The Rubble and the Shakespeare Almost Wasn’t

tyunglebower ♦ November 16, 2023 ♦ Leave a comment

My upcoming novel, The Rubble and the Shakespeare will be officially released on the 27th of this month. I have spent more time writing, (and long periods not-writing) this novel than any of my previous works. I’ve gone into the reasons why in previous posts, but suffice to say I am excited to finally have it out there for purchase.

Yet despite taking so long, I nearly waited even longer to publish it. Despite how much of a drag on my mind that choice would have been, I pondered a delay because of the “rubble” part.

It’s difficult to recall now, but there was a time when neither the Ukraine nor Gaza were experiencing invasions, bombings, destruction, and so on. It was at such a time when I began writing this novel.

Then Ukraine happened. And more recently the Gaza mess started up. Needless to say, much of both areas now lie in literal rubble. This novel will come out in tensions across the world are hitting a peak over the Gaza bombings especially. Because I didn’t want to give the impression I was capitalizing on these events to sell a book, I wondered for a time if I should hold off on release.

I had decided to go ahead with it once, in wake of the Ukraine situation not long before Israel business of 2023 began, and I considered the topic all over again. Perhaps, I thought, I should at least change the title to not include the word “rubble”?

Book covers had been made, and marketing underway with that title, and I opted to leave it as is. A minor problem compared to those living the hells I have mention above, but nonetheless an issue for this author to consider.

It’s obvious by now that I chose to release the novel as scheduled.

The story involved a city rebuilding from a war, a revolution that ultimately overthrew a longstanding tyranny. The setting is now at peace, but still rebuilding. In the end, that is why I moved forward: rebuilding.

The story focuses on a Shakespeare play, the first in ages to be permitted in the country in question. On one hand, culture and art are their own reward in a time of rebuilding. Such is the position of Otto, the second most important character. Our protagonist, Dimitri, represents the other side to a degree…that maybe now is not the ideal time to explore flights of fancy such as the arts. He agrees to help Otto because of their friendship, not because of a devotion to culture.

Predicably, there are issues, plenty of them, in mounting a production in the middle of such an urban mess. Yet this is a story, if I have done my job, or what happens after the destruction is over. When we physically dig out of rubble and debris, do we not also have to dig our spirits out of confinement? Do we let some shit in the game squelch our attempts?

An individual must answer these questions for himself, but I I have told this story in order to present the questions to a set of characters. (You will of course have to read it to see how each of them responds!)

The point is, if I opted not to share this story now, in the midst of tragedy throughout the world, I would in a sense betray the very theme I hoped to establish in the first place: that there are times creativity and art still matter in the world to some of us, even if not to everyone.

And so both the title, and the release date for The Rubble and the Shakespeare remain unchanged. I hope you will read it, but even more than that, I hope that those in troubled places throughout the world will eventually get to the point where they to can ponder the arts and imagination once again…as they rebuild.