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Author's novels explore martial arts philosophy By John Thomason of Boca Raton Forum, November 28, 2007 From suffering abuse in Ecuadorian prison to dodging typhoons and SARS in Hong Kong, Pompano Beach resident Arthur Rosenfeld has had a fascinating life. All of his adventures have helped inform his career in what he calls "that rare intersection of literary author and martial arts teacher." An author of 10 books - both fiction and nonfiction - with an 11th on the way, Rosenfeld will appear at the Broward County Main Library at 7 tonight to discuss his craft. In his now inseparable twin lifestyle, he also teaches martial arts. Founder and chief instructor of Pen and Sword Tai Chi martial arts school, Rosenfeld teaches two and a half classes on Saturday mornings at Exchange Club Park in Pompano. As opposed to most mixed martial courses, Pen and Sword aims to provide life lessons, as well as self-defense instruction, calling itself a philosophy school with a major in martial arts. |
With his books espousing more and more traditional Chinese themes and philosophy in a sweeping narrative context, Rosenfeld is seeing his worlds colliding in a mutually beneficial way. He hopes readers who enjoy his stories become further engrossed in martial arts. If I get 20 or 30 people to buy the book, that's good, but getting more people to come to the classes is a big piece of my mission," he said. "A lot of the reason for my literary work is to get the word out about Asian philosophy and wisdom."
He first explored his love for martial arts in a literary form with "The Cutting Season," released in June. A supernatural thriller, its protagonist is a brilliant brain surgeon with a buried past in martial arts expertise, a practice he's forced to explore again when his dead teacher reappears.
The prolific Rosenfeld's latest book, released in October, "The Crocodile and the Crane," delves even further into the Chinese literary tradition. The story, about two immortal siblings who, through the practice of a secret healing art, have lived for 3,000 years only to see the world crumbling from a plague in 2009, has been seven years in the making.
In transplanting the culture, style and recurring motifs of traditional Chinese literature - the so-called wuxia novel - for a contemporary American audience, Rosenfeld has embarked on a challenging journey.
"It's difficult to transplant a culture, and the novels themselves in Asia are the works of literary masters and really are challenging to pull off," he said. "Nobody has done this in a serious literary way in America. I'm at the vanguard of this."
While he insists his books are not for a niche audience of martial arts of wuxia enthusiasts, he admits that they do have an agenda.
"The reason I try to put interesting Asian philosophy into the novels is that it's much easier to take medicine when it has a sweet, delicious coating that makes you think it's candy, so you don't even notice that you took a pill," he said. "That's not to say that my novels are thinly disguised philosophical tracts; it's just a side benefit."
Rosenfeld's literary work was not always married so happily to his Chinese study. For years he toiled in standard crime novels, a career turn he now shuns.
"I was always uncomfortable writing traditional crime fiction," he said. "Most formula fiction is not interesting to me. I don't read much of it. I already know what I'm going to find."
Most would agree it was a positive steer; "The Cutting Season" and "The Crocodile and the Crane" have been getting rave reviews. For Rosenfeld, the shift was a natural one.
"It's always true that writers like to write what they know," he said. "To me it does not feel like a conscious reinvention but a natural evolution."
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