May 1992 Volume XXI

TJBUITLE§LAVESOFTHEHA.RP llrrlimr (,Md .VrwI .Ilrr,w’nrms irr .\i,rr,l~~,~dh-C.i.r~lf~~ Rwk L,lab~lr. rrrrrl .AiU’ Iurb John E. Zucchi “This extremely interesting. unusual study. enlivened by photographs.thrcws a Roodlighton ethnic prejudice. cultural con. struck of childhood.Tammany Hall polilics and 19th.century im- mioration and vmrkina conditions.” Publishers WeMy.

SUCH WARDWORKJNG

Iltdirrw Inm~!m~l~.~ in Prstrrrrr Turcrdr~ Franca Iaeovetta ‘lamvetta has written more I love Camp Cariboo, with Tom and extansively than anyone else on a Mark, is a non-stop collection of songs, ~~~.~~artohith neglected aspect 01 the lhaltt immtgrantexperience Exist. stories and jokes that recreate the ing documents . are supplemented friendly, enthusiastic, and sometimes with interviews which give the work lile and c&w.’ Kenneth BagrM, zany atmosphere of camp. Camp author olCanadese: A Partratt 01 Cariboo is seen across Canada on YTV.

Bring back all those I ITALIANS IN camp memories on tape today. Enjoy Golden Music’s “I love Camp Cariboo” audio large numbers toward the end of the cassette, for year 19th century. John Zucchi identities ‘round camping fun! the dttttnguishinglactorswhich led to the formation ot a strong. nationalistic Italian communttvin Tomnto. ___.___..-_. -- ,.., ~: _ . . _ -.

1-1 May 1992 Volume XXI. N&r 4

JFEAW lREvIEW§ 35

lzim The New Canada bv E. Pns’n% MANNING Lving about Dad Storming Babylon bv SYIINEYSHARFE and Lkw Bruin Ashorrhiimty ofPrairie lirrhatsepamtesrhe whex Preston Manning and the Reform Party kq MuwAY horn the chaff LxrierN ByMmuiaMiemu Oh Canada! Oh Quebec! by MORDECA~RICHLER 11 The Great Canadian Anecdote Contest edited by GEoRCEWIxxzcwx I R”yaI Observatio”s edited hy ARTHURBousnn”and ThePlacewhere.vkl”i%smp CARRYTow%! An interview with Sham” Burala Inventing the Hawk by LVRNACROZIER &*w 14 War and Peacekeeping ly j. L. GRANATSSINand DAVIDJ.BER-

I The Wour and the Horror b Muurnv WEISBORD and MERILYNSIMLX.XIS MOHR Sama”dAngie Plain Jane hy JUANBARFOX A”excerprlromanewnovel By MqarerSwmmm~ Portage Lake hy MAU”E KECC.e&red by JLX-IND. NICHOLS

18 Dancing with a Ghost by Rulwa Ross

A” Anthology of Canadian Native Literature in English I ediredby~~lu~~“MosEssndTERR~ GoLUE

OfMirthandMen George Bush’s War hy JEANEDWARDSMITH \ylhen y&e wiring humwr, saysFred Sce”so”, youcantgowrongwirhr.hemisfit Uhuru Sheet tq M. G. VASSANJI By KenneJlMcGwgan How Do You Spell Beautiful! by PATRICK hNE

2# Deep Hollow Creek by SHEllA WAI-%,N

West into Night by GLEN%XGSAD kesl After Atlantis by GARVHIIAN” Leave Language Alone! Imposing politIcal comcmes 011English You Don’t Get to Be a Saint ty PATRICK FRIESEN irnosolurionmdiscriminarion Cmnenberg on Cmnenberg edited by CHRISROOLEY &iwJm 27 The Inventionof Truth by EuuBElH BREwslEi “Fmnt Lines” by LORRAINEYORK In&I%.I$~ Moral Metaficrion by DONNAF?NNc+ Letters 5 Last Train to ‘Rnunt” hy TEwe nN”E”. FieklNotesb+o~~~~R-MCDOUOAU. 7 Sketches in Winter hyCNARl.ESFoRAN Feminism by ANNDIAI.

Elizabeth AnthonY is a writer who lives in Marlhank. Ont. Drawings throughout the issue .i ,.. are ly Rinnt Baibekw. a Toronto arrisr. Douglas Barbour is the editor of Beyond Tub (Newest); he lives in Edmonron. Pat Baclay is a kequent wnrriburor w these pages. Virginia ! Beaem is a writer living in Halifax. Allan ! I Casey is a Saskatoon &lance writer. Michael Cor& biognphY of H. G. Wells is Cxthcnming from Random House. John Degen 1 is a writer studying for his M.A. ar the University of Toronto. Anne Denoon is a I Toronto freelance writer and editor. Ann DiamondS poerry collection MC Lerrm is forthcominpl from VChicule Press. Martin Dowding is a l&-handed I reacher and librarian living in Peterborough, Onr. John Dqle and Gary Fagan are Toronto wnrers. Stan Fogel reaches English at St. ]emm&College of the University of Warerlw. Geog Gab is the editor of Tk Thinking Heart: Best Cm&m Essays (Q”an-,-1. Alina Gawlelatos is a Taronto artist. Don Gaqmn is rhe author of Tk Wheatgmss Mechrmism (Fifth House). Camle Giangrande is a keelance writer living in Islington. Onr. Anne Giirdlni is a lawer living in Richmond Hill, Ont. Do”& Ghwer’s A Guide IOAnimal Edwiour (Gouse Lane) was short-liiad far the 1991 Governor General’s Award. Phil Hall’s larest purry collection, The Void, is forthcoming from Brick. Greg Hardy is a Sasksroon artist. Maggie Hehvig’s poecry chapbook. Gr&iforJ. h.lamimMieRnl J. Hmper and Other Poems (Lawlife). is reviewed on page 61. Da&s Hill and Karl Jirgens are Tortmto writers. Daniel Jones’s novel Obsessianr is hxthcoming hum Mercury Prea this fall. Wayne Jones is an Ottawa writer. Adrienne Kertzer teaches in rhe English department of the University ofCalgary. Robert LabossiCre is a Tomnro illurtraror. Russell McDouepll teaches in the deparrmenr of English ar the University ofNew E&and in Armidale. N.S.W., Australia. Alec McEmn is a proferwr of s”rveying engineering ar the University of Calgary. Kenneth Mc.Googan is the book- review edimr of the Colgml Hemhi. Maurice h&m” is a Winnipeg writer anal rhe former editor of rhe now defunct Pmirie Bookwxki. Mefflyn Simonds Mohrk Tk &lmu and rhe Han-m(HarperCollins), cowriuen with Merrily Weisbord. is reviewd on page 40. John Oughton is the author of Maw Hai’s !-a Wm& (Ragweed). Gordon Phinn is a writer who liw in Mississaga, Ont. Fmd Sbnrpe is B Toronro puzzle addict. Sheri South is a Toronto freelance writer. David Stafford b the executive - ._ _ director of rhe Canadian lnrtirun cd Inwnational Alfairs. Geottrey Stevens writes a column un national afi51rs for the Tnvnm Surr. tiurur Sun. and Mmmal Gatezrrrr.Donald Swainron reaches in the history department o((2ueeds Universiry in Kingston. Onr. Margaret Sweatman is the author ofFox (Turnstone); she lives in Wtnnipeg. Lynne Van Luven is the hook-review editor of rhe EdmmmmJoumnl. Gretchen Zimmemxm is a philosophy srudenr ar the Universiry of Warerloo. 0

._.- __ ._ _ -- __.__ --.__--. _-_- lined for who Hen Seen the Winrl; they sound More Last Words fine to me:’ Ftomtbealmve it shouldbe clearrhat Macmillandiinor ‘benay” Mitchell in 1947 Like Jones. I sometimes&agree with arSchiedermncludeJ,nordidthri’m~ri- McEwenS opmions. hut I disagree wth ouolv”and ‘Ymawuntablf revert to dx ]w&s even more. Alkw me to criticize Americaneditim in 196CThe6ict dwt Jonesas he criticixd McEwn. Mitchellagmalsoeailymdvzu.eofdw Jones thmks that lxcaure language Amsicanedition.ali~havingdiiw changa. those whuubject many oftbese Historical Correctness mnngly with Little. Bmwn ow dw cuIs. can change5 are wrong. This is an instance of bee+xiiin~numberduqxHevwo “whatever happens is gwd because it hap R~?#Cl&cFaard”(Febnrary),Rqxrt aught up in rhe writing&ii new novel The pens, so dent ubjert to it.” Another ScbiederSreviewofthenewWtoHasSem Kite rhat he could ha& lx lx&red to instance nf thlr principle is: people kill each JleWlld arm4&iilzalqxmdence.Etaloned* otbher therefore, dent object ifsomeone Iwadeliidtoseearview.zfdenew up&i 6ghkThe 13years may haveerased kilb you. editkmofWhoHa&enJWind,butmust someofrheintenselypmtemvefliihe hadabcutdworiginalw7lo~~~ thepublisbiihismryoftbisbmk. I&m- W~Alx~knowingtbatMacmilkmws pl~VXG.Mitche.llwsnt’lxua~ cmcemed abwt pmduction ccw andgiven (whosewwd is &is!) by Macmillan, and it is biiauniimmcials~ai~;, he pmtablyfek it was nota’5qwe$‘whyrh&%pageedition bettermhaverhebookourinprintagainin \\asnot~by~harpublish~. whatewwsion. Itwuld&tmmucbspacetogointoall I hope this corrects any misunderstanding Jones complains that McEwn whines. I dledetalls0fthenEgoriadonrberween about Macmilbui~ mle in rhepublicationof dent see what ywr tone ofvoice bar to do MllMacmillan,andtheAmetican~ w%oHassmthewind. wirhrhe~lundnesrofyourYgument.Joner of Little, Brown, but the impottant poinn are Barbora Mitchell himself whinges; but rhat’s not what in&- tbatMit&ellbadkqttCamdlantights dateshisargument. and,finall~lnMayl946,Macmlllan6xmd tbattbey~abk&erallto6nancepm ductionofdxlrwnmpierrarherthanbuy Amuicanmp~.?hepnt~asI bawfollmwdd-eminrheMacmaknmrra Sp0t&tlCe&X&lSfollows: G~.28,1946:Miillwmteto Macmilkm:‘lvetymuchappteciatetbatdw Canadianediticmistobemuchthesameas tbemanuruiptlsentyou:~lhave mamgedmgetabcutb&thecuts~ itwtted&lonatcon5idertheLiule,~ edirionasgood~dxCamdii! F&any 1947: the rwodinteditions wrepubl&dabout 1Odaysaparc Mm& l3.1947:Macmillandiia secondprinting-notadiirentedition- and. pt&bly inSeptember 194Xasecond p&tlngbmugbttbetomltoatat1QO00. AA~118,I96O:JolmGrqedimrat Macmillan,woteMit&Uregadinganew p&itlgofwhoHm.smldw~Gray explalldlatbewGuldpmuse~ Amaicanwt3ion”lor-m+ke! U\Xbuldyouobjectto~is?‘heasked Mllll. MayS.196O:Mi&ellfinallyrcqmded (afteratmtberlette&mGtayonMay3): ‘Clfcmmegoaheadwitbyplansout- __~__ .-. _-. ~~. ~.___.~ . .. .._ --_I. ___~_. -__

Ld~J~daimsrharMCEW~kC~- tbar’s new hip talk W’N~ it mw ceruinly cemknightand~iso~tiioned. knot:‘~age, like the living humam Butiftighta”dultmg~ma~“fme~ whocrraait.needscomranrgmwthand ~hion,JonescatmotarguethatMcEwenis change-_vet,alrtllikewirbasanohjec- wroo&s”wbyisbed”iis”o! tive existence rhat will die ifxretckd “r h=w=lansuapetihangedependr denied trm fastor too far Jones’s hoylsh metely”nFashion,$tuall.~kiJ”nesbe eagenws todDaway with “distinctwlu abeneratbiterofstyledwnMcEwen? between wxdr that are gradually becoming Obvioml% be cotuiders bim&q”alitied. syr.““ymo&‘and his IinkingolcaRrul sincebek’hipandpm~vc!‘lfbytbathe practicer in linguistics with the rymnnical meatu%sbio”able,%e.ut”f- hypocrisy ofSad&m Huein. are ID ridicu- advise~..Onlgduxwhoare”“t~i”nk kxsly”&e rhat i

~~JohnRHatt”” wllowdale, cm. Get Real, Not Perfect-~~

~~&AMARCI~IIITFR,~M~.W~J”IXS atmck5AlecMcE~“old-fashii \vbiiaboutwbt&ight andwrongin EngIiiwage.‘nywndris~~ claimsJones,“hbyd&itionavmrd”WeI1 ‘i~%mpxalotottguphonycu”;~~

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HENORTH AMERICANWest, with its enduring myths of frontier and cowboy, is pervaded by fiction, and Will James lived that fiction. He came west, assembled a complete. new personal reality, and in the end, saw the reality become a fate. Most of us allow fiction to penetrate only as far as out bookshelves, stopping it far short of personal identity. Wdl James did not. He created himself as a character cowboy, painter, wirer, westernmyth, vie, rim. I first became aware of James when I was a boy, reading his novel Smoky, the Cow Horse. The book was a handsome 1929 Scribner edition bdo”ging to my /.Y’ father. He had read it as a boy too, i when it was first published. Smoky was, I and perhaps still is, the quintessential bo+ illustrated adventure, in the tmdi- ;. tion ofG. A. Henry and Robert Louis Stevenson. The story features a lone rebelliousfigute. bonded too8 half-wild horse, working with animals and against the elements, dealing rarely with other me” and never with women. The prose of Smoky, as withall James’s books, is witten in western vernacular. The illustrations are strongly influenced by James’s conten~porary, Charles M. Russell, and the best of them rival chat aaisrb work. Thirty years after my first reading of Smoky, I began to run across references to Will James’s shadowy beginnings in Canada. I was drawn in again, but the real hook this time ws not the juvenile xcounts say young Dufault spent all his fmal break to the United States. romance of the story, but the secret spare time sketching horses and The Canadian Prairies would have flows of Will James’s personal idenriry, devouring dime westerns. At the age of been where the young Dufsult saw the the springs of which were hidden some- 15 he took the train west to first real images of the West and cattle where in thii western landscape. Saskatchewan, consumed by the desire ranching. The short grass, dry co&es, ‘XII James began life as another per- to be a cowboy. For the next four years and badlands of Saskarchewan and so”. Ernest Nephtali Dofault was born ( 1907 to I91 I ) he moved around the Alberta became his first templates, to in St. Naraire, Quebec., in 1892. Family southern Praries. preparing for the which he cawed and fitted his own

