By: Rachel Fix Dominguez
Novelist Lauren Belfer hails from Buffalo. She graduated from Buffalo Seminary, and her New York Times bestselling first book, “City of Light,” was set in Buffalo during the Pan-American Exposition. “City of Light” garnered great critical acclaim and many have been eagerly awaiting the publication of her second novel. “A Fierce Radiance” does not disappoint.
Set in New York City at the start of World War II, the book chronicles the development of penicillin at a time when the stakes were high for such a breakthrough. Skeptics may wonder if the creation of penicillin makes for compelling reading; Belfer manages to convey the historical significance of the scientific discovery while also writing a book that’s hard to put down. Readers learn at the beginning of the novel that Claire Shipley, the protagonist, has lost a child to a blood infection. She is also an award-winning photographer for LIFE magazine and finds herself drawn into a world of intrigue, blackmail, espionage, and murder when she takes on an assignment to photograph scientists working on penicillin development at the Rockefeller Institute.
Ms. Belfer will be in Western New York for several events from Thursday, June 24th through Tuesday, June 29th, 2010, including an event at 7pm on 6/24 at the Burchfield Penney Arts Center, and at the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library Main Branch Auditorium at 3pm on 6/25 (This event is part of Citybration). For a complete list of events, please click here.
Buffalo Rising interviewed Ms. Belfer to learn more about the connection between her writing and her hometown, how long it took to write her new book, and her opinions about current-day Buffalo.
Buffalo Rising: How did growing up in Buffalo influence “A Fierce Radiance,” if at all? The connection between your hometown and your first novel, “City of Light,” is obvious. Given the setting of “A Fierce Radiance” (NYC during WWII), such a link is not immediately apparent, but would be interesting for your Buffalo-based readers to learn about.
Lauren Belfer: Writing “City of Light” and exploring the history of my hometown, Buffalo, forced me to look anew at the history of New York, where I now live. Many of the social, cultural, and financial factors at work in Buffalo in 1901 were also at work in New York City in 1941 — corporate greed, moral shades of gray, altruism vs. self-interest, controversies about the role of women. Even though at first glance the topics, and the cities, seem different, I found myself in familiar territory as I wrote “A Fierce Radiance.”
BR: One of the most enjoyable aspects of your books is your attention to historical accuracy coupled with a really good fictional story. How long did it take you to write “A Fierce Radiance” and what was your research process?
LB: “A Fierce Radiance” took eight years to write — even longer than “City of Light,” which took six years to write. In both cases, I started out knowing virtually nothing about the topics of the books. I felt I needed to immerse myself in the topics so deeply that when I conjured up my characters, they could speak about their work in an almost off-hand way, even telling jokes about their work. I’ve found that the best way to organize and present material about the past is to put myself into the shoes of my characters and try to know as much as they do about a particular topic — and so truly inhabit them as they go about their lives each day. To capture the lives and work of the scientists of the war era, I read the memoirs and autobiographies of “real” scientists. To capture the atmosphere of everyday life during the war, I read every issue of LIFE magazine from 1939 – 1945. I read many years of the NEW YORK TIMES on microfilm (rather than online), so that I could see the layout of the pages as well as the advertisements. This was a fascinating process.
BR: How do you think Buffalo has changed over the past decade and what’s your favorite place to eat when you come back to visit?
LB: To me, Buffalo seems to have become much more vibrant in recent years. I love walking along Elmwood Avenue and visiting the cafes, the small shops, and the wonderful bookstore, Talking Leaves. I adore the new Burchfield Penney, which has become an extraordinary center for the arts and culture. When I’m in Buffalo, I sense an energy and optimism in the air which the city didn’t have a few decades ago. As to restaurants, Buffalo is a terrific city for restaurants. The ethnic variety, the differences in atmosphere and price range…I always feel I can find exactly the type of place I want, no matter what my mood. I won’t say that I have a favorite, because I’m always discovering someplace new and wonderful!
Meet author Lauren Belfer:
Thursday, June 24, 2010 at 7 PM
Burchfield Penney Arts Center Auditorium
1300 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14222
Friday, June 25, 2010 at 3 PM
Buffalo Citybration at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Auditorium
1 Lafayette Square
Buffalo, NY 14203