My analysis of Secret History of the Mongols & Conn Iggulden's Genghis novels

Why fiction is more vivid than fact, and often feared more, case in point the fatwa against Salman Rushdie.

--I finished reading Secret History of the Mongols, as adapted by Paul Kahn from the original translation of the 11 th century work in Mandarin.

--It was not easy keeping the names straight.

--for instance there were 4 different people name Kokochu

--in his fiction Conn Iggulden has made up one shaman who's  a bad guy Kokchu, but his Kokchu has nothing to do with the historical four.
--
Reading the original source, which Iggulden used also, I see the genius of his fiction.

But first--why Secret History reads as it does, "cliched" in the modern use of the term, with "repetitions" as Kahn calls them.

It was based on an oral history, which must have been recited by many shamans before it was written down, apparently at one of the great kuriltai or Mongol Councils.

To aid in remembering, it employed a lot of poetry, which for the mongols was alliteration (e.g. she sells sea shells by the sea shore) and rhymes in the Mongol? and Mandarin original, Kahn says.

But those aren't repetitions but more choruses as in songs, repeating stanzas and set pieces.

--now to Iggulden's fiction--

he has

1.  Simplified the names in a wonderful way.
2.  He has reduced the number of major characters and made them memorable, introducing the conflicts early--

for example
a.  The Conflict between Yesugei's tribe, The Wolves, and his wife Borte's, beginning with when Y abducted B (from her husband or fiancee)--Iggulden says, "when he saw her riding with her brothers).

b.  Conflict between elder brother Bektar and Teumjin (Genghis later)-- Iggulden just says "brother", but according to the Secret History there were 2 step-brothers, Bektar and Belgutei.

In fiction it's a truism that you should not have more characters than you need.

In Once, I once combined  characters based on my brother and my sister into one new fictional character "Zor" i.e. I combined them before I even touched a keypad.

Secret History on the other hand is a chronicle commissioned by the victors, the Mongols (maybe Genghis' son Ogetai?)

So--it needs to record Everything, as much as possible, and lists aren't as engrossing as arguments or conflict, the 2 drivers of good writing.

So there is lots of recording of who said what when, like age old journalism or reporting.

Then it needed to stress with wisdom of the great khan--there's that too.

Then it needs to record his decrees and what was decided, and how the kingdom and the spoils of war were to be divided.

Conn Iggulden does an excellent job of looking through the boys' or men's points of view, really really excellent, like the first chapter of the first book, going to get the eagle chicks.

So I try to look at the scenes (in Secret History) that are not in Iggulden (not easy) and from the women's points of vie and see which names I can use as entirely fictional minor characters.

I feel I should read all 5 books of Iggulden right now, to see how he did it, then wait 5 years or less till I have forgotten it all, and try and write something entirely different.

So, it will not be easy, but I need to try.

He's set the bar pretty high.

KMKaung
6-11-2014