~~: _ _-%yrc’-‘.F.‘!,- LL_. C. ?‘...... ___-_~ ____ L.U ._.. ~.. _.__.___.~~

already powerful childhood vision. This himselfdies. drowning man rce-filled James rode un inru Montana. is where he learned about horses and Montana river. This fiction leaves Nevada, Wyoming. Anzona. and, even- cattle sod range, going Irom a gawky James romlly free of the encumbrances tually, to fame as a writer/illustrator. His adolescent lrot much good on a horse” of birth and family heritage, and also works pmvidd readers with a clean. to a skilled cowboy and horse-breaker. explains his lifelong Kancophone romantic vision of an era just past, and In those fouryears he also shifred his accent. his perwna let them believe ir still language from French to western The actual Dufaulr family - father, existed. As war natural. Wdl James English He dropped the francnphone mother, and five siblings - is cut off in gravitated to Hollywood. first as a stunt cadence of Ernest Nephtali Dufault in t&our of the Montana fiction. After rider and then as a collaborator on favour ofthe monosyllabic “Will leaving Quebec. james returned there mowe scripts about himself. He suf- James.” (These clipped and plorive only twice in his life. The first trip was fered rhe usual dislocations of the Anglo-American names were somehow made about a year &er he I&, probably America” celebrity. nude worse by his significant, all the cbamcters of James’s a social visit to show off the new cow- fear of discovery and a habit of binge- stories have oames like “Clint,” “Dan,’ boy gear and the new mystique. The mg on hard liquor. 1 “Tom: and so on.) And he changed his second trip, made when James was By the late 1930s. his career in ! identi& hum Quebec immigrant to beginning to gain national recognition decline horn drink and illness, James native home-breaker. for his writing and sketching, was to reached hack to the Montana ofhis Few people wtote things down in the burn all the letters he had wrilren to his imagined ancestry and bought a ranch I soourhern Canadian Prairies in the early family, and to wear them to secrecy with the pro& from his books. Even I 1900s; as a place in time it makes for about his real identity. that did nor give him peace. His health ( poor histo* but good fiction. James wrote and published a dozen continued to deteriorate and he died in ! Accouncp of Dufault/James in those books between 1926 and 1942, all of 1942 ofchronic liver failure. four years have him filing B homestead them about horses and cowboys. and all The exde must pro~ecr himself into a i claim near the tiny fmncophone corn- about himself. or rather the self he cre- new culture. The rural exile must pro- muni~ of Val Marie, Saskatchewan; ated. Place names are virtually nonexis- ject himself into a new landscape as working as a cowboy for the vast 76 tent in his texts, as are any verifiable well. Saskatchewan and Alberta pro- Ranch; wintering with a ranching fam- historical events or figures. His “autobi- vided Will James with the first real ily and then starting a sptead of his own ography” is no exception. This man Western landscapes; these would near Ravenscrag, in the Cypress Hills craved fame for the James persona and imprint over the barns and orchard- county; working at a line camp near total anonymity for the Dufault. grass pesr”res of settled Quebec, Sage Creek, Alberra; and spending Will James’s obsession with an already blurred by the strength of his time in a Maple Creek, Se.&., jail. anachronistic, dime-novel West. his youthful vision of the West. Yet the real One of the few artefacts “flames’s secret identiry. and a lifelong fear of the landscapes of exile will never quite stay in Western Canada is the photo- law (after twosrints in jail) propelled match the immigrant’s vision of them, graph above, taken by John Moir, the this unlikely man into the realms of fit- so he condemns himself to an endless Saskatchewan rancher who hosted tion and art. He created anonymous search for the perfect diorama. Good James in the wintet of 1911. (Moirk son. mb!xaur of corral, sagebrush, and huck- work for a painter. ‘Mac” Moir, a poet who now lives in ing horse. and inserted himself into At the age of I5 my father also Calgaty, has the original.1 them. The cowboys of his drawings all crossed the country on a westhound James found a menroc while in look the same: long-waisted men with train, alone. That war 25 years al&r Saskatchewan: a fellow Qu6b&ois by bowed legs and spurred boots. clad in James did, and the circumstances were the name of Pierre Beaupr6, who prob- white shirtsand black vests, showing much different. Whether he took his ably helped James with his language aquiline, hawk-nwd faces in pmfle. copqofSmoky with him, and what par- transition and basic cowboy skills. They are all Ernest Dufault, idealized ticular combination of landscape and Beaupr6 and James filed the Val Marie into Will James. desire his head was full of, I am not homestead claim jointly. BeauprC was James does refer to Canada in his given to know. But in considering my an intennedia.~ and significant works (The Lone Cowboy,Winter father’s solitary tram trip through west- enough to James that he wrote him into Months in a CoupCrimp! , but the reality ern space. I think I hear a faint echo of The Lone Cowboy ( 19301, his autobio- is of course reversed: he writes himself Will James. graphical fiction, as an adoptive father. coming into Canada as a young man on Fiction mevnably becomes personal. In Tk Lone Cowboy, James’s parents the run fmm US law. He mentions no A few buokr will mrwe beyond the ate made intoTexans who have bought place names. but the “Cypress Ranch” houkshelfand intrude on the margins a ranch in Montana. They are both of Winter Months is qunc pussibly the of the reader’s life, asjames’s books killed when James is quite young. and famous 76 Ranch. where James did work have m mine. They have linked f&her. “BopK”a fiend of the family, adopts and which, in James’s youth. covered a author. and son through reality and and raises the ch8d. Then Beau@ good chut& of southern Saskatchewan. through a ret of nested dreams. THE RULES OF PARTlIlt EXISTEIICE BY JUDY FllLLAll An outstanding collection of stork that steal into the heart of the adventurer, set among

~~~~~~~5~~~~~~sofNep”. THE ORAGOB’S TRPESTAY Paperback, $12.95 BY E~llATI#E URTES A magiwl tule for young adults, The Dmgon’s Topshy introducesa cast of charactersnot soon to . I . .~~

~~by RUSSELL MCDOUGALL~~

bemexpeccedtokeeptcmwdsawy. Irwead,theIargcstcmwdyamassemble forAumaIllmajorlireraryMnrmadea pi&magedmvntoAdeIaid&iversidegar- dmsmheartheirchmmwims(aramd 60)read6ummddiitheirwmk. SpiIiingourfnnnunderthemaquee, standklgillth4L%lpCUIwhenrheyeew momanyt&.heavailabkccw,morethan ~OOpeoplegatheredorbe6rstday m hearOliverSacks,theLmdoondorrbomNew YorlrproferwrofcliiicaInmmlcqand

- - soorl IN c***c.* ---. -. tk~“fdeddingWhflt”Jd”Wi~~p~ even lull ofpl&l pomxial; but it is a plea- c&w&errhahepublishewho”eed “fl7Cii”“-i5bd”by~W~!Ql”W”(th~, sure to he able to report rhr mmplete to be kept at arm5 length in the lizwe. ““this”cca5i”“,an”“ym”l”)auth”r absence rhiryearofCaadiandiitersof First Governor GeneralBill Hayden. a” secdi”thed.The”thermai” absenceat\X/n’ters’~k.Notonlydidrhe acknowledged arhebr. social% and rep& ‘i”d~eve”~apattflnnlthema”ybcok Canadian pet E’hyllii Webb arrive to hold lican. helped to launch rhe kmna diplomat ~bothcnandoiFsiteandthe”m”y captive her audiera in Adelaide; sodii Alii Broinow!xsiS“The Y&w Lady”: moreperrieswkPadiiu%io”bfaPa”e.lof herbookr.whichroldouronrhedayodher Aui&PmpKIiwof~and~ UlilU3booksellers%U%?“dP~ ‘Meet rhe Author” radii rhe9anesoftherePublimwwithhis GnthePiiciiofboolcr(Am~ithe~- CnT&March3,Webbvawneofan commenethat”insteadof~mi”gthe ondbugestbc.&buying”aionperhe.adoI imematkmal~elofpxs-which bzst-infomv4 English.sp&i nation populaliMl,P+igherprii~~t incluti Michel Deguy (Fmue), Alan about the Asia-pdcific @on. % we were “tb~&YXm”i&.tirsb) Gould (Arwalia). Miroslav Holub x&l placed to do, sane in Australia seemed lmponantthoughdmwiigcadssuchas O&c&w&a),andAlia~r- to shri~& from dx challenge. replacing .50&sa”d~andMorganobviily leadiifmmrheiruork.-rhat~e”ight knowledge with orient&t lanrarics.” are,itisPartlythis.tof~tsthat shereadatasmallSpa”iiresta~tthat Butthebestwspttocome.Cndx con&eaxccou”tfotthehugesucxersd hadgiwnirs&upto\Week.Tw final d&W&as Week,Rime Minister \Yhit&\Veek.Beofthemixof ~later&hadthestagetohe”e&d”w- Keatingarrived-unsch&leda”du”an- iwitedandsutprkg~thaeisalways i”g a considerable auiience despite the nounced-toktmchhisfR&ey anaircfrheunaPaz4inrhislimary simultaneoustion in tbesecondmaquee, H&peperteckCditofI-h&?C& conmumi~Thentherehtheve.nuei&f, where Rul Davies, Miilav Holub and Blidegwm. Rumourhad got around. and ~tso\\adafulintherain, butpurr “lherswerehokliilabcut’~and thecrowd swelled to possibly the lagest of deliitintheumallybmydaysofMa”zh Creativit(Andrhateveni”gshe&m”ed rhevxekmhearthemanwhoregabhim- -andthisyear,k&l~rrainhad a@. accnm~ied b Thea Asrlq the selfaothe Placidoof~litics(thepres CM~W&l”th~tiY&“S Aus”alii nwelist. on the pleauue.toat mademuchoftheCxt that Domingohim- “ftheli~~parliland.oca”liimt”~ %p=2ye”ar itctuised through the pad&nd self was in town fora concert plfo”na”ce) fi3v”wit”a”thora.“1diismvernewreadi o”theTorrasRiver.She hadakeadygiwn pemapdmakeastaeme”tatoutfmldii~ pathstorollo,whilesi~champegne “VoreaditheweJtbrlth~ d~earrs_Nopolicystatemetwsforduom- andnibbIiigonquailorsomeotherculi- milesawayetrheUnivesofNew i”g;bUt~W&Ol”~-and”CIV-““tG” natydelicacyprrparedspxially for& England in Armid& where there t. a very the republican mchestration-oEthe-nation occM~byKathK~o”e~themosttal- acciveCaMdiansfirdiergroupAnd6tnn debatewsrrmckwhen,launchingthis atedch&inacitythat~&e~“nnomic Adelaide, afterabriefsrop in Melbounv; she bookabout first Aboriginal conma the imdwinecaPitalofAustia.~onecan wargaingonmanodx.rliDerarybtivalin PM noted: ‘We have to come to temu with rurh&xwhe.se”ewreadiiPathsimme- Auckhnd,NewZealand. Aboriginal Australia. pre- and pst- diatel~&&ngotherple.atw.fo4e The real surprises ofWriters’ Week, European. Until wedo rhii-untilwstart bookwu,whereallofthewiier.atendii however, were ~litical. Aumalia is in rhe to make sane real pmgress towIds closing -andmanyothasbmides-havetheir midrtodagreatRpuhlicandebere,fuelled rhegapinborharrirudesandlivingsran- bookron&. during the C&e& recent visit by our prime dads-1 think there will always be a leeI- \~~thiiyeareventCanadia”lmo!a minister, F’aulKeatimg, who &r&d many ingamong us dwt maybe we dont quite atriwdonthne! Adeiaideaudiences(~ in England (and some here in Australia) belong.. .that w&e simply hue to make smdmts and wcbers ofCanadian litera- with hi comments. His remarks ahout lingeries ofthe old riba.” tlmerhroughourdlecoUll”y~nmtnl)havegrown Britain5 readiness ta abandon Auaalia at ReadingfromthereviewsofHall’s wedmGmadiibooksnotorappearing,to the rime dthe fall OfSingapore in 1942. novel, Keating noted that, despite their visi&$3nadiiaudmrssoembarassed and by its recent entry into the European high praise, one hasnt really been hytheirpublishas’indiincetointema- Common Maker. were coupled with a call “reviewed” until one appears in the tiolxal~thattheycanhardlywnceal foranawren~that modemAuralia’s London mhloids (“Hands off our duiidknay.SupporteasofGmadianlitem- ties muzt be more with Asia and lesswith Queen!“). But there -a more powerful nueoe3seasinevimblyii”dthemsehes Eunw. But even more cmmuve~&~l was recognition inwlwd in KearingS presence moaf&wnrhephonetoth&madian Keating~ t”wgre.wion llf myalprotocol: at Writers’ Week, for, as he himself noted, HighCamnission, whose cultural auach6s gently pidii the Queen through the the republican question is. while badly knowonlytw\vellhowkadlythe major cmwdrofPadiime”t Hwe. he haddared new IOparty politics in Australia. much publishersofCanaai literature ha\ne ler to tcuch Her Maj- even to the extent of older in its literary context. Literature pre- donmtheirauthorsintheintemational placinghis arm around her. ceda, sets the agenda to sane degree: “IarkeqJlacel”acou”uyapparenrly~t Ti%nodwrfirstsuccurthisyeara~ “That isone ofthe great virtues ofthe am o”dem”stNai”“-a5C~~ Writers’Week.each anindicatwnofthe and why a can-my is healthier when they aeemrtob&omanAurwlianpe.tsPective profile that the event now enjw. and each flourish. They can provide LLIwith a rmer -notallabsencwwnlightening,or carrying a warning that it rmy k the politi- vision of ourselves!’ 0

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~~A short history ofPrairie literature that separates the wheatfrom the elm..~~

~~by MAURICE MIERAU~~

about the part are pro&red. usually unconscirrusl~ in order to prove the aesthetic and hiinxical legitinlacy of contempaary writing. This is rhe only explanarion lor the Prairie IireratiS con- tinuing fascination with unspeakably mediocre writen like Frederick PhilipGroue. about whom I will comment a little kter. The Prairie obseraion wirh legitimacy 15also a function ofthe facr that so many ofthe writers in thii mgiun are academia.lhere is nothing wrong wide academic miters. but when there is almost n” variety in the profaiinal and xaal backguundr of the wirers from a region dxre is also Ia variq in their work. Cf thefive established literary pmszson the Prairies, three have boa& corn- paed primarily ofuniversity English ptufumrs. and many of dxse same people are also pmliic writers and influential teachers “fcre- ative writing. Among rhb group there is a strong belief in the power &tedentialo to bzsmw legitimacy and t” time a correct version ofcultural histoq For example, a kw years ago Wayne l’&, a novelirt and member ufthe editorial w of Winnipegb Turnwne Press. wrote a letter t” the local paper complaining rhat one of their book reviews had been written by someone who lacked a Ph.D. The implication wasclearly that only designated expxtsare culrutally cmdibleur IegitimatG a view that is jwt as unhealthy as telling a young writer &at his 01 her wrier must be set in New York “r Toronto rarher dun Alberta. lmnicall~ dxxademic attempt to legitimize the present by u&ting the reputations ofdead writersdistracts kom rhe many remarkable Prairie titers who have published in the larr $0 years orso. Prairie lit crit bar not “wwme its endwsiasm for the inept prmeofE R Grow which Robert Kmetsch dexribes as%autiful and radical!’ Rudy Web+ a rremendorrrly amhitiour and imelliint novelist. hasa~JollenunderGwvekqRII,uediting him with %iionl”and altisuy: one can only aSu”le that the longingfat Dad makea for &headoption ofswngeuncles. CimVes style range loom rhr merely ugly, as in &is dexription ISUIVSettles ofthe Ma& (1925):“QGetly hegotupand drew a bkmket wer it that had been ._ - . he_”t” the unintentionally ludicwus. as in this bit ofmelcximma creatinga~itionorcanonwherrtherrrrallyisntone.Weare fromTkMarmofIheMi~(l944):‘Painfullu. Jlesenatorawakem morewilliimlieaboutourfathcrtsh””t him;rhat is what reali~. He was not Sam; thii was mr Mad. It was that Maud who distittguish&Za”adian literary hi&toryfrom American.These lies ua~LadyCl~k;~hewdsamanovereigholpearr”ld:’ A __i_A-.- ---. -I~_~, .~. ._.- .~~. . .._------__~.

_-. ..-. -_ - .- - 1 &IsenringupOroveasd~alrealininthePrairierradi- begin wch the lmpxt ofthe landscape upon the mind” applies tkm, many academic critic&we attempted to margin&e con- particularly well w thiigmup. They published their important rempcayrealisrwiters, especially women. After all. Grove got uork before 1960, and include John M&n. W. 0 Mitchell, rherefirst,i~aleadvbe*ldone,ande~ndroughDadhasdisap Martha C3sten.x Sinclmr Rosa Gabrielle Rq and Wallace pearedwe~gotaFrenchNewNovelistuncle--orhea Stegner. All ofthem are concerned with establishing a particular SouthAmerica!Eitherpmvidesahandy Prairie landscape in their work. This group:5 published work is mie.model.DavidAmasoaB1986erwy watered over a lo”g period oftime, and a number of them have “LeavingtheFarm:Gmtem~ had essentially one-book careers. The secorul~rwaoon isa I&- Sakachewan Fiction” typi8es this mnd. tively small gtuup that mostly began publishing in the 1960s. The AmwnarguesthatthreeS&~tchewan list is still mainly compaed of fiction miters. but there are a I& titers- Geo&ey Uoell, David Wdlianu. u&r genres rcprescnred as well: Rokn Kmersch. htrick Lane. and Guy Vandethaqhe - have an ‘inform- Margaret Laurence, Eli Mandel. Ken Mitchell. John Newkwe. ingvision” that makes theirworkoflarger George Ryga, Miriam Waddington. Rudy W1eh0 and Adele interest thanwritersofYealiini’ like Sharon Wiseman are among the m01t significant writers in rhls proup. But&, Edna AlCord, and David Carpenter. Finally the third generation, by far the largest group began puh- The diitomy between vision and real- lishing in rhe’7Os. This lit (necessarily incomplete) includes iano&redbyAmasonis,Itbinli.tenden- poets, playwrigha children’s writers, historians, and “we women tiom. Butala has shown in ha latest books. and ethnic writers than ever before: Edna Alford. David TheFounhArhartgdandFewr,andevenin Armwo”. Byma Bwclay, Ven Begam&& Sandra Bi&ell, Di the earlier wxk that Amawn discuses. a Bmndt. Lois Braun. Martha B”x& Sham” Butala. Dennis visionthatcaftbesummeduphyanwow Cc&y, Loma Cozier, Beatrice Gdleton, Dame1 Wncocks, “realii maniksto. Amaso” praises Ursell’s Peter Ewindson. Brad Fmser. Parrick Friesen. Krisriana Gunners. : Pe&e,orHw7heUCLrrUChrLorrforio Carol Matas. Bruce McManus, Howard Wlmer. Carol Shields, vision, but &seems to be aclenrcase ofa Andrew Suknaski. W. D. Valgardso”. Aritha van Heh Guy ~iwi~rsomewhat arbitrarily pi&ii Vanderhaeghe. and Fred Wah. an&emativen&ion-Inrhiscaseby The pioneeringgnlup that broke the ground 6~ Prairie liten- emulating Gabriel Garcia M6rquezb famous tore is headed b Sinclair Ross. whose 1941 novel As For Meand style. Kroetsch found this alternative past first My Howhashada huge impactonthe writeoofthisregion. -~Amasonpoinvout--byreproducingGarrlaMgrqu~S SigrifIcantly, &is novel had very lide impact until it was solleinhb1978nowl,~~eCrwu~Kroetvhbbookisfun- reprinted in 1957; the significance ofCIktw.dianor Prairie litem- nierthmUtselPs, butboth”ovelsseemonduly pmoccupied with mre was not really appnxiated until aker the war. Ro& novel dii- themselves as literwore. bionaq they arent. Similarlg David played wy sophisticated technical control while also de&g with \~dliams’s~~areso~\\irhrheinfluenceof~lliam a Depressiorrera regional setting. Writers ar diww as Loma FauUmerrharat~~rheirpearionsandco~mrarealmosrsuf- Cmzier and David William have been amacted to thii book. focaFed.~a~ASleePFullofDrrmnr(198l)ispartofrhe which, unlike Groveb oeuvre. demommxes both a high level of &ant) Prairie uaditkm ofthe lii shomstoty collection. and cra(r and specifically regional content. her~inchingrealismbasviri~aranyrhingwriaeninrhe W&ace Stegner, mar ofwhm career has bee” spent in the FIairiesTlxGmdmofEldreLoon (1986) issimilarlyconcemed United States, made his reputation wirh a memmr about his with the dreamlike realism of the elderly and irolated; Al&d is a Saskatchewan boyhood. vlblfW?Kow ( 1962). Like Ro& As For pmVetkd\VIivriter. McmdM~Houw,rhisburkwasimprranrforthe~phisticated Theculleuio”ofcriliciiCcMcempGimyMMirobawciren way in which it made use ofa prairie satins. John Mar@ Under (1990),rdired~KennethHughesseoupa’kalist”bogqrman in rheRibrofDrorh(l957),whilenotar3currnplishedyeitherRuss5 amucbmoreaggressivewaythanAtnaso&essay.Hughes,apm or Steegnerbwork. is impommr lot being a pioneering “inrmignt ~ofEng~,maliaitclearinhisinrroductionmrhecollec- no&’ and also one of the first Prairie novels mxed in a” urban tion rhat“conte.mp~ means posr-realiim, and he impodu a mality. Gabrielle Rt$s richly lyrical ewcation of both the Saint verynarro\~definitiondrralisminorderroacluderhorewho Boniface. Manitoba, landscape in Smer ofRiches. and the dontfithisliale cwticubun. Manitoba titers who wrk in more Interlake region in Wfme Ncsrs rhr ti Hengive her a” ~mpor- traditiot&ealist&odepare, prediibl~ ignored in Hugh& ra”tpl~einthifirsrgenrration~well,evenr~~hhernovels book. These b&de 8ne fictionwiten lii Ed Kleiman. whare were Pan&ted from the French. shorcfi~memorialLePtheJewir;hnorrhendof~Mipegin Comic writers are “xre in rhi early group with W. 0. Mitchell the 194Oszmd’5Os,and J&e MacDonald. clearly being rhe leading one. His 1947 novel who Har Sea the Eve” though I am atgoing that the history ofPrairie writing in WT”dmade his nqmation. The “J&e and the Kid” series ofmdio Canada is telativelyshort. there are nonetheless three distinct scripts he w”xe bewee” 1949 and 1957 wene also a very impx- groups or, ifyou like, gramtio”sofPmirie writers. The fiat could mnt influence on the Prairie writers who weld start publishing in be called the pioneers.Henry Kreiil’s remarli that ‘911discussion the ‘f& and ‘7or. Guy Vanderhaeghe. although a more sophisti- oftheliteratuepmduced intheCan&m West mustofneceaity cated writer in some wayn.follows in Mitch& t&tsteps with hi

