In
this thread, user
mattlynn mentions a new book he's written set during the recent unrest in Libya. He's been criticised, though I'm glad to note that the discussion stayed civilised
I don't really want to talk about that particular book, but I do want to ask the question: how long should an author wait before writing a novel set during tragic events? Or, for that matter, a non-fiction book about those events? There are lots of novels set during WW2, and lots of non-fiction covering various aspects of the war, and I've never seen any of the authors criticised for trying to make money from other people's suffering.
I'm guessing that the events in Libya are too recent, and that's why this book has been criticised. I may be wrong, of course - those criticising might feel the same way about a book set during the
Wars of the Roses, say.
So, should an author wait for a while before writing a novel set during, or a non-fiction book about, traumatic events? If so, how long? Is the period the same for fiction and non-fiction?