It is the foundation upon which the book is built.' I have a sense of duty toward history, not to distort it and to keep within the framework of the basic truth' (Journal Exchange Company 2002). Research to me is as important or more important than the writing. It is extremely important to know what you don't want to find. 'The first thing you have to do is get immersed in the project, organizing yourself, knowing what you are going after and not going after. 'Most people are staggered by research, but this is, after all, how I make a living,' he said. 'The key to both novels was research, Uris said.

In an interview on Trinity's sequel, Redemption, Uris emphasizes his love of research. The research and heavy travel through Ireland inspired Leon to delve even deeper into the past of Ireland's current issues. As a photographer, she explored the political problems in Ireland through the lens and collaborated with Uris in Ireland: A Terrible Beauty, with Uris handling the text and she the photographs (New York: Doubleday, 1975). Uris may not have written Trinity if not for the influence of his third and final wife, Jill Uris (maiden name, Peabody). And I would say he grabbed life and led it to the fullest' (ProQuest). In an interview after his death, Jill Uris (who though divorced from Leon, remained a close friend) recalls how Leon lived hard and played hard 'He had a passion for life, so he had a very full life and a lot of activity, lots of friends around the world and great parties and good times. Many other cultural stereotypes-the learned Jew, the pious Jew, and the streetwise Jew as entrepreneur-were similarly dismissed' (Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2004).

The deep tradition of non-violence in Jewish tradition was swept aside in his muscular reinterpretation of the modern Jewish identity. Among other writers speaking about Uris, Guardian writer Eric Homberger says, 'He was, in truth, an educator of the American public in the Zionist interpretation of modern Jewish history. Leon Uris died of heart failure June 21, 2003, at the age of 78, at his home on Shelter Island, New York. (For the extensive biographical overview of Leon Uris please see Exodus)

Leon uris trinity book