-..--- ., .r.“e,‘.T. . .._. .“r-&l:m 3~,.-.-..*.. . - the late bniel Dancocks. alsoAlbertans, are &heonly popular historians this region ha yet prodwed. Sharon Polkxk is still rhe biggest name in dramatic writing to ‘ame out of&e third generation, and Edmonton3 Fringe Festival has rpavmed much talent and many orher htivals Bswell. Saskatchewan boasts a veritable legion oftalented fiction titers. of whom the mat notable are Guy Vanderhaegheand Sharon Butala. Vanderhaeghe3 first book. Man Dacmding, gave him a nadonalreputation,and hirrremendousg~fordialogueandpol- ished style make him a miter who should corn mand incernarionnl unenrion. Shruon Butala’s recent novel, Tke Founh Archangel. is some- rhingofndepamre komdx more restrained style ofhereadier bcoks. David Carpenter is also an accomplished stylisr. most notably in his novella “Lute” (1985). Andrew Suknaski3 anecdotalstyle, LomaCrozierSdelic lyri- cism and punchy humour, Anne Szomigalski3 pnae poems, and Fred Wah3 Black Mountain rhythms providecanuasringanddisrinctive poetic voices from Saskatchewan. and there’s RudyWiek 1 an army ofemerging talent there as well. Ven BegamudrZ3 fiction is rooted in what he calls his’hamxultural” heritage, East Indianand Canadian, which is bestcaptured in A Pkmet OfEaenniu ( 1991); like this whole group of Saskatchewan writen, Begamodd is certainly not caught up in legitimaqwnxiety. Manitoba ha produced a plethoraofinter- erring writers in the last decade alone. The 8rst major short-story writer of the ’70s was W. D. Valgardson. whosecollection Bloodflaum ( 1973) announced the arrival ofa marue and s&confident talent. Pxrick Friesen m sod Sandra Birbell3 short fiction are the majormilesmnesofManiroba literatureover the last 15 yew both came out of the increa- ingly literary Mennonite commoni and both are overdue for Governor General3 awards. Di ~rand

~~-Ia t I~~

~~A sense of the land a.s a livingpresence underlies by ALLAN Sharon Butala’s depiction of the natural world CASEY~~

LY~~~~~B~~~isrheauthorofnvoeollecri~ofahorr fic- loud every dav hecause if rhey did tion-Qzwnofrhe He&dw (Gxew, 1986) and Few their weld uwld collapse. (Hafp&llii 1990) -and bwrnovel+ The Guta ofthe sun And I dent blame them for (Fi131House, 1986). L~lr (F& House, 1988), Uprmmn (Fikh that. That’s the role ofa House, 19911,and The FamhAv&mgcl, which has just been puh- writer, to look at society Ii&d by HarpEacollins. and be critical. And J y Inter&wed recently in Sakatoon, Butala seemed sliitly our ~m~;;v$=; ((;; d ofherelement not that a pastel motelmom in Saskamoncould ,” be anym~e’sdernent. Shekdriven the five hours Ewm her ranch LUM and liked it, nearEartend, which liesI& to chesourhwerc.Butala ha many then it’s pardy i! errandommnduringherdays in town, butmosrly she’shere to because I didnt I addressthe International Nbmenk Daycelebration on the week- hit IOOhard. I t end.Theorgaizascan~knowwhatan iconoclast isenrauc to did& say, you carft thepcdium.But&wnJdopenberspecchbyremindingthe live like this. ~udience~inrhe~beforeherboolcrbeganmcorneour, she had& been welcome at such orthodox feminist gatherings. Herviwwnwomen were mo naditional Or subversive.She w4d modestly assail prominent feminisrr such as Gcnnaine GreerandSimonedeBeauvoir,andshe uwldcry while recount- inghowshedbeenavictimofdatcrape longbefore the termwas invented. Allan Casey mlked with But& not only about ferni- niunand her new novel, Tk FmmhArchangel, but about autobi- ogra&,short-gzspmiriiand beingtraditional.

Buela:\WlenI~Selena,Iuas~ingm~llook.rhirwoman h bonourable. She’s leading the life that women have led dour throughthecenturiesicu~~alloverrhe world. She’slead itunuiticall~ and she shouldnt be uncritical. Bur I wanted to givehertberespect tbarhdueherforthe way&$ built a wodd.Thewnnendownsthdontqucstion their livesour But&: Ifyou read cbe female creation legeod that’s central to Lwu, the& about the bersbestsmtemeot possible nbour uumeni simetlononthiipkner. Feminism are notgoing toobject rorally to the book because rhar legerd is in rhere. But what 1 have come to accept. end what some feminism object to, is &et we should be Botdla: When I married my hushand Pew and moved to celebmtiogourdiiflerencer 6um one another, and that we are dif. Eastend. I spent one full year just riding with him in the truck. It fereotkommen....Aodwomendo havepower. Men have rhls was the first time in my adult life that I hadnk bed to be at work formalizedpowerchetweallkooweod canswand rhar weell every day. I went everywhere he went. did everything he did, and bemwithgoodreeson. They have powr ova rhe SUUCN~~~of 1just kept eskingquestions like a fuuryear-old. I never stopped society and &e&s jurt no denying it. But women have another asking. and he loved explaining things. Ir rook me alwut a year to klod ofpower d-let co- out of formal powerlessnea, I guess. learn whar I needed to know... But itk more a question of liking They End orher ways to be powerful. Sometimes that can b.z wry to be out in the wilderness, whatever kind it migbr be, and having harmful but it can also be very good. WE women have been a sax of the lend es e real living prexnce and ofeverything on ~undthroughrheages,andth~areaspowerfulaJanyme” it, even yourself, es being e part of the whole world. If youcan simplybywbertbeylmowand howtbeyexpress it. appncch it m the right way. you ten begin w communicate with II. As ir says inThe FoundAtrlumefl. “This is a place where words Stop:’

B&e: Yes, I cant say thack not true. Irk what interests me. and irk my in~tetetion of m&-female relationships in Nonh Bumla: Peter wes born end raised rhere. He&never lived any- Americarightnow.Andwekbmeroffrhanmlrrrpgmofrhe where else. When we talked about gerring married. there wes world by a kmgsbor. Bat 1 feel ready- Im going to be 52 this never any question about his moving. I mid my hour. I quit my summerandl’mstmingrofeelold-romovekyondmyown lob at the university, I leh my fiends and family behind. 1went to limited personal experience end m sat writing about male- a place five hours from the nearest penon I knew. female relations&x &et are one more equal. purer lewl. My new ~~rheone~gorinmyhead,isgoingrobeaboutthemid- BiC: Areyousrillmcuedaranw! lii crisis. But&: No, but I will never be treated as a member uf the community on the same basis as people who were born there. I srmg- gled very hard robe one, and finally realized one day that it was nor ever going to be pmsible. I would only kill what ws unique in Butale: Ohyea.b,rigbt Irwooldbebemer ifourcukural icons me, and 1would never be folly accepted anyway. I decided the would tellostbem~tbmtbertben justtekiogposirionsand then only way to survive there was ro cake rhe place on my own terms. lateronsaylng, “Well, you lmow et the rime I wrote rbat book. I’m a ranch wife, I married into a lamily rhar has been there fore ob.. .” I’m willing to be accoonteble forevery wrd I’ve ever wrir- coupleofgeneretions_s I doromeof the things theydo. If we teo.Tl~&wbetyoodoifyo~~wirwnd ifyou cant dorhar,shur have a branding, then I have the women in my kitchen. though UP they come less end less every year. All of the nomen have jobs off the t&m now. Anyway, h phone me fwm the hall and soy,well, it5 your urn to wash dishes Forthe fowl supper. 1go in and wash dies; they sav you need to bake three pies, I beke three pies. There xe certain things I suppon and 1go there on thou people’s tenos. Rut 1 tell everybody tbar just because I’m home every day B&e: 1 ws born io Nipawin. es were three of my four sisters. ar doesn’t mean I’m available every day. And the women have en owporrhospiml, eo old bow &et 1 think was nm by the Red stopped trying to he my hiends. I’w iourui certain ones, and CrodswhereMomwouldcomedownrohavcher~bies. Ded had they’ve found me. But they ere kind of&ear people. kind ofthe asawmilliotbebushnonhoftbe~end dw!swhereI wasraised. peripheral ones just like me. And I’ve found dur my way ofcon- Tbefinrfooryeersofmylifewereinwmplete wilderness. I think rriburing to rhe community is through the Easrend Arts Council. MW, though it wesot und 1 cane down to the ranch to live that I I’m one of the loundiog members. realized it, that this mwt have been e pmlkund experience and tharwhereI’mheadingfornowfomesourofrhar. Anywe~ that’s wbereweu~eodweweTepwr.Rallypoor _i._._i_. . -. . ___._ ._ - .___ ..-_.

~~_.--.~ -- -._ 1 But& Well, lots &hem dot+ read the books. so no problem. very important kind of wiring. one that II probably even more important than the kind where you invent a whole wxld.~~

But&: It deals with my lamily hisroty in that my father was a Butala: You might be intew.ted to koow I wasin Saskatoon French Canadian and my mother wait and wnh some of the ~cenrl~andrmeofrbemainpurpwesofrhevisit~tohavea memories ofgmwing up a Fret&Canadian kid who didnt speak reuoionwitbhim&.rall theseyears. Wehad thiiencoumerthar Fnmch. and 3s a Catholic kid with a mother whodidnt believe in most people only dream of having. Catholicism. and a farher who had no way &epmting Grholicism In,m his blood BlC:Propledreamof~ U.&tier!

Butala: Whenyou believe there has been an injustice, you dream ofrhedaywhenyou mightredrerrit losome wqor whereyou ~radwcero~allcherhingrywdidntgertoJa)rorhearall But& That was diRerenr. ‘Persephone Grows Up. ..I’ would nor rhethingsyoudidntptmhear,tosortitour.romake~nseofiL have come out of Upstream, becow Upsmom is the hod of thing and that’s \vhat happened. tbar every writer dces. Fever is nor what every wirer does, or what every wrier swears they dent do - and l’m saymg I do. The only thingthat cents fora writerofficaam ~ro.waywmethingabout how the world is, and to sy it in such n way that other people ret- ognize themselves and ray, I’m nor alone. The only way is m be I purely and completely authentic. It5 much ha&r ro dn that than to invent a u&d and people it with characrel~ char you’ve never BiC:Tkcwrhnrkne&tom& met. I know this is an argument rhstk never going to be remlved in the literary wrld. There were rimes writing some of the stories Bum&a: Yes. But 1 think he has read “Justice.!’It wouldnt matter in Fever when I felt as if I was just a timnel fix the Great Creative eitherway. hose I cant koow how be interpreu anything he Flow whatever that is, and that it was justgoing through me into reads. I cantkoow howhe remembers. Even my older sister,I said the typewriter. And those are the things. ofcourre, fur which I am aomerhingmheroncdayabouroneofthesmr*5beingmy accused ofbeing merely autobiographical. interpretationofwhat happened, and she &red up a me and told me thatwamt what happened. She had a completely dill&or ve~~kx~Tha&oneofthetbllthatl’m learningaboutpeople: theyklvxdiitentthllthanllulow. But& Some kinds ofFarmer. I& been said rhar no area in North America, and perhaps on the fice ofrhe earth. has been so radically altered as southern Saskatchewan. You can drive br miles and not find a blade of-or a wee thatsomebrdydidnt planr. I am able, because we have stretches of land that nobcdy~ touched Bowbx: Most -en have to be acute readers of other people. It’s except to graze cattle and horses to Imagine how it mwt once thatwholerealm ofoosmxtured power dmt wmen have: rhi is have been. howrheygeti~bybeinggoodreaderalwouldnt~yi~sanysorr of& I& jlut what you have to lam. Now. seine people are B whole lot better at it rhan others, and writers barer be damn goud at it. My kii ofwrites anyway. And I know men who are really Butala: West magazine, which used m be dismbuted wth the good at it. 1 mean, they scare me. Rudy Wiebe. for insrance. C;lobrondMoilourdVancouver,called me upa coupleoiyearr ago. They said it ws abour time somebody who acwally lived on the land wrote about it. tather than hiring wmeone from the bii city to go out and do II. So they got this conmwersial and unex- pected essay out of me. which got fwr magazine-award nomina- Butala: ‘TasephoneGmwsU~Sh&eshesOffMen,Goes intoSelF tions. In it, I say that the whole F’alliir Triangleshould never Analyxbaod Becomesa Writer!’Itkstlllsitting on my desk. When have been ploughed up and it’s time to give ir up now. Few waspublished, eveqbudy thought it ws autobiography, and Ibeganmptthesensethar.inpeop~sminds,rowrirraurobiog- Bphyisrobeaninfuiorlrindofwrirer.Iwanredtodefendirasa The Social Conscience of Alberta Howard Leeson In the sodety and politics of Alberta, Grant Notley stood out. Dedicated to the creation of the NDP but educated in the CCF, Grant Notley was one of the living links between social democracy and prairie populism. $24.95 doth; O-88844-244-X

~~The University of Alberta Press 141 Athabasca Hall, Edmonton, Alberta TM3 2E8 FAXw3) 45%07l9~~

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~~by MARGARETSWEATMAN~~

Glistening sheers oiwarm rain, the green night silvered by ribbons uf rain down Wind Boulevard. the first summer shower strung upon rhe radial sound-box ofpolished wood, n rhe downpour a glissando over the suund-posr ofsteel, a spiral w NTIWT JUNEnight the rain finally broke the drought, staircase descending from rhr hedmom loh IO the open fir+ Sank housewas devoted m homesick violins and a gape1 place. Immense glared windows lo&d out on the hedge that choir. Rain blended magicallywith percursive horns. the slide disguiserl thedike upon which Sam’s howr was huilr. In the and shine ofthe snare, the warm waltr rhythms of a double winter, you could see the river through the wilknvs. But the bass, and the smoodwhmated longing, huarse ar its edges, the nighr Sam and Angela crlehrared their 15rh wedding anniver- pmlqed v&s OfRay charles. ’ sary, the river was wiled hy rhruhhery, and the wxld was a . . .- .._._-- - - _..- _--__-_ ~_--.--_~ .----...-

glass bubble you could tip over and (IUXSwould tumble and Ray Charles and a bit ofchampagne and Sam’s white tuxedo and Angela’s pearl-sequined dress and the shiver of rain across the tiles spilled splinters of pleasure over Angela’J shoulders while theydanced. Angela leaned into Sam’s throat to feel the vibrations of his voice. They saaay, Ruby you’re like a dreamme. sang Ray E HADEXACZERATED p&e. His farher had lelr him with lir- Charles, and Sam said, they say, like a dremn. They saany, tie. other rhan elabaately graceful mannerisms and a rapacious R&J you’re like a rongge, You just don’t know right from sense ofselfimportance. He knew that. He malulated the physical expressions and cultivated the psyche logical. He had dexterity. He entered the interview roan like Fred Astain: on his way to meer Cyd . . .perhaps a piece of glass had cut her when she Charisse. He swung ha anos in careful szrni-cwcles. toes @nted OUTstmlling and ram her hands over thejbor seeking the candle, a soMy, he whistled under his breath. He pulled hi pant legs up a little above rhe pnatch. shs lit many candles au over the house, knees and was sated, his hands folded before him on the table, when Angela allived. cxyimgloudly, a bleating, an animal noise She was no her, that much was obvious. There was much that was obvious about An& Judging from the size of her. she would be a woman who likes ice wongge. And Sam said, righrfmm wrong, hemmhes forme. cream. When Patrick greeted Angela he was &inking about pis Theywere home from an extravagantly dull party. Angela rachio, about cherry burgundy. When he tae to offer her hi slen- had soaked her hands with the broth that ran from the pink der hand (she enveloped F’atrickb hand. a sculptor greeting a shells of boiled shrimp. Her tongue, she could feel it, white young pianist) he was remembering Italian ice. He studied with the salt of caviar. And tortes, and those little Angel& pimewxoloured hair (it was rhe fluorescent light, SUP meringues, blue cheese with grapes and the last sweet wine. pressed the tawny) and he recalled rhe old wman whosold him Sam smoothed Angel& sequined dws up, up over her geti, hersleek black hair. her diamond-shaped face whenshe wide hips, he cupped her breasts in each hand, Angela’s smiled and stood on her toes to reach over rhe glaJr counter. breasts larger than hi hand, he slipped the strap over her Angela threw her briefaxe on the table and removed her Nit shoulders and slid the ripper down to the dimpled place in jacket. Whew! Arent you dying?' She uore a sleeveless white her bmsd back. with a certain force Sam pulled the dress shin, it revealed herama round and freckled. Parrick followed over her breasts and her white soft belly to the red hair on rhe heckles on Angela’s anos like a travellet in a field of poppies, pudenda on thiibs to her feet which were bare when they his eyes suddenly aching to slm the dream of rhe ice-cream danced. The skin, moist with summer heat, freckled on her woman dweatening to overwhelm him. He focused on her eyes, chest and her round forearms. When she was naked Sam green. FM no particular reason, F’auick choked. a spitting choke broke the waltz and he held Angela close, and he was only that stung hi dxoar. slightly taller but mote in his black shoes and more by ‘*Areyou OK?’she asked. holding her tightly between his legs. Angela with her dim- “Sure. rm line! pled knees bending betweenSam’s long lean legs. and he “That5 really weird:'she said quietly. looked down into her eyes. and taking a handful of Angela’s ‘Whar’s that! Pardon me? red hair he pulled her head back and took her throat “Oh, nothing. it’sjust:’ she waved her marble ams, “I wonder if between his teeth and then he said, “How about something I makepeople allergic. I mean. my h&and sneezes all the time! to eat, Angel.” As Ray Charles and his strings, his piano, his Again, F’atrick fought to keep his eyes from mlling back in his horns, his bass, his subtle harp diminished, as the gospel head. Tosleep. tosleep. She v.a noddingat the cop in the otxr- choir shifted from major to minor, She’s but a dream. as Sam vation window. “They treating you OK?” with a knowing look released Angela to go up to his room. ‘4 guess xl: he told her, “I’m getting out of this monkey suit,” climbing “Have you made a statement ?”When he looked wxried. she the spindled stairs. She stood n&d. her white dress in her made lilrle reindeer antlersbetween haeyer. hands, her red hair fallen, in the quiver of light from melr- “I dent know. 1guess so. I told them what happened sort of ing candles on a glass table. in a trance from which Sam They caught me red-handed” He laughed. and hi laughter was v&e her when he leaned over the railing to say, “Angie. charming, boyish and affable. “l’ve always warred to say that. Red- Food. Before 1 die.” handed!’

