Q&A with Ellen Rachlin

  

 

 

Ellen Rachlin is the author of the new novel Enheduanna's Song from the Sands. Her other books include the poetry collection Permeable Divide.  

 

Q: What inspired you to write Enheduanna’s Song from the Sands?

 

A: Enheduanna inspired me. When I encountered her by chance, reading about her father, Sargon the Great, who was the world’s first emperor, I noticed a woman in his family tree with the moniker “world’s first named author.” I searched for her works and discovered these remarkable hymns.

 

Although The Exaltation of Inanna, or Ninmešarra, survives only in incomplete form, what remains is a female voice pleading to a god, Inanna, to restore her as high priestess of Ur after being brutally forced into exile, and is unforgettable.

 

It opened of world of mythology that I hadn’t known before, but presented as critical to Enheduanna’s survival and happiness. Then I read the other works attributed to her.

 

Men in this time period had epics and legends about them, but the great women of the era were footnotes. Enheduanna had to have had a remarkable story to have inspired or written these hymns. I couldn’t stop thinking about what that story might have been. To me, this was a woman who leaps out of deep history and refuses to be forgotten.

 

And the time period inspired me. Why have we overlooked ancient Mesopotamia in literature compared to ancient Greece and Rome? That realization made me want to write this novel even more.

 

Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: My research period was long and intense. I started with no knowledge whatsoever, and faced a time period that isn’t widely written about or known, certainly compared to other ancient civilizations like Rome or Greece. Even dating itself is contested.

 

For months, I read everything I could absorb from scholarly articles, books, and online resources. I loved the humor and passion in the scholarly works, but found many contradictions that left me confused.

 

At that point, I reached out directly to Assyriologists, who were generous with their knowledge. I’m grateful to the many scholars whose work I relied on. I developed a deep admiration for their efforts in piecing together the heart of this sophisticated, complex society.

  

Before beginning this novel, I had misunderstood the origins of so many conventions, including law, education, literature, literary traditions, agricultural techniques, trade, and much more.

 

One book I highly recommend is by Samuel Noah Kramer, aptly entitled History Begins at Sumer. It is eye-opening.

 

Q: What did you see as the right balance between fiction and history as you wrote the novel?

 

A: This was one of my biggest challenges. I came away from my research with a deep respect for this era which isn’t well known. I didn’t want to short-change it in the novel, but I was writing a work of fiction. I didn’t want to overwhelm my readers with history lessons.

 

At the same time, I had a character for which we have scant details, but what we do know points to the conclusion that she was extraordinary. So I wrote a version of her story from my imaginings.

 

What I ended up with was a novel with  a lot of history which should appeal to history lovers, combined with a story of a powerful woman whose life is defined by profound betrayals that she must fight to overcome.

 

The Enheduanna of my imaginings is compelling because of how she navigates the complex world around her that doesn’t offer an easy path. Her circumstances were prescribed by historical facts and then she becomes the sum of her choices.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: Enheduanna’s struggles highlight the cost of pitting brute force against brute force. Set up for failure from the moment she’s appointed high priestess, she meets her enemies with military power and ruthless control only to lose everything in the process.

 

She’s ultimately saved by self-knowledge and the recognition of her greatest weapon: her words. She uses them to earn the gods’ favor and an empire.

 

I'd love readers to take away three things: that Enheduanna belongs among history’s most remarkable women, that ancient Mesopotamia shaped our world and is one of the most compelling periods in history, and that right words are more enduring than any civilization.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m always working on new fiction. I just finished a contemporary suspense novel and am still deciding whether to pursue publication. I believe that one should have complete conviction in their stories before convincing readers to engage with them. I want to have that conviction.

 

However, I’m very excited about the first draft of a literary fiction work I’ve been working on. After that, I will likely return to historical fiction.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I had always wanted to write a novel and was waiting for the right opportunity to devote the time it required. I had a very demanding job in finance and a deep respect for the time and attention it takes to write a novel. I have written poetry for many years and know that writing habits matter.

 

Both poetry and fiction demand attention to detail, but a novel requires more sustained linearity. Writing Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands made a lot of sense to me because her story is intertwined with her hymns, writing those passages felt like familiar ground.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb