Gutkind in awe of Jerusalem

September 3, 2008 - 7:59 AM by

Lee GutkindEleven years ago, Vanity Fair called Lee Gutkind “The Godfather behind creative nonfiction,” the literary subgenre that avoids the issue of objectivity altogether, bringing readers into whatever real-life story is being told by employing emotive techniques traditionally used in fiction. Gutkind started working along these lines in the mid-1970s, and he recalls great resistance to the technique among his peers:

“I was pretty unsuccessful fighting with my colleagues, who were annoyed because they thought I was saying they weren’t creative. But now, it’s kind of nice to know there are a few people out there who know what it is and are turned on by it.”

He’s earned considerable respect since then, having written influential works – both in terms of style and content – on communities as diverse as baseball umpires, bikers and organ transplant surgeons. He co-founded a creative nonfiction master’s program at Goucher College and continues to teach English at the University of Pittsburgh, where he’s been active since the early 70s. Gutkind founded and still edits the Creative Nonfiction journal, a brand which includes a regular Podcast, and he also maintains a blog of his own.

In between engagements in Tennessee and the Czech Republic, Gutkind recently visited Israel for the first time in 25 years, to speak at a seminar on Creative Nonfiction run by Bar-Ilan University in Jerusalem’s Yemin Moshe neighborhood.

The JTA’s Dina Kraft recently sat with him to discuss the visit and Gutkind’s creative nonfiction-tinged impressions on the contemporary City of Gold. Struck by the city’s liveliness – marked by “different aromas and voices and sounds” – Gutkind says that compared to its vibe in the 80s, “It’s not grim any more – it’s filled with life.” To that end, he recalls enjoying the international flavor offered at Jerusalem’s Chutzot Hayotzer crafts fair.

Of course, the Arab-Israeli conflict always lurks, but not as something on the surface – Gutkind refers to it as “an aura in the air,” a sort of wildcard. Overall, he says he wishes he could stay longer, “to become part of the atmosphere” and explore the “mysterious” city, where “there are stories everywhere.”

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