-.-- _ .,: _ _---..i ...__..~ -. --.-- - July Nights and tither St&s J. A. Hamilton She lookedb&d, blew aura breath. Patrick nodded sliitl~ ldenti@ng the smell &namschino. wow wukl you not, bkG Yhese are die-hard stories full of perilous honesty.... They tell the !awwr’she asked. truth ewn when it’s as surprising “Well, Iwalked inthe&ontdoor, iftharb what you mean. It as graffiti-tender-heated and was open!’When Angela appeared to be disappointed, Parrick furious and right off the wall.” lookedfnrsomethingtogiveher. Hesaidptientl~as ifhewre -tMa spaldlng, au,har 01 mucholderthanshc\‘~~~~undering whethertherewas Da”~Mels ol CaPwI cc4 fotethought.There wasntr %re you a wdentr ‘SelCraugh~“-rhesmile. Healing We Dead D. E Bailey “Healing lhe Dmd is one of those ‘Seenhet?Youwatchedherr’ extraordinary novels that grabs you ‘%h. Sat ofI’m nor a pervert Ms Whetherly. I’dgo down in its fists...squezs every dmp of thebecklanemgetmrhebusrropandshe’dbeinhergarden. emotion out of you and finally She planted a lotofflmws backthere. It wasreally beautiful:’ leaves you...astounded once again “%ick,dldyougotoherhousetosteal?’ at the world’s inexplicable wonder ‘NQ no. I didn’t need any&i The ~opd think 1 w-a there to and folly.” stealTheyhavenoimaglnation!’ “Well, it5 mwgh when you werr pingthrough ha things like thad’ ~wa+stlookii’ “Didyouknowshewaohmne?’ He wassuddenly lookiiatthe palms ofhis hands, reading the l&s.‘1 did and IdidtWHedrew this~her, turning his hands ‘Wnick, what did you do when she tbund you?” car, comme dcomme (p “If I’d known she was home, I waukl’ve Veil, she came dowtwain. It uras actually all right at Am. I had to have a plan,you see?And 1 !mow I did& haveone. a plan. heard her!’ He looked up at the ceiling. which was Plexiglas. His I jurtwent in!’ shoulders upped right and IefLAngela wtched his small muscled Angela was listening and watchii him, interested, so he con- shoulders move beneath his colron shi& the sleeve so carefully tlnuEd. ironed. His right hand pointed up. “She came walking down the ‘Iremember waswalkiiby, and I looked in through the front stairs. getting biir all the time!’ ~ltwashorandsunnymitwdshardtooseemuchbecause “She came into view.” Gftheueesonthewindo\\r” “Her t&t and then her knees and tkn her whole I& Patrick ‘%tionme? smiled pleasantly ‘7he whole shebang” ‘Like the nws on the window” “Washe frightened!” ‘Oh.-& r&ction” “Her eyes were open mry wide. Oh, and I remember her throat Paulckdldnt seem m hex made a sound. You know the noise a cat makes before it’s going to be rick?’

rheplacavslla mess.There were clothes all over the place. Hangingmthedwm,and inthediii~momarea, you know, whereafamilywxddsitdmvnand eat!‘F%uickshcwed Angela howthefamilywould &drawing boxeswith his hands. “Shiny sllvermaterlal. On the table, you see I remember thinking that shemustbemakingaHalloweenroscume,aroborcosrumeora rmlhro”lvo”ewhoklfisllkluher. ballerina lfit was fora Ii&girl. Why shewould be making a He was lying in the dark. Sam was. Angela would see him by Hallor~~cosnrmeinJuneiranybodysguess.~TheRwaJa the light of his cigarette when she unlocked the front door. The sewing ma&i right there where the family would ear. She was thick wedge from the streetlight showed her as a blue improba- sewingsomethii Obviiusly” hle figure, her briefcase under her arm, its brass finings cutting meant ID hear. “What’s that?’ He was p~bte. “Nothing. I cad see.that’s all.“Angela r~ghed.“l’m tired, Sam. IX we have to play games tonight: Sam ~3s soddenly running downsram. Angela said, “hi all / ” I contlnuelo lookforwd to eauh issue of the magazine. Keep up right, Sam, I can finJ a flashlight.” But Sam was in the kitchen , tbegoodwork” CL., Halilax, NS rummaging through a drawer. ‘Got it? The heam blindell ...... _...... _...... _...... Angela. and once again. Sam’s location was the only thing she / n Always excellent.” J.V.,Watarloo, ON knew in the dark. “Turn it off,Sam. Please:’She walked blindly I reward him. She tripped over the edge of somethmg sharp, it I ” ltisa good read,yourmagadne,and I have carefully noted all the cut her shin. Angela touched the cut.“Flease. honey. Hem, recent Improvements, addltlonal reviews, mom ravieiva per look. I’ll hnJ rhc cnndlcr!’ I lssua You’re doing a fine job.” D.F., Victoria, BC Then, ahruprlb it war entirely dark._4ngela stood roll. The ...... _M._...._...... _..... ,...... _...... streetlight through the window revealed its ashen light. The ” Thankyou,Eooksin~~~formanyenjayble hoursof good absence of walls, the sporadic arrangement of furniue in the reading.” SC., Regina, SK vaulted house. Angela laughing nervously. ‘Watch your step” saJ Sam. ” Awodhy enterprise” A.W., London, UK With her arms waving, Angela felt her way to an Oriental table. She opened itsdrawer to” fistand it fell at her feet. The sound “iher cherished “hjects rolhng, the round of heavy sil- Ifyoumoateabook-love&why not tmat yourself ver, gold rings, and a crystal globe with the stars cut into it, mayearofB&inGz&z?Wki&rmative, rolling and breaking. fine splinters of crysral at Angela’s feet. wekenoereaining,andwekinecpensi~--only She was crying then. perhaps a piece of glass had cut her when she ran her hands over the floor seeking the candle, a $19.21 braone-yeat sulxcription! match. She lit many candles all over the house, crying loudlb a bleating, an animal wisp. She cupped the flame with her cut hand, steppeJ “MI the fractured glass to the liquor cabinet. poured a brandy, hesitated, poured one for Sam. At the end of hetwist. She nearly dropped it in rhe tiled vestibule. and Sam the horsahor couch. Angela dropped off her shoes and curled pictored the cracked rile and heard the dry clicking sounds ad up holding her drink in her lap. She cried loudly, in the inri- herentry draw hershadow misshapen by the enJ of the tile macy ofa marriage, to lose face, I” crumple, to be impersonal. and the beginning of the thick tug, felt her invade the house. Sam helped her bandage her hand. He removed her stained cott”+e, wind on blue veins in marble. suit jacket. He reached under and pulled hersmckingsover the She w looking up to the bedroom lolr. looking right ar cut on her leg. He covered her with a cotton sheet from rhe him. Sam dragged on his c@rette so she could make out his bed. All the white candles were horning. Angela had drunk a face. lot ofbmnd~ and she dozed with the thick contentment that “.%“I?’ comes afrer such weeping. “Yes, honey? “And now, Angel, tell me abuur your day” -Why aren’t there any liits on?” “Today! You were there. That was nice of you to come over, “Did you gr him ol??” Sam.” She was warchmg the uneven flames, many liquid flames ‘who!” on the shining table. ‘Why Jid you?” she asked then. man. Did you aer him ol?? “I like to watch you. babe. At work.” “Yeah. I wh. What’s rhe matter with the lights in this “I didnk know you were there.” placer’ Angela was trying the switch by the “pen front door. “‘Youdon’t abvays know where I am. do you? “The power is OR: She kwked at him then. Her face was swollen and moist. her Angela looked out to the sueet. ‘But it’s nor out anywhere impossible hair orange in the strange light. “Is that the first else!! time you’ve done thatF’she askeJ. ‘$m at out house 1 guess, Angel. Why don’t you come here:’ “Done whar. Angel?’ Angela closed the door. She stood still, thrusting her eyes “Watched me. When I dldo’t know you were there.” into the dark. She put her hand to her eyes like someone “Does a tree fall in the forest? You’retired!’ squinting into the sun. Sam laughed. ‘What are you doing, dar- “It’s we of you to come and see me in coun. Sam. Only I’d ling?’ rather know if youtr there.” She laughed too, b&led. “How can you see anything! why Sam kirred her and covered her pale shoulrler with the didn’tyouliitacandle? sheet. “Next time. I’ll be rhr one with the hanl on in the last ‘1 thought yo”U like it. Don’t you find it romantic?’ row.? “Bloody weird:’she said so quietly Sam wondered If he was An& IauyheJ anJ she fitteJ herjelfagnmsr him.

~~-----7. .__ .----~~

“Euyou still haven’t told nw” said Sam. She tutned and studied his I&. Tokl you rhar. Sam?” Didyou-gethim-of?7 “Rwick!” “Oh! His name is Wttick, is it!Is it Pat or Patrick?’ Yeah. I dll tell you, Sam. 1 said it when I first came home!’ “Oh yes, I fotgot. Well. Tell me all!’ “It wasn’t a big deal. He got a suspended sentence. Poor kid needssome help!’ “He’s hardly a kid. He’s a grown man. And he’s very nice Lookin&’ Treaty issues facing Indian people in Canada today are explored in this no-nonsense. straightforward book. 1 didnk really notIce.He5 a stnarr kid, though. Rotten life!’ Legacy examines the history and development of we noticed you! issues such aa self-government. land claims, she laughed, pleased. %o on!’ sovereignty, and the Constilution. A must-read for “Hedid~Samsald. “Isawhim. I’vegoteyes, I have!’ anyone who follows current government. Indian or Constitutional issues. 0 Hardcover 0 Full wlour throughout 016Opp. 0 $26.95 (+G.S.T.)

~~-irasoo IFREE: a -800-661-5967 (403) 451-0871 Fax: (403) 455-1388~~

EFCKITRESEO~ the top stair, its shape is visible thtoogh the thin shoea. which ate damp from rain. Most of the weight tests on the lefr foot so that the body leans to the let?, which explains the -ity of the hand, its palm flat against the diminutive yellow rodes in the walltwer. Only sink beside the toilet. One hand clutches the drain pipe. close to the rag and cleanser. The other hand is hidden beneath her, to resemble a man’s hand. It is ditty, and the marks it makes as it would be between her thighs. She lies on her stomach, her it moves down the stairs would be simply a handprint. a face turned to the bathroom wall where the sink and toilet leak shadow on the yellow wall. from under these&and caulk@ Her hack and buttocks are The blue carpet nmsevetywh~ into the bedroom. The lxx- white as thin milk. You see the small undulations ofher ribs. tomcomerofthedishevejed bed ls inatomn litbyflickering The blood blooms like a riotous garden, bigger than roses veinsofliiht&omrhetcteenXhete wuld be thersspofatele- would gmw here. hot and exotic fists of blood. You must vlsllh The bed is empty. The open &et door teveals many remember evetything. The wrinkles in the rubber plug hung dtesses, printed dtesw, and silk blouses that fall tiom the horn a chain. The bath-mat was beige, sown with her wounds. bsnger,mwsofhetshoeseatefi~lIyarnnged, high heeIs,mnning Downstairs. there is mote light. Stairways are regular and shoes, slippers, and &om a hook on the door her nightgown. a easily memotired. In her desk B silver leuer-opener. a wooden blue mbe witha painted but&y. The vanity is yellowed and if box with stamps and s pearl earring, the letters she kept, their you cleaned it, the cloth wnukl show the ochte stain of nicotine. voicesdried. twig-lettersscrawled. Erapes hanging near the In its drawers there are slips and lace camisoles, a quilted silk bag couch nearly hide the photograph. There ISalways an old pho- wntainingstockinga, bms, white, red, black, elastic bands fur tograph. They love themselves that way. over the years and her breasts. There are several pairs ofpanties with a narmw generations. It is the same with the ornate gold-framed mirror crotch that would fit small and high, they w&d rub her, maybe above the false fireplace. Beside rhe tkeplace. a bookcssr with cut insii her a lit&, she would feel thaL glass doors that opens with s skeleton key The udy kitchen In the second drawer. the one that holds her sweaters neatly that must meet the needs &one. The inherited dinmg-mom folded, a lacquered box with mother-of-pearl. and when you table is burdened with 3 typewriter. files, on a crocheted cloth. open ittbereare thelast tin-xylophonenotesofasongyou Old linen in the chest under the window and a hux with velvet would ternember. The box when ir’sheld to the light is full of lining containing bone-handled knives. The hands learn every jewellety. L.oosely the fingers admire a tuby brooch with dia- fold. The windows with half-curtains. lace, riom brass rods. monds, ot cut-glass, and a string of jet. But then he is at the dour. Remember the cat that passes. la wheels rip open the rain- water at the side of the narrow toad. The hand paints fresh pstt- temson the faded paper. She is in the bathroom, under the ~__ -I --.- .._. .---

~~-1-I --~~

~~I When you’re writing humour, says Fred Stenson, you can bY KENNETH rarely go wrong with the misfit McGOOGAN !~~

ha5thGughtalor about humour. Hir nw published nov- &,LonwnvHRO (Macmillan. 1974) andkwOneHome (Newer. 1988). are coll&on,dm&lgqauthorknmdhim- lacedwithit--espy : .- !?-’ - mlflishngmanotherwite&tallrale cially rhe fomler, I , abx~a300-polmdNmthAmericsn whichwonasilver *i”... .- ,- Nati~ewhop~thebesrofacoupleof medal6Olllthe :~. . “/ I.‘. whitemen-burcmly&e&comiithe Canadii Authors ~ . . Association. And \roarkindofstereaype.eorvpe. I. - Judgin&mthekughte~marrdthe one ofhi ouo non-

audiiofabaut90enjcyedtheyam.Bur ficrion books, an 06% i” Sfnson-wholiwswithaM&wmman cialhismofrhe u _:. -6xmdhimsejfsquirm~Acoupleof canadiigar-pro- yarsbefore,whilercqhiicixawxkshq CeGlginduuy mesemation,he’dremondedmhiiown called ww 10 wholdi, prompted a reviewer m otxerve that’the~ detached mne &he dust-jacket blurb is lrrpupinriderhe book:’ diithe.\\orld”faliui”nuntiIk conrpritiin, and was larerpublii by nip to Bar& (fim0ossinc.e the I&l \ws l~.~~~really miffed:hesays.rfelar Macmillan. Rebellion). vivid wocatiom of the land- ifawholewddhad bemdelibemtelycon- ‘4g”talm”Fstmkesforthatbo”~ gapeoFsouthemAlberta,andanabn”st ceakdfmmme-arif&sgreatseaethad Stensonsays. W&Z&! silver medal. An myth& I%& in which Gabriel tacitly been!+” Albercaachiwemen tavard.But&that acknowledgadx importarceofhis her- Stenwneedthefarmln1969t”altend irwa5toughsledding. lsincerelybelieved itage. theIJniversir+fCalgaryHalfwythmugh that writing a now.1 a year would be my life. Meanwhile, tack in 1976, Stcnwn lelr hisdqweineconom lo+.collsidered I had rhatsucasssoearly rituasdoubly rhekumandspentdrcemonrhsin swit&iito historyorphiihp’l never hardroleamdrecrafr.Som&iperverse M4co.WlxnheremmedtoAltata,he intendedmbean aaollota”~ he com- inmeltept insiitingdxu I already knew dx landeda jobwirhasmallfilmcotnpany in ments.%tdznlreaIiidlat&nging a&” Ba&“lgoracoupleofdocumenmryflm nmddmeansmyingatwheryeawmdI In an eadler intervlw Stenxm wkl me ~iaandrhat”pcneddrcdoorR,orher thou&t,FoPgetit!lwntedtog”t” that’The raw mrrh isthar (wirhI_ones”me lirelancin$’ Europe’ Hem)I’dsaid jw.taboureve&nglhadto Stamn now bar toughly 1COcredii in lutb&xehel&indu.fall”fl97Z say at that point-and rhen me!’ Still, what he calls “rhe gw.at invisible world” of themid-X%bmughrdwirvictories For documentary filmsand videos.“Indwrials. rhree consecutive years, Steman was run- educaionals. child& drama - you name ner-upintheMisLhsh”rt-fiction it!’ His titles include ucbrkipscaubor: In contest. Helaughsabout itnow”‘lnewr ScmCh”faCavboySongwiJhl~~~ won it!” Lambaqx (xvmhal6hcurfilmson In 1975,Stemon’stierdiedam4F~ Alberta),andC~minallunti(moba~ mnrhelamilyf&mfora hourvideosontheGmadiancrimin&jw year. l-hii retun-l,lrans- ticesystem).HisnorkhaswnawardsIium foyowes_~~in the Albxta Motion Picture Indusuy andat rhe YoT(LmnFilm Festival. GneHomeThcbcolil Videoworkaodnon&tion-hiiotha ~WXUlavoungMeti bookisapuidetitledRcclqMounmin named Gabriel, a would Hour+havekeptb”n~etable lx engineer who return3 while, in sundry magaz- Stenson ha torhefamilyfarmfmm publirhed about twodozen shortstories Calgaryafterhiitier sevaalofwhichhwebgnantholcgized. In &ahewatta& 1980.hii story’!4dene,” which appeared in Swnhefindrhimself Sam&yNight,wonhimanatiational dealing nor only wirh an Author’s Award I%?best magazine shon fic- e&verandan”kikiend tion. whohasbemmean F”Ury&%3L3~r,StenrrmwaS”lWodthrre enemy, but with mixed Allxrta writers learured in du anthology leelingr about his farher Three Tma Fiw (NeWed AC&q and his heritage. Hem/dreviwrema&donhisanecd”ml Sh0rtlyafterthen”vel styl~andondw.wayhe6amamedsDoriesina appeared, stenson told casual, convawional fashion. Italso drew merhatithadthreemain attention to.Srrnsorb fast wit, hiiearfor sources.Yearsbzforeh repanec and hi eye forcukual foible. anempted a novel about Thewgihsaremuchinevidencein a father-son Feud-“and Stens”n!5lansrbcali.Ulbrkingw~a d-at idea stayedwirh me? L4w.gf7mdLItksacollecrionofstorlcsa~t Second,havinggmwnup contemporq menfaciincwchailcngEs onaFarm,he’dlongbeen -infertilitycliiics!pm-natalclarser?- interest4 in “dw demo- with frequently hilarious roxks. gmphicsoflar fimilies: Griginall~srenronp~totitea 1Finally, a clw Metis seriesofstorie.sk35ed on pcoplekoccu~ friend from Pincher tions.E3uthewrote0neab”urlm0tsteni- m&dithometobetypedandsubmitted. Creek was “completely indi&.renr” to hi cian “and dut opened rhe door into this LXl?5Kl#iWH~,WhLW~~MtralcharacDr, ancestral heritage- and Stemon found wholeothercycle:‘Herewe6ndstories TvLxk, ismuted&HokIenCld rhisl&nating. about ‘tame merl’ havii newly common downonthe6nn?wsatinaliii”the The novelk hiilighm include a madcap uperiences like taking care ofa baby --

