Martin Elsant

I’ve always had a keen interest in Jewish history. Even as a teenager, I was fascinated by classic books on ancient and modern Jewish history, such as those by Cecil Roth and Yigael Yadin. But I was also captivated by Jewish historical novels like Leon Uris' Mila 18 and Howard Fast's My Glorious Brothers. Comparing the two genres, I thought that the novels, when written with fidelity to the historical record, had an advantage over academic textbooks. Those well-written novels made Jewish history come alive for me—made me feel a part of it—in a way that standard historical texts did not. So, inspired by the works of Cecil Roth, Miriam Bodian, Benzion Netanyahu, and others, I wrote my Inquisition Trilogy, three historical fiction novels about Jewish life in the 16th century. Then, in December 2022, as I watched antisemitism begin to grow ever stronger and more brazen worldwide, I wondered where this resurgent genocidal hatred of Jews might lead. That prompted me to start writing Armageddon 2029. I hoped that by exploring potentially disastrous outcomes of current trends, people might be encouraged to make different choices going forward—choices that would lead to a better future for all of us.