Sager says she wanted to make her Bachmann-inspired protagonist appeal to everyone. | REUTERS Bachmann inspires romance novel

A romance novel inspired by Michele Bachmann? Believe it or not, it’s a feminist tome, says the author.

“Fires of Siberia” is a new e-book by Tréy Sager set for release on June 1 that is inspired by the Minnesota congresswoman, in which Bachmann, er, the main character — “Presidential candidate Danielle Powers” — “must confront her deepest self and choose between civilization and a wild, primitive ecstasy” (“the main character bears some resemblance to Bachmann in some physical aspects,” Sager told POLITICO).


“The romance novel is kind of a unique genre because it’s viewed by many as a feminist genre,” Sager said. “So it’s also possible that it’s kind of an empowering genre, and I actually really do believe that. So it’s explicitly not pornographic. It’s more along the lines of D.H. Lawrence, which has a major place in American literature.”

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Sager, a 39-year-old writer living in New York who has primarily done poetry throughout his career, says his politics aren’t in line with Bachmann’s, but he has great respect for her.

“I really admire her, and I think she’s both unique and enigmatic. … I had seen her a number of times and had been fascinated by her, this cultural figure, and I began to see how intently everybody seemed to feel about her. One way or another, people were really psyched about her or were making T-shirts, calling her bats — crazy. And it kind of startled me at first. … I do feel that one of the reasons that she drives people crazy is because she’s a woman in power and I think that it’s a phenomenon in our culture that makes people react strongly. Couple that with her attractiveness and sex appeal, and I thought, ‘OK, well maybe a romance novel is a good place to look into some of these cultural feelings.’”

The challenge for Sager in writing “Fires of Siberia” was to make Powers appeal to everyone.

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“Because she’s so polarizing, the challenge is that you have to make this person accessible to everyone, so that you don’t polarize your reading audience.”

As for the kind of feeling “Fires of Siberia” will leave with its readers upon completion, Sager knows his desired outcome.

“I want them to feel strange,” Sager said. “The novel is written in earnest. I think it’s absurd and earnest at the same time.”

He hopes they don’t come away feeling angry at Bachmann, er, Powers’s depiction.

“It’s a fun book, and it’s not written from a place of being mean. I admire her. I respect her.”