‘YUorofthesesituatiorohavelxndeak ‘They have johi, wives, and kids, and rhey The title ‘T&h’ comes riom Burns’s main withhy\rrrmen3entoldme,“but spend their weekends taking care of the difference l&m the other players. He still Evmamalepointofvie\*;theyhavm~bem yard.Then,somethinghappensrothmw has all his teeth. It has to mean &at Bums dwltwithatall!‘Notifyoudon&unt them into rhe position of the outsider? stays away lium every&ing that is rough moviesswhaslImxMmmldaBaby, In”‘Bill’s SpermCount: the pmtagonist and rumble about h&e% which is pmcti- whichS~caUs%vial-asetiof dkcovers that hek incapable ofgiving a tally everythingabout thegame.” ObViOUSj0k.S: spemu~mpleatadocror’soffice. In Thestories in UGbrkingWilhmaa La& Sot is this bookanti-feminiit?Srenson “Blueballs rhe Pirate” a man named Jim, Tuck, S- says, ‘he just anorher way of reactrStXTlgl~%~~~ti~.All whoha5hadavasectomy,iwxhc&dby playing wirh this idea of&e misfit. You rhrm&&uresarepeoplewhowentalcag thepainfulconsequencesrhar heisoans- start out with a character who is conven- withthechangesofthepcoupleof formed into hiiekeregn Jack, an implaca- tional in every way-a comfortable decades, and who accepted the &ii= ble enemy of his own convenrional rubur- insider. Then you create a situation char andrighmessoffeministarguments7hey banlife. violently thrum this person horn the havediscovered, however, that theoretical Stenson himself said goodbye to subur- inside to the outside. Suddenly the world andmomlargumeooraRone.thing,and bia in 1989,&ersplittingwith his wifeof aplodes. Parr ofwhat will be funny is that &ngiog the way they live another: 10years: “Wehadadive.~nce-acolar- rhe character has no skills whaowver for ‘Ihereareallkindsofliigngeringpememr sal divergence!’Now divorced, Stetson dealing with rhe problem ofsuddenly thatnewxgoaw$ lives in B toplloorflat in a funky Calgay being a misfit:’ SollleUlEl&Itangryall&Ughhroughrhe neighbourhad that kcasts more than its Stenson recendy completed a three- femlnll~&?s,Stenwnays,“butIneverdid. shareofwirers.On Wednesdayevenings month stint as writer-in-residence at Ithought,\ime&dmehasarrivedand dleyofrengatheratanearbybar. Calgaryb Mount Royal College. He has goodfcuthem.Th~wsalsoasensedut Sumson appears to lx endlessly prolific. a~jilrrrfinirhededitingabookcalledA rheIl&.~~inR~Gth%M-k He recently completed a collectionof Place ofMany L4%w,which celebrates the veryimportantintheschemeofthii. But humomusstoriesrhatkxusonaneccen- ethnic diversityof Alberta. ‘Thii is still \ve’reh&thehumao~andthiscaot tric hcckey player named Doug Bums. The viewed as a white European provinc<’ la%We~goingtoseea~ofmale fim ofdxsc “Teeth,” he wrote in the early Stenson ootes. “The fact iwince the early !wltlng.Iseethepotenlial~aliteomlre ‘a. Since then, it has appeared in five dif- 19705,mat immigmnm have come from thatisbeyondomfmnmtion!’ &em publications: ‘I& easily rhe ~MI Asia, Africa, and So& America. I wanted Thatsaid,Stensondoesdrawarough pop&thing I everwrotd to makerhediversivofrhe populationevi- diitinctionb-maleandfemak stelwn wrote a second Doug Bums dent.” homow.Thebrma, hesays, isokenrisqu6 atwand irwarsnapped up branandml- Stemon ha yet another novel making andsexuallybared,andusoallyTocusesona o&and thenathird (which eliciteda the rout&% pretty experimentalpiece? maLecuttingloae&omsletytolivedan- signed rejection from a senior edimr at the about three wrirers two men and a woman. gem& irresponsibly outside the mnven- Adrmricasking toseemore). ‘I wrote the that is set in Calgary and takes place in a tlons. He cites the lictionofJ. R Donleavy, rest of&c stories at speed Iart fall-wit- single day. And he ha been workingspo oneofhisau-tim&Klwi~titels. ing at just an absurd clip!’ radically~~ranorherbook,ahistorical Pemalehumour, on rhe other hand, is The ho&y player Doug Burns is an nwelxt in the 184Osandfocusingonh ‘tnote.~cho~l,mare~hl~-and example ofwhat Stenson calls ‘the misfit! lilr trade: “Irk very bii very diicuk I do& herehementionsATkE&Lde When yo& miring humour, hesays. “you expect it to be rhe next thing I finish? %mmwndthewrkofEWdson:a canmrelygowmngwithrhemi&r- Chancesare,thatnextthingwillbe &malecharaaer&u3&zselfmkedincon- someone ilLsuited to dx life situation he or humomu5. ‘Litely, l%e been mking humour ventlon,andhomowar&outofhumiIi- she is in!’ Wth Bums, “I took all the stan- more seriously stenson Lays.“Ik redismv- atingoremharraiicimsmnc es.The dads ky which hockey players are praised, ered rhe paver ofiL People have trouble heroine is often the in&aual victim of and I invented a character in whom all of seeingthe funnyside. But ifyoutake rhe hiiand bmssierpeopl~ Stensonsays, these traits were inverted. a&l thii dlat happen to you and show autthe&hlsgreat sarraun happening in “So, hockey players are whar!Tough. they can be looked at humorously-that the mind.” hard-vmrking, selfless teamplayers. win- takesa lot&veighto~Tpeople. Thlsdis~nonvithsrandiig, ning means everything to them, they love “I’ve alsocome to the conclusion, &era StephenLeam&“hadafemalesenseof hodin, fans br whom they see themselves long, long period, that humour is probably homou$Stemonot6~whiithe asworkin& they& not&aiiofafighr,dwy what I dobest. Ir?spmbablytheonearea io homowofWO.Mitchell-anodwpm- come to the defence ofsmaller playenon which I can claim aceruin uniqueness. t&odin8uence-isdecidedlymale. the team. they love hockey more than lii. My seriousfiction has ken okay. But I Stenscnsitwxeshim5elfsquarelyin~e “so whom did I create! Burns is a tal- dent rhink it can lay quite the same claim frmall2UIlp.ThesroriesillWod@ ented hockey player. a high dralt-piclt. and to being unique. I’m not giving up on the WiIhoutaLn&Tmckueat?nenliving dw highest-scoring forward on a terrible serious& But I find it moredifficult to blirhelyrvi~conwnrion:‘hesays. team. He hates hakey but likes money do. Humcur comes easily to me?0

. ___.- .. . .-.-.-iw.7*_..3w If those who want to impose politicalcorrectness on English don’t watch out, they’ll be stereotyped as ‘intellectmdly chaL!mged*

~~byWAYNE IONE~~

gresaive as people should k m reality. The e&t is bamd m hil, however, hecame lzmguage terads to follow instead of led. It can never k 6.3mzdto k any more enlightetv3.i than its speak13 are. The political correction of Engliih tends to produce temn that arecumhmomeand farremoved linmnomul wage, tem~~thatare ridiculously vague and inappropriate, temu that seem like self- dies. I am notsureanymore whetkrwnimL’ych&mged irmeatxm kareriousalnmative(orshon,“r~herher it hsomethingdevkd by people tryitq tosatirize the whole procw. In any uvx. thii aampleilluroa~.i~~d~icrhcgcelisroeliminaredis- crimination; the result is language that is euphemistic and ccmde- scending.Theideakhinddesignaring-eonearfodverbl~ lqed is to produce an image ofthat person as tkging through j~lesofmisundersranding~preiudirro~~ingallobsra- cles in his”rherpath,and, fintdl~ endiiup kingootquiteequal m~unchallengorlloUthuthaving~,dammit. No\y that iso&sive. The other interesting thing about political correctness is irs superficiality. In this regard it seems to k typical of the surface- oriented time and culture we live in. Models on TV and in magazines, both men and women. with faces am3 physiques of jawslackning beauty, are set like gods before the rest of us who are more mundanely endowed. I have seen pictures of me& bodies in magazine advertisements that have nearly made me weep as I compared them to my own. Do the models know any thing beyond hair, skin, and muscle care? It does& matter; appearance ISall. Ithinrhir901rdworldrharpolidcaM~merrexbcr.Itba careful, conservative world in which simplkxic. meaningless jagon isofired~apurialsoludon torhewyreal ptublemsofdiirimi- nation. Women, people wirh dirahilitie mcial and ethnic mioori- ties-allc4mtirwe roli~wirhourequali~bucchew~~ iwine that xlcieo/s attitudes can change. dut action cm k initi- amI by simply r&ring to them in a di&rent wy The ida is that at least we all seem to k liberated and nowsexisr and unbiased. What is the solution then! Leave kmgwge alone. It cannot k changed at will and it is IUXthe problem. aquay. Discrimination may k eliminated some day, and only then will we have the correct uwdr necersary tot& toeach other 0 .- ___._. __~~ _.__ _ _~._~_.__ - ._.~_ -.

~~There’s a refreshing absence offiryp o le mics in thefeminism ofthe 1990s~~

~~by ANN DIAMOND~~

~~; :~~

‘.

: : __. ._.~ ~. -..- - axt?Hetemgzn~and tlexibk, not to mention ‘eidetic and pmiarchal notion of the “‘dutonamow ‘individual making open-end&this intenext has acquired wnriderable coherence ‘t>bjective’decisions bawd on ‘abstract’ judgement!’ Calling for a” and sophiication. qualities that may help it surwe the current alternative model hosed on reciprocal autonomy and mimxing, teckl&~.TherPsa co&dence, even in elegance, in much tithe ~epropcae~‘~~TodiDeimage~arabesisfor”newimageJoT wit& &ichwggests nw things the “greenin$0ith women\ Beaus and Wwdom.. .ureful in enabling wme” to accept their movemenr_thelastdecade,andsocierykgn~ingrendency to ovm authoriry” listen to and suppott wmxnk writing. Once you get past her introduction, Yvomx Hodkinsorls Female Parts: Tbe Art nnd Politics ofFemale Playwrights (Black Rose 163 pages, $15.95 paper) isa readable and e.ngmssi”g book examining plays by five Canadian women. She does tend to lace her pnxe with am~-papr words like “inmumental” and InEssays on L.ii writing: From Genre to Ctitical Practice ‘concomirnnq” and stilted acadcmuc rum wild in cumin ST”- (Uniwsi~ofTbmnto Rers 288 pages, $50 cloth. $19.95 paper), tences. such as: “The utopian vision ofthe Canadian wildem- Marlene K&t has assembled a thoughtful. enga.eing, and alto- grips the female imagination ar Merritt links human potential to gtberteadablec&ction ofesaays that brings kminisr and post- the inexhaustible landscape:’ modernist theoty to bear on the multidisciplinary theme of life It5 wwd~ pressingon. however, &awe onceshe relaxesa bit, writing, ussingmodels &II anthropology, histo& and litew crit- Hodki~basnrrprisirrglygoalcritic.Shebrings~~iderable icism. Among the w&s discussed are Gail Scott’s nwel Hevim, insighrandsensitivityto heranalysisofthewtkofMargaret Uly Dani& t&person Hollingmnrdr. Ciiy Cmmn, Antonine Mailler, Aviva Ravel. and accou”tofsxwal ahuse. Dolil. ~J~~lie.lie.Wirhafinely~lancedsenre~~w~moveraplrrl, Margatet Anwods autubio- she unraveb the complex telatiomhips and muted epiphanies that graphical fictio”Cur’l f$e, the underlie much of the miring done by wxnen of&ii generation. joumalsof Marinn Engel and The bmkk thais is a” interesting one: that Gnadian wmen Eliibeth Smart, and Don playwrights are ueating a new dramatic vision based on recuttent Quixote-by Cervantes. nc it themes of wilderness. immigration, and colonialism. Hodkitwm Kathy Acker. analysrr the uprooted, disoriented characters in Hollingswxth!s K&r hasdow an unusually Ewrhing, ahout three Wat brides who move to Lethbre I% job ofcollectingand Hamilton, and Hal&ax with their English-Canadian husbands. arranging these essays. which Since rebellion is unthinkable for these wnme”, Hollingwxth tesults in a complex. yet (ocused telier heavily on understatement and irony. Hcdkinson shows and exttemely accessible how underneath conventional Favdes lie bmke” lives, mushed anthology Despite a wealth of hopes, and psychological oppression. Selfdeception ma& a deep concemszmd approaches. the sense ofcultural emptiness and Ice as too late the women con- various ccmtributions do talk to front a failure they ate still ahaid to name. Saysoneof them. of each othet, mismg and clarify- her husband snd hi bowling league: “It5 been an ingwncepts nmi issues_and enormously.. full life:’ evengenerating excitement and Hodkinsondeservespmisebr herextmotdinarysensitivity to discover+ This is Rminist criri- cultural and regional dil&mces in analysing fiw very diirent cism at its m&r-friendliest_ and plays. She showshow in Aviva Ravels The Tti Lmf which is I h- it iwpires more ofequal about an elderly Jewish immigrant wonran facingdeath.‘~ilder quality. ness” is rmmmuted into the’bewilderment of trying to fit into a Another antholug)r The ioreign. gentile world. The dying womar;S inner s~ggle leads to Annto~ of Gender: Nbmen’s delayed recognition that she was meant to be more than just an Struggle for the Body orthodox, self-sacrificing mother of three daughters. (Carlerun University Pres, 250 Disappointed by what they’ve made dthemselva in this new pagrs, $19.95 ppr). edited by weld of”limitless oppommit$’ and distrustful of “too much edu- Davm H. Currie and Valerie cariod for women. she finally accepts the fact that her youngest Raoul, takesamotepneralsubjecrand uses it araspringtxxrd for daughter will be an artist. a stimulating and diverse collection c&says - proofof the valu- In Re-BeUe et IniidwTbe Bcdy Bil@ml (vcbmmk Press, ablewnnibutionof WomenSSNdies toourin~llectual and cul- 176 page+ $18.95 paper). Suszmne de Lotbiii&4atwcd discuavs twal iilk. methods and nuances offeminist translation. This is a playful, chal- Janice Wdliamsm& exploration ofthe semiotics of the kngingtook.lorwhichde Lotbini&e-Hatwcd hawniaentuv Edmonton Mall is oneofthe mom innovative, playful. and well- s.zpxate,butrelated,rer;o. infrmchatxl En&h: perhapsshe& argued pieces in the collection. I war also particularly struck by little more playful in Engliisliitly more challenging in French. Wi~ie%mm!s exmmely lucid ‘Xnowing ChrselvA as Women: Farhorn kingnetmal. txmdaticm can bea dangerousactivity whiih ptopores a feminist epistemology that wuld replace the Tm.&tors have been persecuted. and even burned at the stake ___._. _.-- ---

for tbeit &re. Morwvet, to be “bilingual” is to live in two dis- One gets the feeling that Mr. and Mrs. Steele have combed the tinct~~~~andmbeglirberweenthedemarulsofboth.All local library forabridged gems of2Odwentury thought, taking womenare essentially bilingual, de Lotbini&reHawxd argues, anything thatcould be twisted out ofcontext to further theirdia- since&eyareforced rouse themasculineEnguafalongwith tribe. One minute Steele quotes Jung in defence of’hatural amoreesotericfemininelangoage, whichshesays isbased on instincts:’ and a few peges later she unknowingly pours scorn on “mimicty, inmnetion. gesto~ cattiege, end position:’ one ofhis centml notiins. that ofthe’feminid’ within every Y3eiles inJid&s"was e term applied to 17th~century French man. It’s the kind of two-conservative demegoguen; that ainu to uenslations char were less than accurate but nonetheless crush the opposition under a bulldozer of bogus “learnin$:’ served the political imperatives of Louis XIV’s court. De Behind the relentless quoting of everyone from Freud to Lotbird& Hawood subverts the phrase in her French title, Solrhenitsyn stands a prescriptive Revivalism with a punitive Re-Belle et fn@&, thus demonstteting the complexity and agenda. humourofher own wordplay. She proposes that ZOtlxentury Ironically, her~luoedefenceoft~dit~n~l femininirystands feminist ttenslators make use of “infidelity” to transform the in sterk cotwest to her own iron-clad rhetoric-which is any culrure of puiarchy. thing but “eidetic and open-ended.“Chapter titles like ~baokconrains~srriltingficrsandrranslationhorror ‘Disillusioned Warnen. Neutered Men:“‘Rempant. Unj&lied storier: e.g.,tbebutcheringofSimonede BeeuvairbTlx!Second Reverse Discrimination:’ and “The Ugly Face ofAndtogyn~ SerbyhetAmericantmnslatoc DeLotbini&e-Harwmd leave little room ford&ate and dixussion. describes early attempts at linguistic innovation by wmen from Her thoughts on @r&feminist “nxonstmction” ere right out HildegardevonBiininthe IZthcenarry toamid47tbcentury ofGood Housekeeping: turn back the clock. reinstete the Golden Frenchptoto-~iistgrcupalled lerpr(cieuru, who invented Age. Erase nil due deluded, deeply unhap~ thinkers, beginning ~nrdsdacribing40kinbofsmile,20kindsofsigh,eightcete- with Mary Wollstonecrafc, John Stuatt Mill, and Mergeret Mead, ~~ofbraut~etc.Shealsogivesexamplesofrrnnslation pm- and wipe away the feminist bile char hes“put up dividing wells jects thet have requited an irmovetiw and/or subversive use of benwen men and women, low and sex, mothers and children.” lengugeonherparr. De Lxxbini~~Hanwxd’s unusual stmd- As ifthe sexes had& been living on dii%xent planets before femi- d~~~kmgmges (she tmnslates in both diiions) ha nism existed. One wonders where Steele, the self-appointed na-consciow oftbe technical problems of”re-titing s&esper.mn and comervative activist, wuld be without her inthefemK&’ arch-enemy, that other. evil Bew Betty Friedan - the Great At times her point ofdeparture can seem clawmphobic, es Seten whom she vilifies almost to the point ofdeilicetion. wv~sheaguessomeofthefinerpoin~dpndergrammar;one I recommend thet you reed this book ifonly to get a taste of its cenimegiienAme&a&miiist beingsliitlyt&ledbyher psychology-and the hatred and hysteria, reminiscent of the detailed prescriptionsforde&i with the silence in French (she cold Wbr, that fuel it. I found it bracing, in a wy, to explore whet recommends hilighting it in boldface). De LotbinBre- paws for thought in the world of Real Women. Steele’s personal Han~od’sid~aresomeFimesthcaeofaradi~l,inspiradrechni- hymn ofpraise to George and Barbara Bush in the preface is meet cien wluxe da)voday srmggles n&e around punctuation, ten- instructive. If thii is the alternative. we apparently have no tencesmtcmre, and the quest for G morjuste. What the boolr lacks choice: forward to androgyny! in bmad scholatship it m&es up for in vewe and imagination. I’d be remiss not to admit, however, that pxts of the book ecu- Still, one needs to pinch oneselfto remember there are other, lesr ally togged at my heenstrings. When Steele abendorc. her tidicu- minutelypolitiedways oflookingatwriring. loos, peodo-intellectual pose and expresses her deepestfears lor Fin& lorscaty latiight teedii, I teammend &tty Steele’s the future of the uwldb children, I’m inclined to listen, ewn sym- TogetberA&(Simon&Piette, 194pagre,$12.95psper), whose pathire - and this is the danger. Who isn’t bewildered by out toneofshrillhypetb-oledmwnsout itssuppaedconcern: the slide towards alienation and social breakdown! When she b~~nobfamilylifeinN”rrhAmcrica’Ihbbthekindof describes cenein well&nown feminist excesses_she also scows a booktharmighrhaveinrpiredBluebeard.Itraptlynamsdaurhor. point or two. But her amezing ruthlessn~ in blaming man-less BenySteele,itamemb~obRealWomenandahequent lectureron women forall rhemiseriesofCreation isnothingshortofabswd ‘$minismandthefimil~‘Hersmilegracesthejackerofrhis”li~ly -and e cautionary reminder of the repressive ldeob That boo~whichpurpomm~r~althoughwhatitdeliwrsisan Wa. irrational,exmmirtcririqueofrheHo~mo-”t. An eerie religious message alsn creep in as Steele discussesher It’snot tbatSte& wboalsn wote The FeministTokeowr, hesnt beliefthat womenshould be limited to reproduction because done her research(well, ectuelly, she admits in her dedication their thoughts ere inherently demonic. Needless to sex thii book tbatherhusbanddoesitforhet)-she just marsh&any factshe may strike a chord with people whoalso think Preston Manning stumblesactosstofirherexmxxdinarily twnmwminded argu will save Canada. ment that allcortentsocialpmblemsere the fault of feminists. %getkrAgain fails both as a diatribe and es kitsch. It raises The&no mention hete ofracism. militarism, environment4 spectra ofsuburban kitchens hrll ofcrcwstitched samplers and poisoning, or econom ic~tession es possibleceusesofrising pi& checkered teblecloths. and asks a whole generation of Lost, violence, widespread mental illney or the myriad other evils for Demented V&men: ‘%ukint you mther live here? whichS~~holdorhewom~movementsolely responsible. Uh. sorry, but the answer isstill ‘ho!’ 0 ___- A_._ -

~~ILit(a)a(i)n ctiu-ic(n~p-ism;~~

~~The postmodern critic would like to take USsomewhere. but is it a.nywhere that we want logo?~~

