I have always been an avid reader — fiction, nonfiction, thrillers, histories, biographies and classics, but as I have grown older, my interest in books has far exceeded the leisure time I can devote to them. It takes a visit to a bookstore or a library to remind me just how much a good book can entertain, teach and inspire. There are so many interesting books on the shelves but who has the time to read them all? It seems that today many spend their leisure time like money — calculating their return on the investment. Where was the book I was always looking for that could make me gladly take the time to read it? For years I contemplated the long, arduous task of writing it myself as I searched for a subject, I felt, deserving of the effort. My quest ended after a visit to Venice in 1999 led me to read several histories of the Venetian Republic. Now there was a story to inspire and entertain! But where was the novel that drew upon this glorious history? And so, I put my shoulder to the task and now, three years later, The Lion of St. Mark, the first volume of The Venetians, is a reality — the original manuscript completed just two weeks after that infamous day — September 11, 2001.
And as you will see, the truth is stranger than fiction.
I believe that a novelist's job is akin to the gourmet chef's. Just as food provides sustenance for the body, so books provide nourishment for the mind. Today, a diner knows he must eat but he wants more than just a full belly. He wants to experience eating — great taste, pleasing aroma, unique presentation, efficient service and good nutrition to be better off for the experience. One look at a best-seller list reveals that today's fiction reader wants nothing less — a great story, appealing characters, alluring settings, expanded knowledge and he wants to be better off for spending his precious time with the author and his creation.
I have tried to write the kind of book I search for when I feel the pangs of literary hunger. The Count of Monte Cristo, The Godfather, Killer Angels and the Matarese Circle all handsomely rewarded the time I invested in them — drawing me into the story, feeling and thinking with the characters as I learned about each world they lived in. Just as these works of fiction have inspired me to go on and read the history of these times, so my visit to Venice inspired me to write a story about her history and her people.
But historical fiction must read like a novel as it stays true to the facts — no simple task. This is not alternate history — the main events are as they happened. And as you will see, the truth is stranger than fiction. Many characters are real; Sultan Muhammed II, Doge Francesco Foscari and Governor Paolo Erizzo, to name just a few. The rest are invented. I hope the reader will not be able to tell the difference. A few surviving shreds of dialog are real but most of it, as the events occurred half a millennium ago, is contrived though faithful, I trust, to the speaker's feelings and intent.
As with any great exertion, I could not have written this book alone. As Althea Gibson once said, "No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you." When I was a small child, my Aunt Nellie, a consummate storyteller, introduced me to the power that rare gift holds to spellbind. My parents, Elmer and Barbara, instilled in me a love of reading and bought me any books I wanted — an indulgence to children I highly recommend. My wife Cathie and my children, Sara and Tom, read many drafts of the manuscript and never once uttered a word of discouragement — only help and hope.
...despite the passage of more than five hundred years, sadly little has changed as the clash of cultures is renewed — fueled today by the same forces and passions as then.
My agent, Bob Solinger, believed in this book from the start and inspired one of my favorite characters, the irrepressible Seraglio. For all that and more, I am grateful. Peter Wolverton, my editor, taught me the most important thing for a fiction writer — make the story fit your characters instead of writing the characters to fit your story. Hopefully, the reader will agree that the revisions suggested by him improved the overall effort. Finally, I want to say how grateful I am to be born an American. I think we take it for granted. Where else could a middle-aged business executive begin a simultaneous career and receive so much encouragement from so many people — even his employer?
I trust you will enjoy the Venetians and their story and as you finish the last page, you will be pleased with the time you have spent in their world. I hope the experience will inspire you to visit Venice and drink in her rich history — for there is nothing like it on this earth. And as for the expanding your knowledge...
I also hope this book will inspire you to think more deeply about our world today where, despite the passage of more than five hundred years, sadly little has changed as the clash of cultures is renewed — fueled today by the same forces and passions as then. Take heart and learn from the Venetians who so bravely defended their republic. Watch them fight on alone against their powerful and terrifying adversary as they strive to preserve freedom and their way of life. Before there was Churchill and the resolute British of 1940, there were the Venetians. Now, as we fight to preserve our own culture, our values and our very freedom, can we afford to do less than they?
