Questions for Zachary Rosenberg about Hungers as Old as This Land
If you’re in indie horror circles, I’m sure you know Zach Rosenberg as a uniquely friendly and welcoming person, as well as the author of many stories filled with vivid characters, strong emotions, and dramatic plots. He’s channeled his passion for Jewish horror and dread-inducing adventure into his most recent novella, Hungers as Old as This Land. Go ahead and pre-order to reserve a copy!
Fortunately, Zach agreed to answer some of my questions about his latest project and the state of contemporary horror.
Are you a fan of Westerns? What intrigued you about exploring the lives of this diverse cast of characters in an Old West setting?
I love westerns! I really got into the genre through Spaghetti Westerns. Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy, Once Upon a Time in the West, and from there to more revisionist and Spaghetti westerns like Django, The Great Silence, The Wild Bunch, Deadwood…a lot of the films can be hokey, but I love them. Literature-wise, Blood Meridian is one I adore as well.
I love Weird West in general, and how much of the west represents the darkest elements of the country. Unfettered capitalism, oppression, Manifest Destiny. It made me want to tell a story through the eyes of the marginalized and see that horror through them. Especially as Jewish characters are so rarely focused on in Westerns.
This novel is also a love story! Your characters Esther and Siobhan share a deep connection and a fiercely loyal bond. Have you included love stories in your fiction before this novella?
Yes! I confess to being a literary romantic, and I love including romantic arcs. Characters either finding or renewing that bond, or with it already established. This’ll be the first I have properly published with one, though! They’re a real joy to write together…just two young women who share a culture and ideals, and who love and desire one another beyond all else.
What elements in this story do you find the most personally horrifying? Were there moments where you scared yourself?
I can’t say I was ever scared writing it, though I was very excited and tense when writing the creatures of the Hungers. Though I think the more ‘human’ monstrosities of Cyril Redstone and Bancroft are most horrifying. Monsters in the dark I can understand, because they are supposed to be inhuman. But when people see human lives as meaningless except for profit and have an unchecked lust for expansion and can order hundreds of people dead? That scares me.
You're known as a champion of Jewish horror. Can you talk a bit about the historic roots of Jewish horror that influence you today?
I think my earliest two influences were before I really understood the cultural roots of horror. When I was young, I was very much into RL Stine, and was delighted when I found out he was Jewish. I’ve never had the chance to ask, but I wonder if his love for “outsider” protagonists was ever influenced through that lens. The other was Rod Serling in the Twilight Zone, which is such a fiercely humanist show. The frank portrayals of the evils of Nazism and the horror of what was committed and how those evils live on really stuck with me. I don’t think that can be divorced from Serling’s own background.
It’s funny, because so many ethnically or culturally Jewish horror writers like Robert Bloch, Franz Kafka or Ira Levin didn’t necessarily write “Jewish” Horror. So much of it was few and far between, and when I began researching folklore and history, it really struck me as an unusual dearth given all there was to draw on.
Most of the roots of Jewish horror lie in history and that folklore. There are a lot of cool monsters and spirits, and I think that’s making a resurgence today. On the other hand, Jewish history includes a lot of oppression and perseverance, and exploring that is vital as well.
What do you wish non-Jewish writers understood about including Jewish characters in their own stories?
I think there needs to be some homework done. Jewish characters are often just listed as Jewish with no real elaboration on what that means for them. Maybe they’ll mention a bar-mitzvah, or celebrating Hanukkah. But usually that Jewishness is invisible. Or worse in horror, sometimes it’s invalidated.
A big issue for me is research. You’d be amazed how many people still think the “Dybbuk Box” is a real thing, despite it being an admitted hoax that runs contrary to the actual lore of Dybbuks. Golems have become so ubiquitous as just a “big construct” that their roots are often left unexplored.
But there’s also a lot of appropriation of Jewish trauma. Jewish persecution is used as window dressing to motivate other characters, whether it be the Holocaust or the Crusades. Understanding the diversity of thought in Judaism and centering Jewish characters would go a long way.
Who are some of the writers whose work inspired you when you began writing?
Oh, wow…a lot, honestly. For writing in general, I’d list some of my influences as GK Chesterton, Mervyn Peake, Cormac McCarthy, Alexander Dumas, Toni Morrison, Franz Kafka, Jane Yolen, Michael Chabon, Peter Beagle…
Horror-wise, RL Stine inspired the first real horror story I ever wrote! But since then…Josh Malerman, Stephen Graham Jones, Hailey Piper, Laird Barron, Ai Jiang…there’s no shortage of incredible writers who keep me dreaming.
How has your family inspired your writing journey?
I really owe everything to them. My parents were always VERY supportive of my reading and writing ever since I was young, They cheerlead me every step of the way and couldn’t be happier for what I do. Not gonna lie, that’s like a Jewish writer achievement unlocked.
My late grandfather was very into sharing stories with me as well. His recommendation got me into writers like Peter Beagle, Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller, and Robert Heinlein. My parents were the ones who always bought me fantasy and horror books as well.
What are some of the thrills and the challenges of working as a writer in the indie community?
Really, it’s a great place. You’re surrounded by so many supportive and caring people. It’s hard sometimes to not compare yourself and to remember every writing journey is different, but sometimes you read something that moves you so much and you want to write something that good. You always have people to support and cheer on, so it’s really terrific.
What is a question you'd like to be asked? Go ahead and answer it!
In that case, I’ll use this to boost some of my current favorite Jewish horror writers! John Baltisberger, Nicholas Kaufmann, Josh Malerman, Lauren Bolger, Aden Polydoros, Veronica Schanoes, John Palisano, Maxwell Ian Gold, Emily Ruth Verona, Jolie Toomajan, Ariel Marken Jack…all fantastic writers with great books and stories over the place, and I highly recommend checking them out!
Thank you so much, Zach!