IFOuR~~ofCanediin literary criticism by four uwmen placenr world confidenr oilinguisric stabdi~, unified identity, hum three d&tent English dep-nts. If this were 1972. it and poliucal. sexual. and literary hierarchies. They seek to would likely be impossible to tind any common ideological deconsrrucr the polaririesrhey find. undermining the notions thread mstring them on. But in 1992 a reader can be assured of of&terminate meaning and unchanging truth. For Susan findii in any book issuing limo en English departmenr a ser of Rudy Dorschr. in Women, Reading. Kmetsch: Telling the shared assumptions about literature and how it should be Difference (WilCid Laurier University Press, 138 pages, $24.95 approached. AU fourofthese books are clearly indebted to clothj.deconstruction and feminismare partners in thegame: postsrructomlist notions oflanguage and identity. While “I prefer:’ she says. “to see the pro~ecr of undermining binary inevitably informed by feminist theory, there books rely much oppositions es necessarily a feminist project.” For Sylvia more heavily on the besc!aown male theorists:Bakhrin. Sdderlind. postmodernist fiction is another willing ally ofpost- Bar&s, Benvenisre, Benjamin, Deleuze, Foucaulr. Lacan. and, structurelist theory, with the postmodern novelist bringing to especial15 D&da. To this list should be added the name of his or her work the same allegedly subversive assumptions Robert Kmetsch. who, es critic, nwelist, poet. and theorist. is about the narure of writing: the postmodern wrk, she writes, very much at the centre of rhe postmodernist and poststruc- “problemarhes the crucial notion of representation” and. like tumlist enterprise in Canada. That so many male and. on the the critic. is?were of its wvn imprisonmenr in language.” bGsisOfrheirwrirings,~~thinlteashould wieldsuch Smaro Kamboureli, in On the Edge of Genre: The influence over &confexed feminist critics is a paradox that Contemporary Canadian Long Poem (University ofToronto some brave soul (not 1) might wish m explore. Press. 244 pages, $45 cloth, 3 I895 paper). finds in the contem- As the mcet&ewere (ifnot the mostself-centred) ofrhe porary long poem the perfect match for a critical theory that four, Sylvia Silderlind, in Margin/Alias: Language and conrinually di.uloses gaps and aporias, the endless displace- Colonizetion in Canadien and Qu&b&ois Fiction (University ments and dislocations that constitute languege: “The long ofTomnto Press, 264 pages, $45 cloth, $lZ995 paper). makes a poem. then, makes iraelffelr through its discontinuiries. its number oftelling observations about contemporary crirical absences, and its deferrals by furegrounding both its writing pm&es. She suggests, for instance, that “criticism may well proces, and our reading act:’ Finally, the novelist and critic reveel more about rhe criticbdcsire than about its presumR( Aritha van Herk. even more suspicious of language than her object.. .‘I Indeed, one of the more obvious elements of con- colleagues, proclaims herself, in In Visible Ink: crypto-fric- temporary criticism is io subordination of author to critic. and tions (NeWat. 218 pages, B 14.95 paper). happiest when free of primary to secondary text. lirrd of being relegated to the mnr- words: “1 long, finally, to escape the page. to escape ink and my gins ofliteremte as mere interpreters, critics have taken centre own implacable literan altogetherY stage with e vengeance, killed off the authors. and replaced As the formal properties of pustmodernst literature - dis- themwith their own circus act, cracking the theoretical whip conrinuiw self-reflexivity linguistic insmbilin, - havecome to keeping the sign&n in play, and clowning behind the mask of be seen as 11sthemes, the critic has become, by necessq a the- subjectivity (for. es S6derlind reminds us-with tongue. I mane crirx. All of these studies are. however sophisticated in must,at least pattially in cheek -‘ho self-respecting critic merhodologq and rerminology, essentially extensions of the wadd any longer lay claim m objectivity”). thematic criticism of the 1970s. And, ofcourse. the thematic Despite the tier the t they are unquestionably in charge of crirlc always finds what she is looking for. the show however, postwucn~ralist critics like to think of In herdixueion ofthe long poem, Sman, Kamboureli IScon- themselves es marginal&d guerrilla fighters, sniping at a cnm- cerned. first ofall. rodefine II. According to Kamboureli. the gnre”defines iDelf by resisting definition!’ In other words, rhe an uneasy mix ofJoy OfCooking libenlism and French nouvrlle kmg poem is a poem that is all about its inability to be carego- ais& The rerms are sa loore char they have no real meaning. tized. If this soundssuange I should add char it would be diicuk She could just as well describe herself simply as a (ulknver of Robert Kroetsch. for her hook largely accepts him on his own terms. following up on KmerschS many useful ruggwions for the clsm, tinsquestkm theirfictive status, rhe drama conkonts irs analysis of hi novels and poems. While rhe taik char Rudy own rhea&&y. Kamboureli never arks rhe obvious questions: Dorscht hawet herxlf- toexamine the possibility ofconsrmcr- howlongisthelongpoem?howpoetic is& longpoem! inga’kminix theory ofsubjecriviv 6om a reading ofKro*xh’s As for the word “conrempora$ Kamboureli says. “if o&s a rexn-sounds inrriguin& rosay the least, rhe distinctive fla~ur frame of cbmnological relativity whme margins are nor care- of feminiim is scan lost in rhe pasrsrnxnmdiir srewpx. gorically determined and that, as a result, can exceed both in a All the conventional techniques ofdeumnrucrion are here forwads and backwards movemenr rhc ever-rcnrarive line char marsh&d w escort Krocrrch’s texts along rhe parade mwc m designates contemporaneity! In other words, “‘contemporary” oblivion. Every character’s name is a potential metaphor, every means whateva she chooses ir to mean. With Humpry Dumpty term can be divided by the use of parentheses into wo or more logiG Kamboureli wrks her way through poems by Kroersch. words pregnanr with additional, frequently conrradicm~, Madau, Mandel, Nichol, Bowring. Cooler and Ondaatje. meanings (the chapter headings of KmecschS novel Alibi are managing to disguise their individuality by focusing on rhe- described as’hlar-na(rra)tive”). every theme has been magi- matic similarities. Of Frrd Wah’s Music at rhe Heart ofThink&, cally anricipawd by Derrida, whose omniscience has never shesays, “Itevades interpretation by making interpretation ifs been more sycophantically celebrared rhan it is here. theme!’ Dennis Ccal~ BroOdyJack is described as “a book No matter how seemingly innocent the rexr. Rudy DorJchr tbatd&nes ie boo!uwss intertextually!‘One might equally wresrles it into submission. Here she commenrs on Kmcrsch’s aff~m chat Garfield is a cat who defines his came= with refer- poem. “Sketches of a Lemon”: ence to other cars. Crushing logic of rhis kind is an important part of the postsmtctumlist mysrer): and Kamboureli is a faith- The word ‘balmon” is nor rhe word ‘&en” hxaure. although ful lnystagogue they share rhe “o” and the “n” and rheir lssr syllables rhyme, SusanRudy Dorschr has thoughdully described her own criri- the salmon has the”& (a pun on”salle”lruuml and rhe calmerho&logyas”anunearymixdW~liberalleminism oven dcesnt. Is the “oved’ not rhe lemon hecause I[ Iloernt andFrrnchposorm~ism:‘~iralrinrodercribingamealar have an “I” and an “m” ewn rhuugh ir doa have the “a” “4 and rhe h”!

She concludes by asking “Who knows?’ followed by Kroersch’s line. “Now we’re getting somewhere.” Well. yes. but is it somewhere rhar any ofusvmuld want rogo! If&e only ImnaDlIw consequence of her critical lighrheadedners were char Rudy Dorscht would nor be the one asked to bring rhe lemonade to the next Universiv ofCalgary English deparunenr picnic, then no one would be rhe worse SadIN however. it is more At Canada Law Book,we publish topical and informative likely thar. confronted by linguistic lemon-squeezing of rhis materialfor the non-specisliir in such areasas: son, undergraduate English srudencs (nor all of whom can he fooled allof the time) will be swirching their majors kaster rhan Cl The environment you can say “computer science:’ R Government and the constitution As a novelisr. Arirha van Herk might have been expected to 0 Employment and human rights eschew academic jargon. But. as a pmmwden~ novelist and professor OfCanadian lirerarure, she wide& feels the need to 0 Firearms and ballistics show &her academic respectability. Thus, rhe familiar themes of dislocarion. unnaming, and indeterminacy are trotted out in In Visible Ink. couched in a deeply self-cawed dixourse that is made even more irritating by van Halt’s insistence on referring to herself in the third person, or as”‘this I” or as the”ticrioneer!’ Committed to the linguistic mire m &me, van Herk sees everyone’s fiction. including her own. in the same self-r&en- rial vortex: “‘Wallace hauna her stories. Her stories haunt her stories. They haunt their haunting of themselves:’ Her tributes to other writers are as moving as cryptic crossword puzzles. and there is throughout a desperate auempt to be profound. which belies her claim IO desire experience “beyond language”: “I am THE FIRST full- ‘Boldand brave.’

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supended in an Arctic, nor near Arctic or hi Arctic but explain what they mean. They’re all about “the arbitrariness of exmeme Arctic, beyond all miting and its mmance, beyond the thesign:‘an interpretation that thestudent willinevimbly intellectual comprehension or the geographical experience of proffer on the final exam without ever knowing what it means. most of those people calling themselves Canadians!’ In other Stierlind also posits a sadomasochistic relationship beween \\%xds for all you morons in sootbun On&o who consider reader and author that seems to parallel ihe relationship Georgian Bay to be the i&en northland. don’t even bolter try- herween colonizer and colonized in Canadian fiction. And she ing to think about the real Atic - you couldnt possibly finds that “manipulation is not incompatible with pleasure!‘So understand it. both the puzzle-making “ticrioneer” and the putrle-solving critic SyjviaSiiderlindisamuchbettercriric. who. while just as engage in a kind of mutual intellectual masturbation, in which familiar withcontemporary jargon as hercnlleagues, is not the real goals (course adoptions. tenure, all expenses paid to enslaved by iL She gets all the cli&s ofpostmodernism out of conferences in exotic locations) are never mentioned. the way in ha intxduction, and then sets about her task of But if literary criticism is henceforth to be filed under the pmvidii extended readings offive novels: Seau~uf Losers, heading of’bme theory”(ifnot with the sex manuals), it’s Tmudevnhmire, TkNewAnceston. L!Eland’Amt%que. and clear that there are no winnea OI losersin this contest. That is, Gone Indian. Her stated subject is language and colonization. no evaluation ever takes place. We dent know finally how but onlythe latter is dealt with in any depth The individual Kmetxh so&s up as a novelist next to Cohen, Aquin, or chapters are relatively free ofthe circular logic of poststruc- Godl?ey (much less next to Atwwd, Richler. or Laurence). or tutaliit ditcoorse, but the choseo novels are all those in which how his poetry compares with that ofNichol. Marlan. or familiar posnnodernist patterns of doubling, repetition, and Ondaatje. Is there development? Is there technical masrery? memmorphtisarc structural and thematic essentials. If Why is rherenevernny mention ofstylc!All that seemsto Stiderlind’s readings, as detailed and stimulating as they are, matter is theme, and the themes are, as the deconsrrucrionisrs explore no new directions in criticism, her conclusions are would .sq “always already" fixed and unchanging. Along with somewhat startling in their honesty. She admits that her “desire everything else, the concept of value has been “problemarired,” to engage with a text is &en inversely pmporrionate to its and rather than at~empr to make discriminations. the conrem- resistance.” which is to say what students have always sus- poraty critic views everything with equal approbation. as long pected: professors take pervene delight in assigning the most as it’s appropriately self-regarding, terminally playful, and rhe- problematic, the most difficult of texts, and then &se to matically correct. Q Finding the Lights On .: RobertHilles

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SINCE ITS FOUNDING in 1987, the Refotm Patty of Canada has enjoyed a mrteoric rise- in the publioopinion polls, at least For most of the past year, Re&xm has run neck and neck with the govern- -. ing Regressive Conservatives in the : : polls, with popularsuppott in the 15per- cent ta”ge. That do&t sound like much until it is temembered that Reform still draws its heavysupportbm Albe, withsome ,‘. from British Columbia and Manitoba, :’ but not much from Saskatchewan (which tends “or to aost populist move- : mentswitb Alberta mou). The R&m Party does not exist in Quebec (fbrobvi- ous teasons), is barely known in Atlantic Canada, a”d is still testing the waters in much ofontatio. So, the 15 pet cent looms larger than . it might ifit were distributed evenly and thiinly aclods the country. The experts : ’ say that, give” the way Reform sopporr is co”ce”tmted in Ilockets, and the fact will be dividing the the next “Shmifj” MmingjiwmTheNew Canada national election, R&n” could walk away with anywhere from 40 to 80 seats. track record to measure. It did nothing the hoped-for money. And it has proved PrestonManning-management ofnote in the 1988 federal election, a” altogether toa anractive haven for : coosultant, so” of a tb”“er Alberta pre- other than poll more votes in Alberta polirlcal fannticr. ior rednecks who think mier, Social Credit remad, evangelical than the Liberals (which issomething it’s smart or brave to wipe their feet on Christian, and one ofthe mOSt uncharis- shortofa noteworthy accomplishment). the flag oiQoeb=. and for bigots whore maticpoliticiansofhisgenetation- It wu” one fedenl hyelection and a idea ofpolirically correa acre is a hood mold find himself the kingmaker in Senate election, both in Alberra - and a white bed&et. Ouawa. On the outeredge ofpossibiliw. which speaks as loudly ahout the ““pop Still, it5 the perceived potential of . _ this Bible-thumper could wind up as ularity of the Tories as it does I& the Reform - those 40 to 80 seats - that prime minister in a minority or coalition prowess of the Reformers. It abandoned makes it the hot story of the year. That’s gover”me”t. its national fund-raising campaign in what has persuaded three publishers to In teal terms, Reform does not have a 1991 when it produced only a liaction of rush out hooks on the parry and its

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leader. Interesti”gly, they ate three wry s&ant in developing the northern different books. and they will appeal to Alberta town ofSlave Lake through a different audiences. private company. Slave Lake The New Gnu& is Mannin& own Developments. Manning calls it “a local pairtstaking account of his life and community development vehicle,” and career, of the fwnding of the Reform makes it sound like a public service to Pam and its objectives on the national Native Canadians. But to Dobbin. stage. It is written with all the flair ofa Manning’s &as were distinctly less (vety long) political pamphlet. Dull and elevated. He writes about the conflicts s&serving though Tk New Canada of interest involving SLD and local may be, it will be devoured by ~lnvem to politicians; four major SLD sharehold- Reform who need to belleve that their ers were town cuuncillors who sold cause b noble - that Reform is more themselves tow” land for their first pro- rhan a patty that does not care for immi- ject. “[SLD was] simply entrepreneurial I-h BEEN SAID rhat his book could reach grants and racial minorities, a party that capitalism,” Dobbin says. “It was exclu- the wrong hands. Unspeakable damage seeks to diimantle medicare and other sively a real estate development com- might be done. A public figure. Mmdecai social programs. a party that would get pany, building apartment buildings and Richlershwld have exercised more alongquitehappily withoutQuebec. office space!’ rapowibility. Stmming B&m, by two journalists, Dobbin worries that Canadians do not What, you had to wmder. had the guy the w&husband team &Sydney Shape know what they would be getting if they got hold of, the plans for sane new smart and Don Bmii, is even-handed without elected Manning. Manning, he believes, bombpmgrammed to whistle down the being bland. Their appmach is rcraight- is a nmlcmxent who is alienated from the chimne)lofpadiamenr? fcmvard and i”fon”atlo”al, yet they mainstream ofCanadian politic. and is Other criticisms have been: it’s not manage to sound impotmnt alatms. margmal to modern Canadian society: hel@i~l. It intlames the debate. He5 wrong. Manning, they say, is asking voters to He says things only for efTect.He takes accept a political vision that is contmry A self-pmclaimed dent of history, cheapshms. He&racist. Hebdoing it for to Canada’s hkacry ofmixed public and Preston Manning has learned Ii& the money And ofcourx. the ultimate private enterprise, to its naditio”al ffirt from it. History is change. and canal. from a MemberofParliament. no to find a compromise between individual Canada, like other countries, has la: lr5 hare UIoMnr atldrhm&ibehnlned. and collective rights, and to its “eternal changed in rhe fiftyakl years since So take your choice. According to hi quest” to accommodate Quebec within Ernest Manning [Pramnk farher] critics, the &eba author is either a pow Canada. became premier ofAlberta. erfully dangeras demagogue or a” adoles- Equally wottying to Sharpe and Braid cent loudmouth tossing Staelesr and is Manning’s rellllous fundamenmliim: The iron% as Dobbin sees ir. is that ill-rOunded insults. although Manning has built his parry on My uwn choice is none of the above. In Pteston Manningb life, evangelical the public’s loathing of Brian Mulroncy, The inferno RichlerS attackers have been Pmtesranc r&Ion is dx f3mtthing of aReForm government would have essen- fuclliig tumsout to be more a self-induced . all things, the souse of his attitudes, tially the sane agenda as the Muhoney bonfire oftheir nvn vanities than any belii, gads, and dream. Politics is government: “There is the possibility spiteful litermy flamexhmwing on hi parL notanendinirself,bur~madOod that angry voters will go to the polls to Todiirtharall you have todoirmad hasset himupo” in this weld: his seek revenge against Brian Mulroney by rhetc&abitofgoundwcukma”yof : parh to personalsalvation, hi way of voting Reform, only to find the next RichleA assailants apparently decided ws serving the Almighty. He is here on morning that they have given him a new “““V. earth to earn his place in heaven and lease on I&!’ OhCmw&!OhQ&c!ol&inirs mtakeasmanyofuswithhimashe Manning’s political future, Dobbin owndiscursiveamientertai”i”g~ a can manage. argues, depends on the continuation of thorough primer m the Quebec Question the constitutional impasse with Quebec. as it ha &ted our peaceable kingdom Murray Dabbink book, Rerron As long as that crisis continues, during the TmdeawMulmney en. with Mmwlingmld the Refmnl Pluty, is every- Manning can position himselfas a emphais on the period since rhe Parti thing that Manning’s The New Canada is spokesman for English Canada. But if Qu&cois was firsr elected to oflice in not-tough and critical. Dobbii, a the crisis is resolved, his voice will lose 1976. Whatever history a Taran (the title Sas!aoonwritetand journalist, brings a itsdistinctivenessand its influence. A isalsoappzxi”g in the United States) left-wing petspecrive to his examination period of calm would bring Reform Pam, might mquire to undersrand dw ofa right-wing movement. policies under closer and more rational ]abbewxkian political discourse ofcon- In his own book, Manning writes scrutiny, Dobbin believes - “to the cer- temporary Canada is also provided. That abmlt his wtk as a management contain disadvantage of that party? sober outline dwsnk begin to account far

_ _ ..-_-. , “_....w._ :.-.-I-*-.-.:, 3.. . a_.?-._- -. the book’s us&hear and vitali& but it’s a &ii thumbnail description and ought to r dispel rhe shrill media hyperbole that impliedRichlerhad beenlabwringovera twisted, dta+staincxl sued on Quebec anti-Semitismorhadletkxxeade.mmted, m&rblartagainstQuebecna&alii. NO.AtlyitWUtlpEtAlOWl.ShZ?WCOIll~ ftomthoseQuebecjownalistsandp&i- dam Richlerhas o5ended with his t&i ofhardma.hs.The@ebsinrellecmals who have hmvkd the lcudesr hvAtde such ’ i&entialfiguresastheeditorofLeL&w+, Lii Biitmeae. and theauthorJea~~

