1.
What
motivated you to write Diamond Fiddler: New Traditions for a New Millennium,
to force you from taking an idea or experience and turning it into this book?
On
May 20, 2000, I found myself at the Marc Chagall Biblical Message Museum in
France on what was just supposed to be a relaxing family vacation… But that day
changed my life. I fell in love with Marc Chagall, and he led me, almost
immediately, to Fiddler on the Roof.
There’s
a silver mine in Bolivia called Cerro Rico de Potosí.
Spanish conquistadores opened it in 1545, and, centuries later, it is still a
fully functional silver mine. Me? I have now been “mining” Fiddler on
the Roof for over 20 years, but, with all
that I have now extracted, there are still rich veins to be explored.
How to explain this “miracle of miracles”…? “I’ll tell you. I
don’t know.” But once I started telling people about my discoveries, I began
receiving speaking invitations and the word spread. And, at some point, it
became clear to me that I had an obligation to publish my major insights.
To whom was I obligated?
To Marc Chagall. To Sholem Aleichem. To Jerome Robbins and
all those who had worked on the original Broadway production with him in 1964.
To all the people who have seen Fiddler on the Roof and loved Fiddler
on the Roof since 1964. And to future generations, because I sincerely
believe that millions of people will continue to cherish Fiddler on the Roof
for decades to come… long after I am gone.
Yes!
Think cinematically for a moment. You’re driving down a highway and you see a
mountain on the horizon. You probably don’t care much about what’s inside the
mountain. You just want a tunnel to take you from one side to the other. So,
your journey though the mountain is very linear: in and out.
But
now think of yourself as a miner. There’s a mountain on the horizon, and you’ve
been told people have found chunks of silver nearby. What’s your goal now? You
probably want to extract every single bit of treasure that’s hidden inside the
mountain.
So,
you build a tunnel and you find veins of silver and you start digging. And when
one vein dries up, you go back to the main tunnel and start digging out
another. Soon the inside of the mountain is a warren of tunnels, and sometimes,
you’re digging in a new tunnel and you suddenly find yourself breaking through
to a tunnel you thought was tapped out.
My
journey inside the mountain called Fiddler on the Roof has kept me
digging and digging for years now. And even after having published two books
about Fiddler on the Roof, I am certain there is still more treasure to
be found.
My
readers won’t drive through a tunnel; my readers will go down into the mine
with me.
3.
OK,
Jan, that’s as clear as mud. What is Diamond Fiddler about and who is it
for?
The
Diamond Fiddler story begins in 1963. The original backers of Fiddler
on the Roof were skeptical. The original reviews of Fiddler on the Roof were
harsh. After the first previews, everyone expected a flop. But by 1973, Fiddler
on the Roof had become the longest running show in Broadway history.
Diamond Fiddler explains why the major themes of Fiddler on the Roof have
now transcended both space and time. Diamond Fiddler explains why all
the experts were wrong. Diamond Fiddler explains why all the audiences
are right.
Diamond Fiddler is for readers who care about meaning. Several books have already
been published about the making of Fiddler on the Roof. But Diamond
Fiddler is about the meaning of Fiddler on the Roof.
- What are its major themes?
- What are its artistic antecedents, and what are its
historical resonances?
And
most important: Why, after more than fifty years, does this little story about
a Jewish family living in a remote town in Eastern Europe in 1905 still move
people all around the world to tears?
4.
What
takeaways might the reader will be left with after reading it?
First
and foremost, my readers will learn a heck of a lot of facts about Fiddler
on the Roof which will deepen their appreciation of this great work of art.
For
example, the answer to the question “Which Fiddler is THE Fiddler?” may start
with Marc Chagall and the many, many paintings in which he depicted violins and
violinists. But follow this vein of silver into the mountain, and the tunnel
soon leads to a klezmer musician named Stempenyu, and then to a novel Sholem
Aleichem wrote about this klezmer musician early in his career.
So,
which Chagall fiddler became the inspiration for the title Fiddler on the
Roof matters a great deal, because only one of those paintings is directly
tied to the story of Stempenyu.
If
you pick Chagall’s painting The Fiddler (1912-1913) rather than Green
Violinist (1923-1924) – as so many critics do – all of this context is
lost.
To
my potential readers: I promise that once you read Sholem Aleichem’s
description of Stempenyu, you will never hear the first notes of Fiddler on
the Roof in the same way ever again.
And
singing “The Fiddler’s Theme” (Da DeeDeeDeeDee Dum, Da DeeDeeDeeDee Dum) will
make the sun rise in your mind’s eye even in the dark of night.
5.
How
did you decide on this particular title?
I
always knew I wanted to call my book Diamond Fiddler as a way of
pointing readers beyond Fiddler on the Roof’s 50th
anniversary (the Golden Anniversary in 2014) towards its 75th
Anniversary (the Diamond Anniversary in 2039).
The
subtitle New Traditions for a New Millennium is the key to Fiddler on
the Roof’s longevity. Every human child is born into a unique set of family
traditions. So, to become adults, all children have to find their own balance between
the old and the new. What will they retain? What will they challenge?
