: Re: What are the ethics of using real-world house addresses in historical fiction? I am editing a novel manuscript for a client of mine. It's a historical fiction set in 1948, so not that long

@Deb2945533

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In historical fiction use real address for real historical events. If a real historical figure lived in a house that is there to this day, use it. If some real place was a famous hangout of some society, use it. If you know of historical events that took at a specific location, have them re-enacted there in your story.

Say, you write a story about the artistic society of Young Poland, in Cracow. Even if your artist is purely fictional, it would be entirely shameful if he didn't hang out at Jama Michalika. That's where all the artists stayed, in particular encouraged by the owner accepting the tab being paid with sketches, drawings, paintings and murals (depending on size of the tab, as you can guess some were quite sizable...).

Things like these really add immense amount of flavor for historical fiction.

Don't hesitate either, if that's a public building - a school, a church, a museum, an embassy. These are a fair game and feel free to put your action in there. Even if that was a private house back in the day.

Now, if you need a generic location at a private house, and you need to give the address - best if you pick one that did exist back then but doesn't, anymore. Razed, entirely rebuilt, even just numbering changed. A place where fans can come and say "And here stood the house of..."
If you have trouble finding such a location, then make up one. Tack a number or two at the end of a street. Make it at crossing of two streets that don't cross. Place it between two buildings that are adjacent to each other.
And if you don't need to give an address, give a real description of the building without pointing its exact location. It's another bit of flavor, "the house with a relief of two cherubs above the gate", it's a very nice touch and you're still safe.

There's one more approach. Pick a historical figure and "hijack" their history, while keeping locations true to that person's history. Say, you write a steampunk novel, with a genius scientist developing distillation of crude oil into volatile fuels? Why, make him work at a pharmacy in the building of the city hall of Gorlice.

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