Annabel Lyon was recently thrust in the literary spotlight with three big award nominations

Aristotelian philosophy speaks of the Golden Mean as a state of perfection between two extremes, where virtue isn’t sullied by too much of a good thing. It is also the title of Canadian short story writer and sometime children’s author Annabel Lyon’s first adult novel, which seeks to find that golden mean to strike a balance between historical accuracy and compelling fiction.

Judging from the accolades pouring in, Lyon has certainly found a sort of perfection. She has been shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, nominated for the Governor General’s prize for fiction and is a finalist for the Rogers Writers Trust Fiction Prize. It’s a dominant showing reminiscent of the conquests by one of her main characters.

The book is the story of a crucial seven years in the life of Aristotle, told in the first person by the great philosopher himself as he heads toward a new assignment. He is to tutor the children of Philip of Macedonia, one of whom is the 13-year-old, not yet “Great” Alexander. The idea of two of histories largest figures coming together proved to be irresistible to Lyon.

“I found in some ways they must be very similar personalities,” she says. “They must have each known their own capabilities and their own brilliance in their own fields and I thought what an interesting thing to imagine those two minds in a room together… and to imagine that in a fictional way, but also in a way that’s kind of true to history.”

To get the authenticity she was looking for, Lyon spent eight years researching and writing the book. Attention to detail was crucial, even the language had to be carefully screened for anachronisms.

“It was tough because I found myself reaching for just everyday language, say something was ‘glassy’…they didn’t have glass…. I found I spent a lot of time with any word that was even remotely questionable”

Accuracy is one thing. Making historical figures more compelling than they were in social studies class is something else entirely. Fortunately Lyon’s research revealed a couple of key character points. Aristotle’s early works about melancholy and the creative temperament, combined with his sometimes prodigious output, led Lyon to use bipolar disorder as a possible character insight. Similarly, Alexander’s black rages, depression and need to be on the battlefield at all times pointed her toward post traumatic stress disorder. From these starting points, she began to explore her protagonists more as people than legends, an approach Aristotle himself would have applauded.

“For sure The Poetics was kind of a guiding idea, (Aristotle) says that character is the most important thing, you need to have a strong central character, so I did try to take some of those things on… a little bit playfully but a little bit seriously too.”

When she isn’t teaching an online creative writing course at the University of British Columbia, Lyon is touring various written word festivals and events across the country to promote the book, as well as updating her blog (http://www.annabellyon.blogspot.com/) which details both her travels and her journey creating her sprawling historical epic. Despite the larger-than-life classical setting, Lyon maintains her subject still resonates with modern readers.

“It comes back to that eerie kind of contemporary relevance [Aristotle’s] books have for me. It seems that for all that he’s been dead for 2,400 years, he writes about stuff that feels relevant today.”