?
What is the meaning of the word, "Selah?"
How did you do your research?
My research focused on the everyday life of
women in this period of history, in the ancient
Near East. I did not study the Bible or rabbinic
sources, but concentrated instead on the food,
clothing, social organization, architecture, and
medicine of the era (ca. 1500 BCE).
I was the recipient of a library fellowship at
Radcliffe College at the Schlesinger Library on
the History of American Women, which permitted
me access to the entire Harvard Library system. I
also had access to the Brandeis library system,
thanks to the women's studies department, which
appointed me a visiting scholar for a year.
Was there really a red tent in ancient times?
I did not find any evidence that women in this
period of history in this place (ancient Iraq/Israel)
used a menstrual tent. However, menstrual tents
and huts are a common feature in pre-modern
cultures around the world, from native Americans,
to Africans. The rendering of what happened inside
that tent is entirely my own creation.
What exactly are the midwife's "bricks"?
First off, these bricks have nothing to do with the
reddish oblongs that comprise houses and fireplaces.
Midwife's bricks, which I found mentioned in various
historic sources, were probably flat and certainly large
enough to stand on. There is some debate about what
they were used for. They may have had a purely
"magical" function, or they may have helped the
laboring mother to keep her footing while she
squatted to deliver her baby.
How long did it take you to write The Red Tent?
It took me three years to write the book. While I
worked on it, I also wrote Choosing a Jewish Life and
articles for various magazines.
What is your work process?
When I'm at home, I try to write most days. I
have a home office, which is where I do
most of my work. While writing The Red
Tent, I also did some writing at the
Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe College,
which provided me with an office. I finished
the manuscript in a rented vacation cottage
in Gloucester, MA.
How is it that the female characters worship gods other
than the god of Jacob?
The Bible mentions the presence of "teraphim," which are
household idols/gods in the house of Laban. At the time of the
story, a whole pantheon of gods and goddesses were
worshipped. The notion of monotheism grew out of this
context, in which the family god or El (a generic name for
"god") of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, co-existed with other
gods.
From a Jewish/Christian perspective, this is long before Sinai
and the Ten Utterances, which command "You shall have no
other gods before me." Which is in itself a tantalizing nod to
the existence of other dieties.
What led you to characterize Rebecca as you did?
The biblical character of Rebecca is that of a fierce,
headstrong woman. She knows which of her sons is
chosen by God, and she manipulates one son against
the other, and deceives her husband. From that
starting point, I pushed the character further, and
made her a kind of oracle.
Why did you change the rape to a love affair?
I could never reconcile the story of Genesis 34
with a rape, because the prince does not behave
like a rapist! After the prince is said to have
"forced" her (a determination made by the
brothers, not by Dinah), he falls in love with her,
asks his father to get Jacob's permission to marry
her, and then agrees to the extraordinary, even
grotesque demand that he and all the men of his
community submit to circumcision.
Furthermore, I wanted Dinah and all of the women
in my story to be active agents in their own lives,
not passive pawns or victims.
What is your Jewish background/education?
I did not have much of a Jewish education as a
child. My family did not affiliate with a synagogue
until I was in high school, nor were we observant
beyond lighting Hanukkah candles and holding an
annual family seder. My Jewish education has
been "remedial." As an adult learner, I continue to
study and explore the vast treasury of Jewish texts,
literature, and culture.
Are you available to lecture?
I do accept a limited number of
invitations to lecture. For information about availability
and fees contact the B'nai B'rith Lecture Bureau in
New York City. 823 United Nations Plaza, New
York, NY 10017, 212-490-1170, bblb@cloud9.net
Where did the idea for The Red Tent come from?
I had just turned 40, needed a new career challenge after writing non-fiction for 20-plus years, and turned to the most venerable source for story ideas: the Bible. Although I started out thinking I'd write the story of the relationship between Rachel and Leah, I found Dinah's story to be very dramatic and compelling. Also her total silence in Genesis inspired me to tell the story from her perspective.
Do you try to write for a specific type of reader?
Not really, though I think I do tend to assume a female reader. My novels focus on the daily life of women, and while there certainly are men who are interested in learning more about that, the primary audience for The Red Tent turns out to be women. I am not at all unhappy with that fact.
To what extent do your own experiences influence your work?
Clearly, The Red Tent, which is set thousands of years ago, is far outside my own experience. But I believe that every writer brings every part of him/herself to what s/he writes. My relationships, my moment in history, my teachers - all if it informs every word I write. How could it be otherwise?
Are you trying to convey a message in your work?
My primary goal is to provide the reader with meaningful entertainment. I do not have an agenda I'm trying to get across. However, my own beliefs and values are certainly present in everything I write. Again, how could it be otherwise?
Which writers have influenced and inspired you?
Among my favorite writers, authors to whom I return over and over again for inspiration: Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Pablo Neruda, M.F.K. Fisher, Walt Whitman, Jane Austen, Abraham Joshua Heschel.
Did you always want to be a writer? How did you get your start?
I have been a writer since childhood, however, I didn't consider it as a career goal until it became clear to me that 1) acting, and 2) teaching, were not satisfying. I began my career as a writer in my mid-20s, writing for Boston-area newspapers and magazines.
How did you make the transition from non-fiction to fiction?
Many of the same skills came into play: library research, interviewing people, and the sheer discipline of writing. Of sitting and sticking to it, even after days of frustration. However, when I started writing fiction, I joined a writer's group - four women who met and continue to meet - approximately every month, to share/support/critique and be a community for one another. That mitigated the loneliness and riskiness of writing a novel.
What is the meaning of the word, "Selah?"
Selah is a formal prayer-like response; a sort of "amen" said after "amen" has
been offered. The word's meaning and origins are unclear. Selah might have been
a musical term, denoting a pause or silence in a song or piece of music. It
might also be related to the Hebrew word for "rock" or "stone." It is not a
proper name.
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