Description

Author Edward Rutherford tells us what he learned about the history of New York through researching his novel of the same name.

Transcript

Vintage New York City Rebecca Brayton: With the story spanning over four centuries New York City has been at the center of some histories most significant events. Hi, I’m Rebecca Brayton and welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re speaking with Author Edward Rutherfurd about his historical novel New York and the city which inspired him. Can you start by giving us an outline of the premise of your book New York? Edward Rutherfurd: My book is like a great big James Michener historical novel. Let’s just say you take a place, you take a bunch of imaginary families but you set them against a very risk history. It’s an incredibly rich gift that New York gives the story teller. You get from the time when it was an Indian hunting ground, when the Dutch had it, when the British stole it from the Dutch. The revolutionary wall when it was actually the British Headquarters you see the opening up with the Wild West which I have actually came through New York. You see New York goes through the Civil War. You go through the great financial crisis from the crisis of 1907 to the crush of 29. The climax of the story which actually begins in 1664 with a little Indian girl who makes a wampum belt to give her Dutch Father and the wampum belt is actually its money but it’s also personally handmade with love by her and that wampum belt we follow right through this four centuries to 911 and something happens to that belts. Rebecca Brayton: Who are some of the historical figures you were sure not to leave out? Edward Rutherfurd: Abe Lincoln who made his great speech in 1860 in New York, George Washington inaugurated in New York because in New York was briefly the capital of the United States. Ben Franklin fascinating figure, Ben Franklin is an ardent believer in the British Empire until 1775 and his son William, the Royal Governor of New Jersey so you had father and son on opposite sides, the great JP Morgan, Jeffrey Morgan. In 1907 it was a huge financial panic in New York very likely panic of recent times. J.P. Morgan 6 foot 3 and in a great top patch at terrifying figure it comes out a retirement, solves the panic with and here’s the interesting thing, $30 million which in those days was a vast sum of money given him by the US government to do as he wished. Rebecca Brayton: What do you think is the defining fact about New York City? Edward Rutherfurd: It is a pull. It’s a place where people go to make money. It’s a place where merchants flourish. It’s a place with huge links and always has been across the ocean. Every culture can be found there, every kind of background. You can be a squat as you like in New York. You can find literary people. You can find artistic people. You can find everything. Rebecca Brayton: What do you think unites the four centuries you cover in your book if anything? Edward Rutherfurd: Families. My books are about family roots. Our roots of what make us what we are and it’s extraordinary to me that a population or that gets added to somehow makes a place, gives a place its character and that feisty character of New York spin the right from the start and fascinating to me that it remains there unchanged. Rebecca Brayton: Thank you so much. Edward Rutherfurd: Thank you very much.