Traditions are always evolving.
I
am totally confident that people will be producing Fiddler on the Roof,
and performing in Fiddler on the Roof, and going to see Fiddler on
the Roof long after I am gone. After all, people in Bolivia are still
finding silver in the Cerro Rico de Potosí mine!
6.
What
challenges did you overcome to write this book?
Way
back in May 2000, when I stopped in the Marc Chagall Biblical Message Museum’s
bookstore on my way out, and then boarded my tour bus with a book about Chagall
in hand, I didn’t think to question the word “book.”
But
what is a “book” in 2022? And what might a “book” be by 2039? Now consider how
fraught the whole topic becomes when you add a verb. What does it mean to “read
a book” when my “readers” now have options like eReaders and audiobooks? And
who knows what “reading” options might come next?
If
you know that the “readers” you most covet are likely to be holding screens up
to their noses (as opposed to sheets of paper pasted inside a cover), then, as
a writer, aren’t you obligated to create a structure that meets their needs?
Circling
back to question two (about structure), the structure of Diamond Fiddler
is deliberately non-linear. Why? Because most people “read” differently in the
21st Century than they did in all the centuries before.
My
readers are encouraged to explore topics based on interest at their own speed.
A huge amount of time and effort went into the Table of Contents (at the
front) and the Index (at the back). Since I know Fiddler on the Roof
will keep re-appearing at different points in their lives, I am confident that
their interests will change over time. Then, when my readers come back to Diamond
Fiddler with new questions, they will find “new” content.
7.
How
would you describe your writing style?
Questions.
And more questions. And then even more questions. I ask a lot of questions in Diamond
Fiddler, and then I do my best to provide answers to those questions.
I
am always following glimmers that lead me to dig new tunnels in this mine. I
want my readers to think of this as an adventure, and come on this treasure
hunt with me.
I
want my readers to seek answers to things they’ve never questioned before.
I
want my readers to reject “conventional wisdom,” and ask questions that even I
haven’t thought to ask.
I
want my readers to find every bit of buried treasure in Fiddler on the Roof
even after I am long gone.
8.
If
people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?
To
theater people (amateurs or professionals of any age and every background):
Here are things to consider as you create your new production of Fiddler on
the Roof.
To
critics and scholars: Get your facts right!
To
the general reader: Diamond Fiddler is a Fiddler on the Roof encyclopedia.
You don’t start & stop. It stays on the shelf, and every time you have a
new question you will find new answers.
Life
is a journey, not a destination. “To Life! To Life! L’Chayim!”
About The Author: Jan Lisa Huttner is the author of two books on
the beloved musical Fiddler on the Roof. Tevye’s Daughters: No Laughing
Matter – affectionately known as “the appetizer” – focuses on just one
question: Why does the number of daughters in Fiddler on the Roof
matter?
Diamond Fiddler: New Traditions for a New
Millennium, on the other hand, is
an encyclopedic compilation of answers to many different questions about Fiddler
on the Roof, tracing the sources of Fiddler’s narrative all the way
back to BaMidbar (the Bible’s Book of Numbers). Diamond Fiddler
is “the meal.” Jan also served as a story consultant—as well as a talking
head—on the award-winning documentary Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles
(now included in the PBS Great Performances series). It’s desert! For more
information, please consult: jan_huttner@msn.com
and https://www.facebook.com/JanLisaHuttner.
Please Contact Me For
Help
Brian
Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors promote their story, sell
their book, and grow their brand. He has 30 years of experience in successfully
helping thousands of authors in all genres.
Catch Up & Read These !!
The
Truth That Authors Need To Hear
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-truth-that-authors-need-to-hear.html
Book
Publishing Expose For Authors From An Insider
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/04/book-publishing-expose-for-authors-from.html
Interview
With A Leading Book Marketer For Over 30 Years, Brian Feinblum
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/04/interview-with-leading-book-marketer.html
Do Authors Really Have A Marketing
Budget Of Zero?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/04/do-authors-really-have-marketing-budget.html
Are
There Alternative Methods To Marketing A Book?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/03/are-there-alternative-methods-to.html
How
Do Authors Get More Book Reviews?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/03/how-do-authors-get-more-book-reviews.html
What
Should You Do To Promote Your Book?
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/what-should-you-do-to-promote-your-book.html
Ask
Me Anything About Book Marketing
https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/12/ask-me-anything-about-book-marketing.html
About Brian Feinblum
Brian Feinblum should
be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2022. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in
Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue
dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and
IBPA’s The Independent. This blog, with over 4,000 posts over
the past decade, was named one of the best book marketing blogs by
BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and
recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing
blogs. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For
the past three decades, including 21 as the head of marketing for the nation’s
largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has
worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along
with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth,
Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey
Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Susan RoAne,
Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a
panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, IBPA,
Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers
Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, and Connecticut Authors
and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published
in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News,
Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The
Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun
Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information,
please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.