tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644690488802388716.post9050561161055078184..comments2024-03-28T23:48:27.173-06:00Comments on Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan: It is Hard to Write Crime Fiction Set in IsraelBill Selneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17268006369157307593noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644690488802388716.post-37718264589861253012014-02-23T20:50:31.419-06:002014-02-23T20:50:31.419-06:00Bernadette: Thanks for the ramble. I hope you will...Bernadette: Thanks for the ramble. I hope you will ramble in future comments. I appreciated reading your thoughts. You are a keen observer. I have never been to Israel. I am not sure if I will make it there but you have made it more likely we will visit the country.Bill Selneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17268006369157307593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644690488802388716.post-55045876749522153012014-02-23T02:28:39.899-06:002014-02-23T02:28:39.899-06:00There's a few reasons why I'm so fond of I...There's a few reasons why I'm so fond of Israel Bill. I was fascinated with it before I ever went there - the idea of such a "new" country grabbed my teenage imagination when we had to study its modern formation in school. But when I did visit (I've been twice) I absolutely fell in love with the place and the people - if I put aside the elephant in the room for a moment (difficult I know when discussing anywhere in the Middle East) the place is a blast - not only is it stuffed to the brim with fascinating history and artefacts and places to visit but the people are...I don't know what the word is....amazingly practical? inspiringly unaffected? People go about their business in a way that we in Australia seem to have lost the capacity to do. On my first visit I got there by boat via Cyprus the day their Prime Minister was shot - only a few hours after the incident, before they had the culprit in custody when everyone thought it was probably a Palestinian or whatever. If that had been Australia the security would have been a nightmare - there'd have been bureaucratic madness and hours-long delays if they'd even let us in at all. Instead there was about a half-hour delay and a few more than usual customs/security officers checking those incoming and in fact we didn't know anything odd had happened until we got out of the airport and met our friends. It's just one example of the sort of attitude I saw a lot of and admire. Also just about everyone is well-informed about news and events (and not just sport and who's winning the reality tv show of the moment) and there are intelligent public discussions of important issues (unlike here where it's all shock jocks and pandering to the lowest common denominator). I'm not naïve and I don't support everything the Israeli government does or has done but I don't support lots of things my own government has done so I try to separate that layer of stuff from how I respond to places and my trips to Israel (for a total of about 8 weeks) have both been terrific.<br /><br />I'll stop my rambling now :)Bernadettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07641617609801125707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644690488802388716.post-26023834012990171252014-02-20T21:05:35.534-06:002014-02-20T21:05:35.534-06:00Bernadette: Thanks for the comment. Excellent remi...Bernadette: Thanks for the comment. Excellent reminder of Iceland which has far fewer people. I did not realize Israel was one of your favourite places in the world. If you would like so share why it is a favourite place I would interested in hearing the reasons.Bill Selneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17268006369157307593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644690488802388716.post-4563112629078895172014-02-20T20:56:11.082-06:002014-02-20T20:56:11.082-06:00Margot: Thanks for the comment. I am grateful in C...Margot: Thanks for the comment. I am grateful in Canada we have police forces that are effective and honest. Bill Selneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17268006369157307593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644690488802388716.post-13715004658546057682014-02-20T20:49:09.634-06:002014-02-20T20:49:09.634-06:00Moira: Thanks for the comment. I wonder if many au...Moira: Thanks for the comment. I wonder if many authors find it is harder to write a mystery set in their own country than placing the mystery in another country.Bill Selneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17268006369157307593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644690488802388716.post-30366774803869393122014-02-20T19:39:52.445-06:002014-02-20T19:39:52.445-06:00A small population and everyone knowing everyone e...A small population and everyone knowing everyone else hasn't prevented Iceland from becoming a player in crime fiction circles so I'm sure the Israeli writers can use a combination of poetic licence and their culture's unique aspects to develop their own style. I hope so anyway as Israel is one of my favourite places in the world and I like reading about places I know and enjoyBernadettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07641617609801125707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644690488802388716.post-66738021880569701572014-02-20T06:37:03.288-06:002014-02-20T06:37:03.288-06:00Bill - What an interesting post! Thank you. It'...Bill - What an interesting post! Thank you. It's a good reminder that in order to make a novel or series credible, you have to understand the culture well. I hadn't heard that joke about Israeli police before, but it's reflective (to me anyway) of the low regard that a lot of cultures have for the cops. Thanks for sharing these insights. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644690488802388716.post-52431221748444502832014-02-20T03:42:28.697-06:002014-02-20T03:42:28.697-06:00There was an Eastern European joke similarly about...There was an Eastern European joke similarly about policemen going round in 3s: one to read, one to write, and one to keep an eye on the 2 intellectuals.<br />That was a really fascinating topic Bill, I'd never have thought of crime fiction in different countries in quite that way - you think of different police and legal setups of course, but those family perceptions are very interesting. Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.com