The Challenges and Perils of Writing About Atrocities with Dan Kaszeta

We are delighted to welcome back to the Library our former Writer in Residence, Dan Kaszeta. His previous talk, ‘Why is chemical warfare taboo?’ was sold out and we expect the same to happen this time.  

Dan does not shy away from challenging topics, and in this talk he will explore the difficulties a writer and historian faces when grappling with tragedies and atrocities, including war crimes and genocide. There are numerous potential pitfalls in such research and writing. If a writer cares about the subject matter, how does one avoid self- damage and moral injury? How does a person craft the right tone to talk about truly awful matters? Does a dry, factual narrative downplay the tragedy or help understand what happened? How do we reconcile competing and sometimes contradictory accounts of bad events?  

Dan Kaszeta is a lifelong specialist in defence against chemical, biological and radiological threats with significant experience in broader defence subjects.  Starting his career with active service in the US Army Chemical Corps, before joining the US Department of Defense and the White House Military Office before relocating to the UK.  He has now written three history books that have dealt with atrocities and genocides in parts of their narratives. He will be talking about how he struggled with all of these questions and discuss how some other writers and historians have approached this difficult topic.