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Between the Lines |
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Interview with Marissa Moss |
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Galen
My Life in Imperial Rome
Marissa Moss
As a slave in Rome, Galen hopes for a better life but make the best of what he has. He studies well the painting techniques of his father, finds adventures with his best friend, Micio the chariot racer, and stumbles upon and just might solve a mystery that will improve the life of everyone around him—and change the course of history.
Galen, from the acclaimed author of the Young American Voices series, is a riveting first-person account of a young boy's life in ancient Rome. The first book in the Ancient World Journal series |
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Biography |
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| Marissa Moss is the creator of the bestselling Amelia series, the Young American Voices series, and historically based picture books including True Heart and Brave Harriet. She lives in Berkeley, California. |
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Interview |
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Q: Your new journal book, Galen, is filled with information about life in ancient Rome including reference maps, a glossary, and descriptive personal notes from Galen, the creator of the journal. How did you manage to include so much valuable historical information while also maintaining Galen's personal perspective and "boy of the ancient world" storytelling style?
A: I read a tremendous amount [on the subject] so that the reality of daily life in ancient Rome would feel very familiar to me. Living in Rome while working on the book provided me with amazing insight into the period. Trips to Pompeii and Herculaneum were especially helpful. Then, while I was writing the story, I allowed myself to read only ancient Roman literature so I could keep the voice of the period alive in my head.
Q: Galen's exciting and somewhat frightening discovery of an assassination plot adds a certain level of intrigue and mystery to this story. And, knowing that many of the people and events mentioned in Galen are based on historical facts, that level of intrigue is exponentially increased. Was the assasination conspiracy against Tiberius and Augustus a documented historical event?
A: You can read about it in Cassius Dio. Unfortunately, Augustus's daughter Julia was actually involved, although it's unclear whether she knew that her intended new husband, Iullius Antonius, meant to kill her father in order to rule. She may have thought he would patiently wait until Augustus died and then take over. Iullius Antonius was certainly not going to do that! He felt cheated of his personal right to rule because his father, Marc Antony, who had been the heir to Julius Caesar, lost that right due to his courtship of Cleopatra. The story of Antony and Cleopatra is well known, but that of his son and Julia is not.
Cassius Dio is also the source for the story about the ex-provincial governor condemning his slave to be fed to the moray eels as punishment for clumsily breaking a prized drinking cup. Augustus really did order the man's entire cup collection to be destroyed to teach him the value of a single human life, even that of a slave. Unfortunately what happened next to the miserable slave is not recorded, but I couldn't imagine that Augustus would save his life only to leave him to face his master's wrath later-so I had Augustus take the slave and his family back to Rome with him.
Q: Galen's friend, Micio, is a chariot racer, also known as an auriga. Was it common for children in ancient Rome to be involved in such dangerous activities?
A: Boys as young as ten or twelve were commonly chariot racers because they were so light. As in modern-day horse racing, there was a clear advantage to small jockeys. And although the sport was dangerous, it was highly rewarding. A good racer could easily become a millionaire. Considering how risky normal daily life was then, it wasn't such a bad bet to make.
Q: You not only wrote the story Galen, you also illustrated it. How did you decide where to include the drawings? Did you write the story first and then add the illustrations? Or did you create the illustrations as you were writing-in true journal style?
A: I wrote the text and drew the illustrations together, creating the book as a seamless whole because sometimes it's easier to express things in words, and other times pictures convey the idea better. As I did my research, I knew there were certain images I wanted to include, so I was taking visual notes as well as historical ones.
Q: You also hand-lettered the text in Galen. What are your thoughts about the impact of hand-lettered text in this type of children's book, versus traditional typeset text?
A: I think the hand-lettered text makes the book more personal and immediate, just like a real journal draws the reader in with its intimate nature. And for the way I work, it gives me absolute control on how the page is laid out-where words will go and where there will be art.
Q: Adults as well as children will enjoy Galen because of its rich content and interactivity (also the intrigue, action, and drama). But the book is actually targeted for 8-12 year olds. What type of reader in this age group do you think will most enjoy and benefit from Galen?
A: I think kids who like historical fiction-who want to experience what it would be like to live in another place and time-will enjoy the book, but I also hope that kids who think history is boring will pick up Galen. I myself love history, especially getting close to it through original source material, but most children read history only in dry textbooks that have prechewed the information for them and served it up in bite-sized morsels. With Galen, kids can see how interesting real history is, and I'd love it if, after they finish Galen, they become curious about historical sources and read some on their own. Suetonius is great fun to read-he writes about the lives of the emperors in a gossipy way. If there's a scandalous rumor to be told, he's sure to dish it up.
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