A new look at Black Death

Cambridge Professor John Hatcher’s new book is classified as a work of fiction, but it is much more than a mere novel. Hatcher has written what he describes as a literary docudrama, a work that combines occasional fictional characters with real events. The result is one of the most fascinating accounts of the Black Death ever written.

Although most history books suggest the plague killed at random, that isn’t really the case. Most historians, including Hatcher, agree that the Black Death was triggered by a combination of factors including poor personal hygiene, marginal diets and opportunistic rodents. Because no one was able to connect the dots, it evolved into one of the deadliest epidemics in human history. During this gruesome period more than 75 million people died, including more than a third of Europe’s entire population, leaving both villages and cities decimated.

Hatcher, who has taught medieval history for more than two decades, sets his book in the rural 14th-century English parish of Walsham. By creating several main characters, the author makes accessible the thoughts and day-to-day lives of ordinary people as they struggle to make sense of the wave of destruction that ravages their small town. Make no mistake about it, even though some of the characters in “The Black Death” may be fictional, the basic information contained in this incredible book is based on fact.

What gives this story its legs is Hatcher’s attention to detail and his intimate knowledge of the period. Other histories have relied on the records of clergy and nobleman. Hatcher presents the plague as seen through the eyes of not just the wealthy and well-connected, but of illiterate commoners. This is living, breathing history written by a gifted writer at the top of his game.