Fuar,theQ.ebecaiticsdislikehiimes- sageintelleauall~ becameRichlermn~ 6axsalltheconnadictionsinthesece Mmthi Richler &mist argument, demonstmns wittily how asinine the insid&nmide sign law is, and &.mdspeechesd~w178-~se~lal Delirium!WeII. maybcbut whose? repeatedlyuoestheD”tribal”mde~e weighty hanwphone wices have ques “Interchangeable” wds an unformnate WOKI French Quebec’s indiitably ethnocen- tioned itsappropriateness- it remains in forRichlerrochuodobutanyonewhob uic tendencies. Secondly the fmnwphone place. apparently suppotted by much of dx read die evidence has to come away &glee- critics, judging b+.their blind rag+ ate vis- population. So Quebec nationalists still ing rhat French Can&s premier journal cemllyunmmfmtableastargetsof havemnnswrrirr it. lferasingsignscdrhe ofpublic &course was indeed explicitly RichI& mmdant wit. No higwle other isnt a nibel impulse. I dont!xnow and repugnantly anti-Semitic during that int&cn&inceT~beenthii wh is. French Qu&cke~ may kidle at peicd.“a,ieca&‘:‘asRichlersaysmore mugbonQuebecnationalii,ande~ d-e ‘tribaliim” chatge bum as Richler precisely in hiskak,“in whichthetacist Ttwleau,aquickhipshc~terloadedwitb &ewes acidly, &ions ofLz Dew% more closely resent- wilting putdowns, want capable of the bledDcrSmmnerthananyothernemps smtofdEadlyaccura~o~liners~nl When dmwan& offlag\raviw nation- per 1can think of?‘Granted, the&ad&- Riiletcanadmbliiter.Third~~ dlescrit- alists marchrhrwgh the mem roaring encr in inflection ktwen what he said icsaredeeply emtarrasred that an interna- “LcQwbxaur~~!“theydonor and what he woe hut just the same. IA tianslly acclaimed voice- which is, inci- haw in mind anyhaly named Dccoirdoes have a large and shameful stain dentall~beuerkna.mcutsideQuebec Ginsburg GrMacGregascometo on its history. Its editors, whatever else they thananyofthepmvinc&franwph~e think of it. think of Richler’s work, would have barer wirers- is e&i pmple in New York served their wmcaure by less shrill defen- andlosAngeles&utdle~~ The harshest criticism uf RichlerS case siveness and a little more reasoned contri- fapceofQuebec’ssignkwsandtheabsurdi- that I’ve heard in English Canada is that tion. h’s exactly thii imp&e to deny the rierditssweteigntydebate. Mordecaireallywent~~thedeepmd ~.‘~ihal”sideofnationaism tharpt Richlerhassaidthatallthefussabout when he remarked to Barlwa Fmm on Thr Richler onto his soapbox in the first place. hisammentwnQ&ckant&.mitic Joumal in March that Lc Deli in rhe Some journalists. both Englist+ and h~whichamouncmonlyasmall~~ 193h was intetchangeable with the Nazi FrencltJpeaking, have implied dxx ticnofhisbook,isadive.tsiontoescapethe mgDer%tlmner. Certainly Lise Richlershwldstickroficrion.N~~t~. kmguageirsue.‘Ihectiricsarehappiet,he Biwnnette flew into a literary rage in her they suggest. ban onerous form requiring believes, indiidy diihg his take on editorial the next week. saying there were more reportorial Iegwxk and more enthu- an&Semitism than dii the ind&n- ‘ho v&s to express the indignation, dis siasm for plain. unadorned Caetsthan rhe sible Bill 178. He may be right Certainly gut, and anger we feel:’ and dnt ‘l-he novelist will ever beable to muter. They onthesignlawhehutheminanawkwad appetite in Canada for hisdelirium isas complain thatall he did forrexarch was comerNomamerhmvmanyloftyedimri- cdiws to us as are his accusations.” read books and sift through fils at the ___.. ~_ _ ~.___~“. ~._ ,_. -_._ _..-__

Game in Momed.And oh yes, he government pursues irs dogged gutting of downable and would he :I rnfe her aS a doe~nt~peakFreoch.Thegoymayneeda our national inwtutiorx. (“...Canadians welcome gifr for abwlurely everyone you haircut toa but i&all 8ne by me. Not only have much more in common...rhan they know. is rhe research, by whatwet meam, corn- perhaps acknowledge today:’ note Pmwded you towel m monarchlstcir- prehensive, but the prod- yetanorher Boosfield and To&Ii in their inrroduc- cles. the fame holds true for Rcyd tractonowdespemtenatiom~ationalpolirics, tion. ‘Much. if not most, of that com- Ob~enultionr.This well-meant wlume earily aanxends the dre.atinesS ofits sub- mon experience revolves around the “does not arpue to he a cumprehensivr jwt Richlerseesthehumcomedy Monarch% which is the mast important history....[Ijt is rather a collectu~n of beweenthecoo~titurionaldaue~, but shared institution within Canada.“) snapshots” revealing the mvolvement of alsovoicesrhepreminggrievancesfelrby According to George Woodcock. the Royals m”vmually all the major Qoebeck minorities. He’snot oyiog to be anecdote is S “neglected art” today. That events that have shaped Canada:’ from Ylclphrl” in rhe all-Caoadian sense oftip situation could change if theSe hooks George III’SSupport af the Quebec Act meingamundsenritiveiweSthatmight tied the public they merit. Each ofthem in 1774 to Queen Elizabeth II’Sproclama- aroux some facti”& ire He tell it ar he ranges through the emotional Scale from tion of the Constitution Act in 1982. Sees ir. And ifthere were a prize horboolrs poignant to hilarious. each succeeds in Though nor every item panned for inclu- that tla&otmtheCaoadiimnstirution distilling an impressive mnouot of wit sion turnS out to be a nugget. the cumu- intoaoentertainiitopic-astaggering and wisdom. and each provides enough lative effect is dazzling. We learn. fnr oxymotoo, Iknow-Richletwould wioit read aloud material to drive the most example, that “je me rouuiens,” the famil- ina\&. long-s&ring spouse up the wall. iar motto of Quebec. originated with Woodcock credits Margaret Atwod Eugsne Tschcht;;evocenon oithe historic for providing, in B&d LwS (Key relationship herween French Canada Fbrter, 1990), an anthology ofsatire on snd the Crown: “je me wuvieens +e I@ behalf of This Magazine. a model “whox 10~s IS lys je c&5 sma la nxe” (“I remem- general format we her that born under the lily I have pros- found...exccllent...and haveshame- pered under the row”). and that “God lessly imirated!‘The heat 50 anecdotes Save the Queen” is probably an English submitted to the CIVA contest were adaptation of a French anthem written selected by a final committee of four dis- for Louir XIV We are also treated to a tinguished judges: Silver Donald gaggle of funny stories about how Cameron, George Gait, Vicky Gabereau, Canadians hehave in the presence of and Alan Twigg. They were then supple- royaky such as the one alwut the haplest mented by invited “guest anecdoteS’ mayor who, hawing forgotten to wear his ROYAL OBSERWUTONS: from 21 professional Canadian writers - chainoiof%ce, explained to King George CANADIANS &RGI%LXY well over half of the invitees responded VI that he wre it only “on Special occa- to the appeal-and arranged by name rlons:’ instrictly egalitarian. alphabetic4 order On the whole. however. Royal except for the six prize-winners. who Obsmmiom ISa serious attempt tu open the hook. remind USthat ournatiunsl heritage HEREARE two collections of anecdotes, A quick look at the winners gives the includes a political Ideal that tranrcends each in a caose 50 worthy ifs imporrible reader an idea of what to expect: fnur mere party and racial IoySkies. and func- to declare one mote nobly motivated funny Stories, two of them involving non5 as a national resuurce in rimes of than the other. I% Great Canadian remarkS from out ofthe mouths of babes; emotional StreSsand political upheaval. Anecdote Contest, edited by Geoge * moving account ofstrange coinci- Canadianswhosome~~mes l&l they’re : Woodcock and “spoo~ored and compiled dence, a phenomenon that occurs in VBP on a slippery Slope to oblivion will wel- by Canada India Village Aid [ClVAj on ious forms in nearly a third of the pieces come this hookb message as wmething the occasion of itS tenth anoivena$ is a includal here; and B heart-warmer wld to hong w~m. fund-raising project in aid of village and involving a whale trapped in a net. two

envimnmental rehabilitation and the fwhermen who cant Swm, and a rexue . training of health workers in Some of the operation that takes place on the whale’s poorest areas ofIndia. Royal back. (My own fwourite. a yarn by the Obsenmions: Canadimu and Ro+q, invited writer Ronald Wright, involves compiled by Arthur Boosfield and Garty two “realtors” from F’mduct. T&Ii, who also edit Monarchy Can& SsJkachewan. who And themselves matches stoutly to the relief of those marooned in the Australian outback in who feel under siege as Mr. Wtizeau the company ofS kangaroo.) Once strives to inflame Quebec and the federal begun. this collection is virtually unput- light and sky; his wife, stuck with the worldwork. had to whip up the animals .: on the last day, with no time to make them immortal. Some feminisr writers regard any such identification of woman with nature as biological determinism. They try to outwit the linear parrems of male-oriented grammar, root out sm- ism, and reveal the multiple values within words. CrozierS poetry, although deceptively conservative in form, is just as radical and distinct from male writing as that of her more bla- tantly experimental sisters. The words spring from her sense of her body, her conscious femaleness and sexuality, her honesty. Nearly every poem conjoins the physical world -of horses. wheat, a lover’s touch - with rhe language she weaves to celebrate it. Which is where hersecond answer comes in. Listen (and awit the sounds wonderhrl?) how the title poem captures the first time poetry hit her:

~~She didn’t believe the words : when she first heard them. that blue bodiless sound entering her ear. But now wmerhing was in rhe air, : a sense of wiring as if ., the hawk itself were there...~~

So the source of the poem is external, natural; but to be embodied in a poem, the “hawk” needs something LmM cmziel else: ‘Already she had its voice. I the Lorna Crazier poem is like running scream that I&X from her belly! into a rropical rainforest on the Classical rhetoric divided the pro- Prairies. cess of persuasion into several steps. Crorier has written beautifully about Rhetoricians analysed every possible the erotic life ofvegetables in earlier fgure of speech and method of persua- poems. Here she explores family his- sion, but had relatively little to say MY DEADLINEwheels by. As I drive to tory, middle-aged love, her father’s about the first and most mysterious work on a &developing edge of death. “angels” who incarnate grace in step: inueniio, creation itself. Crozier- Brampton, Ontario. a hawk in a tree a post-God world. The book has four as this book, almost too long and rich overlooks the highway; the hawk5 eye sections, and forms that range from for one helping of poetry, demonstrates meets mine like an editofs. short poems to long poems to prose -is endlessly inventive, comfortable Pm dragging my reviewing feet poems. in that mystery’s heart. And her best because lnwnring rhe Hawk is a hard How do you invent a hawk! Crazier, poems achieve the exalted state she book to do justice to: long, largely bril- in her eighth book, offers two answers. imagines BI her final invention, “the liant, definitely worth owning, variable One poem, “On the Seventh Day: sug. radiant, uninvented blades of glass: in form and theme, and-like life - gesrs that God was too dreamy and Like God’s wik, she has made them so damn hard to sum up. Stumbling onto a absrracr to create anything beyond well they are natural.

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were more than O~XIOUSto participate in the Boer War. And. of course. our conrrihurion to the tw world wars was massive. In bath instances we went to war long before the Americans and mobilired n relatively large number of by Donsld Swainson per~ons ro wrw in the army, navy. and air force. We also, in these cases, con- rribured heavily in food, equipment. and money. This extensive military history is as important as it is interesting, as there tw new books ably demonstrate. J. L. Granatstein and Deomond Morton have already written two excellent books about Canada and the world wars: Marching to Anw&don: t2madia?ls and the GreorWbrhr914- 1919andAA’otion Fagrd in Fire: Gmadkms and tfle Second WoTki UGhr 1939-1945. wIr and Peacekeeping, wrirren by Granatstein and David &rcuson. completes the tril- WAR ANDPEACJZKEBPNG: FROM the assumptions that many Canadians ogy, by taking us through our pre-First SOUTHAFRlCATOTHBGULF- have about their militar, past. We like World War and post-Second World War CANADA’S L-IMITBD WARS to believe that we are not as aggressive conflicts. Granatstein and Bemuson ~J.LGNutSt&ldndIJ.BEKW~ K&wu.z6~.$39.95. or militaristic as Europeans or describe our battles with the Fenians u5BN155015555l3 Americans. In sane ways this assump and the two expeditlonary forays into rion is at least partially correct. Canada the prairies. Our African adventures. on has not been an aggressor nation given the Nile in the north and the Boer War to wars of conquest; at the same rime we in the south. are also recounted. and have in no way eschewed the use of mil- Canadian participation in Korea takes itary force if we deemed it a proper way up&our a third of the volume. Finally, to solve a given problem. we receive a careful account ofthe vsri- Very shortly atier the birth oiCanada ous peacekeeping operations in which in 1867, we started a long pmce~s of Canada has participated. ONE OF the standatd works on using the armed forces. We desparched Granawrein and Bercusori’s research Canadian military history is G. F. G. military expeditions to western Canada is impeccable, and the book is nicely Stanley’s Canada% Soldiers: The Militav in 1870 and 1885 that were designed to organized and well written. It is also very Histmy ofan Unmifita~ People. That pacify the rebellious M&is. Many well illustrated. with dozens of well- title sums up a fair atnount concerning Canadians. primarily anglophones. selected black-and-white photographs.

._.- ___. . . -. ,. ..s--.v :-.-...--w:r ” _ . ._. . . ,-- sketcher, and maps, and offers a smaller number ofcolour illustrations, some of which are superb. &and Peacekeepingis a highly suitable finale to a trilogy that providesCanadians with a truly distinguished account: of dwir military past. Hnnnn&gnDira-n sounp The Uur snd the Hmm, by gi4&;E Parry and Patrick Merrily Weisbord and Merilyn Simonds Mohr, is a di&rsnr kind of Fresh from his successful debul in The work altogether. It is based on B txle- Jacamr~Vest, ex-CIA agent turned vision series (also rtded “The Valour Insurance investigator, Harry Bracken, Is and the Horror”) directed b Brian back in this newest spy thriller. With a McKenns. This series was concerned fast-paced plot that mixes up a heart- with Canadian involvement in three burning recipe of sex, drugs and rock ‘n aspects of rhe Second World War: the roll. Bracken fans will positively devour futile British/&nadian ammpr to Hummingbird Soup. defend Hong Kong from the Japanese $94.95 Hardcover and the subsequent horrors visited by the Japanese upon the captured Canadian aoops; the involvement of G%.mhd SrtnuDfls Canadian airmen in “Bomber Mysteries by Canadian Command,” the air war that carried Crime Writers heavy bombing into the heart ofNazi Germany; and the Canadian role in Howard Engel and the Normandy invasion. Brian Eric Wright,eds. McKenna and his fellow writers A terrific anthology of short slories Terence McKenna and Roman featuring all of the big M’s: murder, Jarymowya based their scripts on mystery, mayhem and the macabre are hundreds of interviews with survivors each dished up in entertaining doses by of chose operations, and film was shot Canada’s best crbne titers, including in a wide variety of places. Jack Batten, Ted Wood, Charlotte Weisbord and M&r then turned MacLeod and the editors themselves. the television series into a book, a “...enthusiastically recommended to any lover of murder and process chat rsveTsesthe normal rela- the collateral pleasures.” - Quill d Quirk $18.95 Paperback tionship between film and print, and the result is thoroughly acceptable. The authors produce what is really a set ofsocial profiles of the implica- by David Laing Dawson tions ofwar for rhose who fought and Just what the doctor ordered - a medical for those who wetr subject m its thriller pumped up with adrenalin and as &as. The stories of the various par- timely as today’s headlines. When a state ticipants are heart-rending and, per- mental hospital doctor begins probing a haps most important, make clear the bizarre series of HIV-positive cases, permanent imprint that these events suddenly he’s under attack by forces as made on individual lives. Hundreds deadly as the AIDS virus itself. of thousands ofCaosdiins were profoundly influenced by rheir wartime “...medical mindblower... a good, activities. ss a reading of The \kJour fast-paced yam.” -Publishers Weekly and the Hmmr makes very clear. The military hiimry of Canada $24.95 Hardcover meriD a @eat deal of mention. Tk WOWMdChCHOlTO7~nd~lllld Peaceleebing are more than welcome additions IOthe litemtwe, and deserve to be read and appreciated. Safely enclosed in this fantasy. Jane is free to imagine her prisoner es e remarkable man. She sees him es handsome. physically strapping hut not scruffy, a decenr sort who, sadly, went wrong and who could do with B hit of redemprwe love. Grimly realisric readers might miss the point. If you think women are (or should he) past all that schlock, bear in mind that for the first time, Jane has dared to hope in life, alheit in tried-and-true &h&. When the prisoner. Brian Dexter, sends her an enthusiastic reply, their mail-order friendship takes off. Jane begins to believe the impossible might happen. and so she starts to add to her life the small. everyday pleasures taken f&granted hy less timid people. She pretties up her apartment. takes to indulging herself in cut flowers and stylish clothing, knits Brian a sweater, and imagines the domestic pleasures of dining, sex, and children. Her unaccountably cheerful mood draws her into f3endship.s. some of them with people in difficult straits whose needs draw her out of her imaginary world. Then, harsher realities begin to intrude. Her mother, attractive and antagonistic. arrives and i&rms Jane that she’s suffering from terminal cancer. Jane has stored up years of jealousy and resentmenttoward her. She only begins to feel compassion ior her mother’ssuf- fering when she feces her own dilemma: is dream-man Dexter too much ofa risk Joan Barfoot in the real world? According to the police, he is. They As the *tory opens. Jdne Smith is fill Jane in on his record and advise her responding to an ad in the paper hum a to steer clear. Having come this far, Jane con in the slammer looking ford pen-pal. is stuck between the equally painful Why is shy Jane doing this? Maybe N’S risks of lonely fantasy and fearful life. her diet oiromence novels, but irk also Barfoot writes with genuine compes- some mysterious nudging within, “a kind swn for the dilemma of a character who THE PROTAGONIST of Joan BarfoorS of turning over of her heart”that allows is likeable. hut ofren genteel to the new novel is a timid soul with a her to sit down and cnmpux a letter. She point of prissiness. In a nice echo of Technicolor inner life that gives the lie knows n’s risky: she doesn’t have a clue Victorian style, there’s even a narrator to her nickname. As a quiet, lonely ahout this guy, or what sort of crime he’n who hum m. makes comments, and librarian who hankers al&r passionate committed.]nnc feelsshe has little tosay digresses. Without this elbow in the romance, Jane Smith is hardly the first to him ahour her dull job at the lihnry. ribs, some of us mlghr not believe that of her kind in fiction. Yet in Berfoot’s and at the youthful age of 28. she’s rad- Jane’s fanrasier em for real in the “real- sensitive telling, Jane5 imagination is a dened by her plain and mowy k>oks. Yet istic ’90s.” And yet they are. In its own force for good. It goads and pushes her she’s somehow curwinced herself that brave. uncomplicated way. Plainlane to hope for abiding love and Gadship their encounter is inevirshle. and there- speaks the truth about imagining and in the teal world. fore sure I‘>succeed. hope. and their power to change us.

