When Atlanta native Matthew Guinn first embarked upon his journey in authorship, he said that he never imagined that he would write historical fiction or be dubbed a Southern Gothic writer by his editor.
“I really had very little interest in history initially,” he explained. “I just wanted to give my readers a good story that was well told. I really liked the Southern Gothic title because that genre makes up some of my favorite authors.” Guinn’s first attempt to become published was with a novel based in contemporary times which garnered an agent and what he described as eight “really good” rejection letters. “The letters said, ‘You’re not there, but send me your next thing.’”
While writing his doctoral dissertation, “After Southern Modernism: Fiction of the Contemporary South,” Guinn became interested in challenging the cultural mythology that typically defines life in the American South.
“You can’t understand America unless you understand the Civil War which involves slavery at its core. Southern history is way more fraught and complicated than Camelot or this idea of a lady in a hoop skirt going out to sit on the porch of a big beautiful plantation house.”
Guinn became well-acquainted with the writings of such authors as Harry Crews, Cormac McCarthy, Randall Kenan and Kaye Gibbons. He spent a year reading Shelby Foote as well as researching various facets of Southern history.
“There’s no way to set foot in the South without stepping on history. If you’re trying to be a thinking person, as a Southerner, you have to take account of the past. Not to care about it is a blissful ignorance that’s really unacceptable.”
Thus when Guinn happened upon the story of Grandison Harris, the real-life Georgia Medical College slave and grave robber on which “The Resurrectionist” is based, Guinn said he couldn’t help but be inspired to create a fictionalized account of the tale. During a 1989 renovation project at Georgia Medical College of Augusta, construction workers uncovered the remains of hundreds of human cadavers. From there, the school went about recounting this history of both the slave remains and the circumstances under which Grandison Harris came to procure them.
While the actual college did an outstanding job of reporting the events and history, and reaching out to the African-American community, Guinn’s fictional South Carolina Medical College did the exact opposite. Thus, “The Resurrectionist” takes readers on a time-traveling tale of a dark Southern scandal starring Jason Thacker, South Carolina Medical College’s tortured public relations coordinator and Nemo Johnston, the college’s resident enslaved body snatcher.
Initially, Guinn focused on the creepy elements of Nemo without taking account of race or the social dynamics of the 1860s. As Guinn thought more critically about creating an authentic and compelling story, he used the writings of Frederick Douglass and Richard Wright to flesh out the complexities of Nemo’s character.
“The issue of race was and is always tricky,” Guinn said. “I watched closely for the response to ‘The Help’ and I read and re-read these African-American authors to give Nemo dimension. And that’s the great thing about fiction. Fiction reminds us of empathy because it takes us places we can’t go in real life.”
Following countless hours of reading, writing, research, editing and networking, Guinn was able to garner an editor, a publisher and the admiration of Andre Dubus III, author of “Townie” and “House of Sand and Fog.”
To other aspiring authors, Guinn offers the following advice: “Read, read, read and always read people who are better than you in some way. Ask yourself what that book can teach you about dialogue, plot or character? How can you be better? Also, if it’s a subject or an issue that gets to you or troubles you, even if you’re the only who is troubled by it, don’t be afraid to write about it.”
Guinn is currently working on a second fictional title also based on Southern history. “The Resurrectionist” is available for purchase online and at local bookstores.
