For the New York Times, Ayana Mathis and Thomas Mallon explore whether or not fiction based on historical events has a “responsibility to the truth.” While Mallon discusses how to remain within “the situational ethics” of historical fiction, Mathis differentiates between “truth” and “fact,” suggesting that fiction “is an expression of some recognizable and resonant iteration of experience.”
Do Facts Matter?
Jake Slovis
Jake Slovis is a writer and educator. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Rutgers University-Newark and is currently a lecturer in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he teaches courses focused on visual narrative and composition. His work has appeared in The Millions, Carolina Quarterly, and elsewhere.