Matt, congratulations on your first novel. Why did you want to write this story?
Thank you. There were a number of reasons. Firstly, I had long wanted to write a novel. My writing history has included journalism, poetry and short stories but never a novel. It felt like a challenge I needed to overcome to progress my writing journey. Secondly, a long told tale from my family regarding my Uncle Werner’s exploits in and around the Second World War had never been properly researched or told. I knew the bare bones were there to create a novel but it was only when I stared researching the story that I realised how much work would be involved. Ultimately, I wanted to use the experiences of my uncle’s life to create a broader, more meaningful story. Thirdly, I recognised and felt uneasy with the growing intolerance we see in the world around us. We seem in many senses to be growing even further apart, depending on our political and religious views or ethnicity. I wanted to examine this theme in my book through the eyes of someone searching for his true identity.
Was the plot something that you had in mind first or did that come later, after character?
In the classic descriptions of novel writers as ‘plotters’ or ‘pantsers,’ I was definitely in the latter category! I knew I wanted to write certain scenes – for example, the desert plane crash, based on the experience of my Uncle Werner, but once these were written it was very much a case of working hard to weave together a plot. This meant introducing new themes and motivations for the characters that drove the story forward. Certain elements were challenging, for example the passage of time when Oskar leaves America. Also ensuring that despite the book covering some 50 years it did not feel threadbare and contained a strong thread tying the acts together. It took time and much editing and re-writing but I eventually got to a place I was really pleased with. A real learning experience for me and one I loved. The next novel is already planned though!
Today, many cannot understand why the Nazi Party attracted support, but at its electoral height it received nearly 14 million votes and 37% of the vote. Why do you think this is?
This is a really pertinent question, especially in the political climate of today in so many countries around the world. The Nazi’s rise to power was not sudden, it had taken many years for the party to develop its foothold and then grow its supporter base. The Nazis took advantage of a mass dissatisfaction among the German public and used Adolf Hitler’s charisma and powerful rhetoric to drive home messages that the German public were desperate to hear. Hitler’s ideology vilified Jews and Communists as the reason for Germany’s weakness and pointed to an Aryan future as the solution. The tactic of making certain groups of people in society ‘the unwanted enemy’ is still being used today. It should not be such a surprise to people that fascist tendencies can gain a foothold in a country and overcome democracy.
Oskar, our hero fights in the Luftwaffe during the war – did you find it a challenge to depict the German experience of war?
Not really, because I was not writing from the more clichéd perspective of a die-hard Nazi, rather from the perspective of a sensitive, bookish man whose past had impacted heavily on him. I asked myself: ‘What questions would that person ask themselves? How would their fears manifest themselves? How would someone who did not want to kill anyone survive a conflict? This was actually a much more interesting experience for me as a writer and, I hope, a more rewarding one for readers of my book. I also had the support of my German family who were able to share documents and perspectives from the past which aided my understanding of the German experience. Ultimately many Germans who fought in the war were not Nazis, rather they felt they were doing their duty for their country just as many other soldiers, sailors and airmen did for theirs.
Oskar’s father was a successful pilot in WW1 – just as Goering was. How much did the experience of the Great War influence the Nazis?
Hugely. The humiliation of defeat to the Allies in the First World War, and the subsequent burden of reparation and limits on military strength implemented by the Treaty Of Versailles had an enormous impact on the German psyche. It meant a large swathe of the population were open to the ideas of an enlarged, united and powerful Germany that Hitler so effectively articulated.
Was there contemporary accounts you found useful in writing the novel?
I read widely in researching Leaving Fatherland. Some of the most useful books included Soldiers by Sönke Neitzel and Harald Welzer, a fascinating record of the bugged conversations of German POWs that helped me understand some of the real views held by soldiers of the Wehrmacht. Sophie Jackson’s Churchill’s Unexpected Guests gave a great insight into the lives of German prisoners of war across Great Britain in the war years and after. Understanding how the Nazis used language was critical in writing my book and there is no better guide than Victor Klemperer’s The Language of the Third Reich. I also needed a basic understanding of the Luftwaffe and used John Killen’s The Luftwaffe – A History in this regard.
Did you find any particular historians helpful in capturing the environment of Nazi Germany before and during the War?
William Shirer, an American journalist and author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich published back in 1960. The book is widely recognised to have eliminated the ‘amnesia’ that had struck in the 15 years after the end of the war as people tried to forget the horrors and return to normality. Shirer was an American journalist who was posted in Europe for much of the 1930s, so had first-hand experience of events in Germany. The premise of Shirer’s perspective was that Nazism was a logical phase in Germany’s national development and no accident, rather a lethal combination of German nationalism, authoritarianism and militarism.
Are you working on a second novel?
I am writing a novel set just after the Second World War based in Pembrokeshire and London. The backdrop is the historic tale of how ministers and teachers from West Wales grouped together to defeat a War Office plan to site a massive military base and shooting range in the Preseli Hills. Inside this story is another twisted tale of love that ends badly for both characters. The planning is done and I am about four chapters in. It has given me a wonderful opportunity to make regular visits to one of my favourite spots in the country. It will be published next year.
Matt Graydon is a journalist and the author of Leaving Fatherland which is out now.
