For numerous authors, finalizing a creative piece necessitates multiple revisions or perhaps an entire rewrite. Samuel Granoff, a doctoral student in the Department of Englishat Florida State University, had put his unfinished World War I novel aside until the Fulbright U.S. Student Program provided him with the opportunity, environment, and motivation to begin anew.
Granoff dedicated 10 months in France after he was granted the Université Paris-Saclay Doctoral Research Award, using this time to explore and rework the novel, which investigates the World War I experience through both modern and historical perspectives to examine how war, memory, and identity intertwine over time.
“As a writer, you often leave projects unfinished and seldom revisit them,” noted Granoff, who is pursuing a doctorate in English literature focused on fiction writing. “The Fulbright has been a wonderful opportunity that came along to offer me a second chance.”
The Fulbright Program, the premier international educational exchange initiative funded by the U.S. government, aims to foster mutual understanding between U.S. citizens and global communities.
Grant recipients of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program are chosen based on academic or professional excellence and proven leadership potential in their respective fields, with the initiative operating in over 160 nations globally.
The primary funding source is an annual allocation from Congress to the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Governments, host institutions, corporations, and foundations also contribute support.
Granoff recognized early in his graduate pursuits that he aimed to obtain a Fulbright to back a historical fiction project. He contacted the FSU Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards and collaborated with Assistant Director Keith McCall, who assisted Granoff in choosing his strongest work for the application.
“We reviewed each essay and story meticulously since you only get a few pages to showcase yourself to the program,” Granoff explained. “Keith was exceptionally generous with his time and guided me through the entire application process.”
Years prior, Granoff drafted a novel primarily set in Paris during WWI. Upon deciding to revisit it, he applied for the Université Paris-Saclay Doctoral Research Award, designed to support U.S. doctoral students conducting research for their dissertations at a public research institution situated south of Paris.
At Paris-Saclay, Granoff engaged in research at the Center for Cultural History of Contemporary Societies, a laboratory employing a multidisciplinary approach to the study of modern cultural history.
Granoff invested time there investigating and re-envisioning this work, which had originally been set in 1917 and centered on a soldier who deserted his duties and adopted a different identity.
“It was a work that I struggled to understand,” he admitted.
Motivated by a World War I reenactment he witnessed during his initial days in Paris, Granoff redirected his narrative to examine how warfare is perceived through modern identities and opted to set the first half in 2018.
“The finest historical fiction continues to resonate in the present,” he remarked.
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