IS TRUTH REALLY STRANGER THAN FICTION? by Penny Hutson

 

On a recent sojourn to one of my favorite places, Barnes and Noble, I found the most unusual book. While searching for anything I could find on Joan of Arc, the history of France and the Hundred Years War, I stumbled upon Bad Days in History: A Gleefully Grim Chronicle of Misfortune, Mayhem, and Misery for Every Day of the Year by Michael Farquhar. The cover depicted a cartoon drawing of a wooden Trojan Horse and an ancient Greek soldier tentatively holding an apple up to its mouth. It made me smile, so I added it to my other finds and headed to the on-site Starbucks. With a cappuccino in one hand and a stack of paperbacks and hardcovers cradled in my other arm, I commandeered a table to peruse my treasures.

In the Bad Days in History, the author chronicles the epic misfortunes and terrible bad luck of some of the most absurd and often little-known occurrences of our time with a touch of light-hearted humor. Plucked from the ancient days of yore to the 2000s, this tome consists of 365 uproarious blunders and catastrophes from around the world.

With short accounts spanning anywhere from a few sentences to three pages, you can read several stories in just a few minutes. Clever titles adorn each one. Some of my favorites are “The Spy Who Mugged Me” and “Double-Lacrossed” and “Oh, Now You Tell Her . . .” Others reveal more of its subject matter, like “RFK to LBJ: You’re no JFK” or “Burning Up Old Hickory: Andrew Jackson’s Dixie Nemesis.” To tell the truth, I had fun just reading the titles but had to visit the index to find something on Joan of Arc. It was just two sentences and, unfortunately, nothing I didn’t already know.

I was just about to drop this selection onto my “No Purchase” pile when it hit me. This could be an awesome resource for historical writers like me. Before I chose the time-period for my first fictional piece, I spent hours over many days scouring tons of sources for lesser-known events in the past in which to set my novel. Now, I have 365 of them at my fingertips! And after reading a few dozen or so, I believe any writer could use these bizarre yet true occurrences as a basis for starting or perking up a story in any genre.

Here are just a few examples I found particularly fun or amusing.

On January 28, 1393, the “Costume Drama: The Worst Burning Man Festival Ever” tells of a masquerade ball, attended by King Charles VI of France along with five of his knights. They were all dressed as shaggy, hairy creatures in costumes made of linen soaked with resin and covered in flax, including the King. Then, his younger brother, Louis, Duke of Orleans, arrived late, drunk and with a torch. Oh yes, you’ve probably guessed it already. Four of the knights burned to death. One survived by throwing himself into a vat of wine. And the King? He lived. Saved from the flames by the voluminous skirts of his aunt. They say, “the French sovereign was never the same again.” Overcome by madness, he was later rendered unfit to rule.

Here's another gem. On August 4, 1983 a Yankee’s ball player was arrested for killing a seagull with a baseball in “Murder Mysteries? The A-Girl and the Seagull.” He claimed it was an unfortunate accident while playing catch with the left fielder during warmups, but several eyewitness accounts swore it was deliberate. He was released on bail the same day.

Wouldn’t a masked ball or party with an epic failure of some kind or an absurd action that gets your character arrested spice up your plot? Maybe you pick the fourteenth century royal court of King Charles to set your next story. There are so many ways to use Farguhar’s unique collection.

So, is truth really stranger than fiction? I believe this work supports that maxim.

And, if you liked Michael Farquhar’s Bad Days in History, try his latest release, More Bad Days in History: The Delightfully Dismal, Day-by-Day Saga of Ignominy, Idiocy, and Incompetence Continues.