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ofNativestudiesand linguistics at rhe wanred III marry her and called her hu gar. UniversiryofManitoba. rhe beak is adual. den, who she f& mndd eat her up: if language edition of rhe stories Kep.etold she w t&red him, why did she go to him : Nichols. Twmyfive of Keg& sroria were and feed him some fry bEad!The rearm- published in 1978 as Gokkmuums~A~ riye does nor say: rhe Endo~lluT~l.This.nrwcc~llccri~,n cnrrains 16 additional stories as well as a Oh my be wa,usr rlad that I w~feed- glossary and revised trawxiptiom and inp him rhar bread. char &old man by AdriflmeK~r tmnslariomof rhe previously published simngrhere.“Hah. I’m (ull. I wmkeot tales; it will benefu studems ofthe Oj+nw ynu up:“Thari all I rememkr. 1dnir PORWGRLAKS: MEMORIES OF AN language, as well as anyone intererred m know what happened to me after that. O1lBWRCHILDHOOD its preservation. Nichols’s introduction descriks rbr Discuwng totem* m one of her stories. pmcersofrecordingand tmnscrihmgthe Keg clabns rhar the hnld eagles were stories. He pointsout where the rrasla- I3anadian~. a group her gmndmorher told tion - beaux uf English conwntioos - her were”ignoranr.. ..about rhe Indian DANCING WITH A GHOSTt may mislead the non-speaker ofOjihwe. way.. ..nlmcat white people.” Ruprt R~s, BXPLORlNGlNDlANRBALlTY e.g., hi use ofpaagmphs_ puncruation. in Dancingwid~aGhost: E.@lminglndion and capialiition. The c&ctiun is Reality. xgues very di&rently. Natives are divided into foursections by season, again not almost white\ at last not the Ojibwe an organizing principle that Nichols has and Cree Nariws whom he sees ar still cul- applied, norsomerhingrradiriunal II) turally influenced hy their hunter-gatherer Ojibwe cksification. The result 1s.as Ire rtxx~ A cnminnl lawyer in Kenon, describer it. a compromise between the Onrarit\ since 1982 and currently the desire for literal transccnprion and the as&rant Crown atromey kv the District of awidanceofaw!werdneEr. Kenora. Rlisten toNatives (the imny ofC~NcziwL&mmreinEngl& because she no longer mnemben. In hr that a white writer writes rhb is nor addreees a ptoblem currently much introducrion. Nlchob describes the hir- noted). Doncmg uvth II Ghmr isaddrewd debated:thatofspeakingforaodspeaki~ tory ofrhe Anishinaabeg at Milk Lacs. nor tcl lawyen (although Basil Johnston’s about, of nandation, ofa white reviewer Minnrron: whim tried IO l&e the p&tory cmmnenrs lmplv that it is). hut like me describing bmle that to varying Anishinaakg to anuther nserw. and hy nr whnes who have never considered the degreesareprodwedbywhitetite&di- 1911only 284 Natives remain4 in the possibiliv thar Nariverdoni necessarily tom. As a whire academic, the reviewer is area. Maode Ke&s family was pan of &is think exactly thesame way a~ whlres. and awrethatsheisnoauthorityon“theExts group. Born in 1904. she became in 1968 a who are nor bothered hy the implied inIndlante~“Attheaoetimesheis guide at what is nuw the Minnesota premise thnr all whiter think the rame way aw3rethereisvalueinlqvxblgher Historical Society’s Mille Lacs Indian or the equivalent preroar that hunter- undersmodllofthesz thteebooks, in Mureum. gatherer-descended Natws think the hopesthatbyspeakingabcwhemshe Often we are I& puuliy at rhe narure same way Ross II impassioned, anddeeply enablestheNatlvevoicesinthetextsmbe of memory, at what exactly she recalls: disturbed that the criminal justice system, heard.Thii isherwhi~academicb imper- “Thar5 what happened to me. All sortsof ofwhich he is a parr. ISwdatrucrive. ktunderstandii.amishewtiw.sbyit. things happened to me when 1 was a lit& Hence the best parts of his text are the Intermsofintendedaodience,tbese girl. I could& tell all of ir!‘CouUnZ personal anecdotesdesribing his own boo!wrewydiinr. MaodeKe&s because she is unable. or couldn’t because experiences both inside and outside the k’mtageLake:Memor& OfrmOjibw she chocks nor m? What ISthe relarion- legal sysrem. Childhood isthe mc~tfocused. Edited and ship ktwen meow-+ and invenrion?The But the srructure of’rhe book is a mess. tmmcribedbyJohnDNichols,aprof&m old man who frightened her hecaw he The lack u>ffwxnores and the non-aca- The Lions by Pad S. Sunga by LILIAA’ GRERJV

~~oammuntty. With action mnghgfmmthedepthsdhe *1mtnEsinnorthem IvIanitoba to the catifomta cmst, Vancouver and Toronto, this strong filst novel is ultimately~~

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demica~erenortheheelnhis Uniwsity Ptessshows how publishersam vive i~m~rh~atb~d (Basil pi&ce,~sratathethi.5~iscir- red&ii their liits ofwhet ir m&able. J”hnston);langrageandpawr-*‘The cular,deliberetelynotliitntDancing Thb in &If i5conu”veniial for the cwxli- Diim~wemxnt of First North American uirheGhostisin6ainuediblyreperitive. tow the Native poet and playwright Wniel Native Peoples and Empwerment Surelyabene~editedbookwouldbemore &vii Moses and theYork University pro- Through Their Wriring”(the titleof Iikelytopenxade im medens. Andatatime f&nrTeryGoldie.Whyaretbeyengeged Jeermette Armstrong3 paper). The excerpb rvhenNativewtiterscnmmmrhnvrired in thii pmject!Goldie in particular seems from Hdjbwd, Aprir Rannec. The Ret theya~&whitesinrerpretingthem,Rcak concerned to explain his motives, not just .%a. and Pnilcess P”lnhm1rrumld rhc BIw texcis@merilyin~r&ogforwhetit because he is white but because ofhii own Sporr make the reader went more; the teve& about rhe imm of&&e culture discomfort wirh the notion ofa canon: enthology 2s d whole spceks pouwliIlly br onhim.HeisceneinlynotarrogantHe the energy end variety ofNative writing in admiohislimi~ti”ns(includingnot~~- I ceminlywmt people torespect this Canada today Canonical or nor. An ingenyNetivelqueges)endhisc”ntinu- amhology and find it innxrstiing, hut I A* ofNariw lirenuwr in Englishdw iogpu&mentetmenyNe~mlesof wxddfeelprsonallyabitofafeilureif anempr tu give readers “rhe t%ncrrin Indian behavioot,andheap&gizesettbebegin- people thou&t &et it tberelwe es& temls:, ningmNativepeoplewhomheiss”reto lies what is the best in Natiw writing. mirre~t.Unfommetel~giventbew3y “reven establishes whet is the hesr in hetites,allNetivaseemrepresmtative, Native tiring in 1992. inte&qeable types. Rc&s~t~ttbewhioeadversar- Anrhologiesdocenonizeregadless”fdw iallegalsystemist”allyelient”eallm~ editors’declemti”m, especially thw bxdonconsensudecin-mekiiiscon- directed at educational markers. butGoldie vincii many Nativepracrices, e.&, avoid- lX3ncst”freebimselfobdle~ik”fthe David St&xd ingnpconmqexpe&ngchildznmleem enthologia Since he is aprcrrenrly not inter- by ested inaesdrericevaluadon, wtxxprinciples b+eii”W”eXpXieIUe&XtdptefettiIlg GEORGE BUSH’S WAR beeliiandw&itopishmen~mak guideddvxdit”riel~lecti”n5eren”tclear. ~,anLiwanismi* thewhitem wuoomaplecewberewhite Inplace ofa tmditionel inncduction andNativemismdaxtandeathodw.0” that interprets rhe emhol”gy, Mosesand tbeother~beisradxr~temelisticin Goldie heve rutatitoted a trewxiption of 8 imegiiingthepmblemsofNetives&~ dialogwe a reminder both ofrhe I_ of NEVEPXTTO”e mankmowache:‘gwsa emmenhandvelynxnanric(althoughhe Native literature in the oral nadirion and canmoo Arahsa)ing,bnless i&on tire: deniestbis)abowhepl- ofhunter- the fict tbet rhere is no singlevoice or read- This admonition not to insult an oppo- garherersocie&_Whitexaesimiledy ingofthismeterial.Coldiespe&wfhis nem’sdiiity WBSkequently and knowingly we”typedaoalii,a”dn”~ilituel. own &ctance to Mite about N&e writ- broken by President Bosh in rhe nm up to EaiiJohost”&~concludes in& his preference to insteed help provide e &err Storm. the liberation of Kuwait. On ice t&Native writea He notes rhar he several oaesions he compered dx Iraqi IfMcRupettRcrsscaocoovinonvincehis end Mmer are neat interested in writing dictatorSaddam Hein with Adolf leanedlxendst”l”“kaettbe publish&&e 19BS;nwthirdsofthe Hitler; and to a gruupofcongressmen in edvensaielcharacmoflirigarionandm anthology isby peoplebornsince 1940 December 1990 he baasted that ifwercame exeminetheFustNetionspaoples’mn- Mmespraentehimselfesm”repmcticel, Saddam would “get hi a_%kicked!’ When ceptofhumennarureendhumanmir less ambivalentabout hi role as an editor, hespoketothecountryon 16Janure-y 1991 .zoluhqe”dtbeirm &&lg end more concerned rhar readers learn that rhe day wx bqan. he mentwwd S&dam’s rightanenaotmeomumna”,hewill Native writers ere not always ueditional name 20 rimes. heveperlormedaaewiceofgreatkne- storytellers. Thbpersonalizarionoftheconllictisthe lit The endlology tbar results is varied, dominant themeofrhir lucid.succinct. and movingkomuadirionelsongsandomture eminendy readable analysis ofthe otiginr of Whethe~DauingtiIhaGkostechievestbii to autobiographical nenatiws, political rhe GulfWar. Jean Edward Smith, e pmles- embitiousend,itspublicati”ntestiResm spxches, poem& short stories, end acelpts sorofplirical science ar the Univeniry of dKp&U”dimpactNetiVeC”kUIeheShed &cm plays and novels. Alrhough the 42 Tomnm wvn its 1991 BesttTeaching up”ntbea”~ voices are very di&renL what unites rhe Award. One can see why He writes directly lnconna%An~“~~ collection isdu iasueof language: kmguege end cleedr: and av-aidr the miserable jxgon N&&mnaueinEng(ichisanexampleof endsilence-“I lcstmytalk/Thetelky deployed by so many of his cdleaples. Hi theimniesthatresultwhenawhite~ took aw$ (Rite Joe); language and irs dii- concern is wirh presidential p”er end its li&lIghouu&i~~pdUl%CC3i” appearanceand d~epmblemofshoddy abuse. An expert on the US constitution Netivetemz.Dexribedinicronninuo- uanslnrion -“Some tribal languages ere at and US foreign prliq he kliews end con- d”cli”naPa‘~lofempire,“oxf”ld rheedseofextinction,norexpcredrosur- vincingly demonwares. that loom the ._ -- be&mliogGemgeBuhso.&tt&xhis tells us little about the Middle &L helore or wlume undersa,rer the cukural juurneyJ of p&de.ntialmusclea”dbypass~ &rdxconRict,and even less&out other !&sanji’s subIeco. The lhst mne piece all whmeverhecould. Ascommander-irr world leaders who lilrewh determmed to Jhorr. are in a mmm key: mw are narrated chllthep&dmtoftheU”itcxlStatesha5 expel Iraq&cm Kuwait. Indeed. Smidr by n young hy who hves wth ha m&r, alwaysueKbedmmuEunive appears to see evely odler wdd leader brorher5. and sister&ove theirsmall po~Bushpuh&hlltcwheliilt,wrk- (M~lhatxherexceptedjaJnvirtual familyrhrapm l3aresSalaam. Eachdetallsa l”gwithasmauwteliedc”l~i”dle puppetofBuh. That dxy had b&6. inter- significantchildhuod wadolescenr NaticmalSecurityCouIl,“Iim~ ~andagendasdrheirwmishadlycon- m”me”~ touched with mgnilicance. The thej”int*&&&ndah”cst~ipi- sidered.‘lhatrhe~orldcommuninlrnight common thread is anxiety the chills pu;- raringamajorcotwim~nalaislsbyhll ba~hadngenuine intera inovemrming :lement as he encounters one myxery (or neglectofccngreJsirlcpi”l”~ rhecccupationofK”waitmdchecking terror) aI+3 a”odw. usually 1” du shap of He”cethe”.xi”nthatthi3~‘~e”rge Imqbambirions is likewisenot discus&. the obscurely defined orher”e;s of ad&s. Bu5hkv.&‘SmidunakesasU”“gcase~ Thecomequencesofnorusi”gforceagamst Indwsecondparwfrhelwkthestori~ Ilkeothers,belie~itthepresldencwas Imqarehardlyexamined.Smirhan longer and Jomerima; “we dii, range pElWidedt”&&tdll”~““I”?q~i”~- America” by origin. has been quoted as say- krdwr. rheirtitlrr-“Leavin&‘“Breaki”g simr&u~itby~Tjat~Tbe ingrharheisa’~llowdcgDe-t”who Lcc4 -The Lnndmwenrmed:“Reefugee’ Brldrhprimeminiihappmedmh3isit- waddwxefcwayellmvd+eforehe&xe -indicate VwanjiShroader concems. l”gtheU”itedSrates&&lnW”ddW CoraRepublicamHiibcokisadamning The central rheme ir “mv emigraariun.rhe twmeratAspm,Cwheredw imiiitofBush.Butinirswnway e&crsofrheovinned impemtiwsofeduca- InmLadycmvincedBushthatdx4”ssof GeoigeBwJ&Ui$is~de”ni”eda”dskil~l ti”” and econumlc lwte”“e”r on young KmvaiirwsmalcgasmtselI-“ut”f wellorta5drepr&dent~owwc4mwax adulrJwhochuuseturrdeallrheJafeifsuf_ Czech”sl”v&aatMunich.Asalbyear- Andas&xti~~i,a”d&uive t&ati”g cenainriesof iiieht and bmily C2x OldZh”DIb”yatA”dC”Wi”l94QBWh and Llhunr Street for die cold mnlusions hadbemelemifiedbya~psechbythefor- - orhemes5*ncragam. now Cukuralrid3 mersecratyofstate,HenryStlmso”, acapialC-cdEumpeandNonh den”ulcl”gHIrarablyofs”lallw”“- America. Clear unage.5of loss fill these hoer uia”dsayl”ghmvrhec”vicdy”u”g srorb,arwell~lJhad~~~f~~d~i~ Amuicmswh&adthe~t”mi~m unrealipd jtq surprising kmeliness. stmdup6xgwlagaimteviLSmith In the final sroq ‘XII YWds Are believes this M m indelible impact on Pasihle NW” rhe narrar~v mmes home. by Dodu Hi BushFued”pby’5Oyearslawr, beck to Dar, hack tn the ritualsofpla~ and theUSpre5ide”t~e”cedthesmlggle UHURUSTRBET community Likely he will stay “There was agalnstSaddama3rhemotalequivale”t”f b/“.C.Wi a” element ofexape in my return:’ he d-&ealdw”dd~. muses. ‘& dwe war true in my leaving:’ Fmmthae,alleIseIlawd.Atn”~i”t Tentatively he reclamu hi pt. re”aces his didBmhs&uilyse&m”eg”tiate.Tjx youth. finds a relario”ship dwt promises n&atybuildupwasqulcka”d”wsivz. l&R E5SALAAM, on rhe coast ofAfrica rhendisap@as_Thele?‘When it Altematiive”ptiawnebIc&d”if. lc&iea5mardacrwsrhelndianOcem comesdorm to it, there is only a plam kmg- Sanaiwwaegiwnnochmcemwxk. toward India. and Me”x~T~mnto’J ing & a home, a permanence~’ whe”wwame,itwasawxdlatBwhhad Searborough, winter fields to &henorrh. “a uhuru Srnrt ww!a quietly; \h=sanjis detami”edonalmux6umomthebeginning. bleak landscape wirh a few brambles hIown imtrumenr is uony, not mdignarion. There Theptrsldentge&.dl~k&“mSmlth byaligbtwind”-sucharerheandpodes is little oven wulence 111sex m dx stories ~rhldiplcmatlcmdpliti~i” ofM. G Vzsanji’J fictional world. In the 16 burwhenitrloesoccurirballrhe~re : bulkliimdmaintainldwccaliti”” imerkxked smriewfthi, hisfirxcollec- pwe.rful br being underax& Subtle agal”stSaddam.Hll”m+baimofp&- rion (comingalrerwonovels). he&en racism l~Je~irmorcl~iJmlm~y”notdraw Ilc”pi”llwasmasted~B”tutrheendraulr c&idly fcazedsnaprhorrofpl hi.. blood; forVawanji5characre~thexasare ofaw&jlimdyconduauJws&i~ tory. LJhmSrreer is a.wrr ofconremporary inward. Disarminglyr~mplesurljlce~ wk bell “fdubious wa& “lhedesmxrive albumofrheAsian.wlement thatfirst complex questii while the voices uf dx cmstqllences”fthemnthe.~~ establii itselfas the middle ckxw in ~010 “xraors. funny sardonu. melancholy, pm. toll”fIluma”sufieri”g,the~bJedpmb- nialT~yi!a in rhe late IROUS.?av its vide rhe reader a” oppnrunity for intelleo lenudthe.nz@m$‘hecamcl”da,“make position made precariw when indepm- tual distance and emotmnal Pympnrhy. c.learthe.utterf”lly”fGe”tgeti~~~ durtTananiawscreuR1 in l%l.and There k much in rhrr volume madmire: Unaf”uy!Pedlap4lYJrmisirnoram”- the” begmgmdually todiierse, m sub- pacg nming, ecolulmy of means richna cIusi~&at&ws~tevidenceThe smntial pm rhnwlgh emigmticm to ofe&cr. Uhmw Suea does iu work quietly sl”glemi”ded63cus”fthehcbooLonsush Canada,during rhe years dxx Inllowed. and purposefully: Va;sanji’s confidenr skill mdUSdeclsllmeansrharSmith is impre&ve.

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Hemingway, it was not like any story I had ever read. That same year I had published my first and last collection ofpoetry and ws making the painful transition to pray, and Lane’s story influenced me as much as ELEGANT anything 1 can remember. It has taken another seven years fur Lane to publish his first collection ofstories, How Do Km Spell Bcaurifu? He has, of by Douglas Clover course. continued to publiih collectiins of poetry for which he is widely respected. DEEP HOLLOW CREEK His Poems NewandSekcpdwcm the bvSheila Ivau.3” Governor GeneraIS Award in 1978. and his nro most recent collections have both _ been short-listed --winter in 1990 and Mortal Rem&u in 1991. SHEIK WA~TSON’SDeep Hollow Creek Like’Rabbit$the ZOstories in belongs nn a long shelfof Anglo-colonial How Do Yea Spell Beau@! are bleak novels in which cwdired white wmen portraits of men and women trapped go to the bush. fall under the spell of in circumstances dxy can neirher darker people’s gods, and come away comprehend nor change.Must ofthe repelled or changed (see, for example. stories are set in company towns in the wrksof E. M. Fnrsterand D. H. the interior of British Columbia, Lawrence). The white wmen stand i& where mill workers and their families anetiolared European culture strivmg to live huddled togerher in trailers. revive itseliwith a rransfur~on from the united only by poverty and violence:. primitive (readsex. the tnldy. nature. ln”Marylou Had HerTeeth Gut:‘a blood, instinct). But the pnmitiveoften young girl has the stitcher ripped loom turns out to he dangerously ambiguous her gums by her farher. In ‘Sing La4 or, ar best. mysteriously indifferent. two btodws pick up two wmen In Deep Hollow Creek. Srella. a spin- whiledriving through Alberta. One ster schoolteacher, cotnes to British woman has been badly beaten and Columbia> Cariboo counrry one autumn gives birth to a stillborn k&y in the ‘to find life for herself’ What she fmds backseat ofthe car. Clinging to one of Instead is a claustrophobic valley inhab- the blothers, she is destined to repeat ited by enigmatic Shuswap Indians and the past. intensely inward-looking, jealous, and Male sexuality and violence per- gossipy settlers let? behind in the back- PQtIiCkJ_4fle meate these stories. Lane is less sue- wash of a played-out gold-rush. St& c&id when writing 6om a woman5 stays through the winter, experiences the PATItJ~~E’sfirsrpubli&dstory pointofviwas in%eneGood Night: resurtect~on ofspring. tries in vain t* ‘Rabbiti: appeared in rhe April 1985 issue where rhe nanatot’s ruminations on her connect wth the Natives, then leaves, oftheCmedkmFonun.(Itwouldlaterwin husband’s brutality fail to convince. wondering if she IS mad or if the settlers a Nationa1 Magazine Award.) The stoq of Women. however, can and do escape. In (or the Natives) are mad. a6uwatedmillwotkerandhisopptwed “Burning Wings: one of dx finest stories The whxe inhabxanw nf the valley IV&, “Rabbits!’ o&s a btwaUy honest yer in this collection, a wanan isexhanged comprise three families - Bill and compassionatepottray&ftheliwsofrhe loom one man to another to pay off a debt. Mamie Flowers and their longs&ring wdtiig poor and the inability of men ami She manages, how&r, to escape her cap factorurn. Mocken. Sam and Rose women to communicate their needs and ox-but only by mu&ring him. Flowers and their five children, and the desirer to one another. More compelling, As well ta the underlying humanity in Farishes. a childless couple on rhe out- however,isLanek.con~loflanguage. hit narrative voice, it is the wry artistry of skirtsof the settlement. Watson retails Each sentence is a rinx perfect smty in Lane’s pnxe that saves hlscharacters. He their lives with a pungent WII and a itself. uses modifiers sparinglyand simile hardly wealth ofprecisedetail (for such a short Atthactime,Americanwtitetssuchas at all. There is Ii& dialogue. It is what book) -down to school-tax paymen= Raymond Carverand Richard Ford were Lane ha I& out, what is silent, rhat ulti- and water rights along the creek. norweUknown inCanada. While mately speak for these characters and Mamie Flowers 1sthe gmnde dame of ‘Rabbits”was clearly id&d to their desperate lives. Deep Hollow Creek. given to fainting ______.._~ .~__ . .._. ~__._~ _.__..~.

spells and pmnacmd winter illnesses symbolism (flamesand light = IitLdark- during which Bill and Mocketr must ness = death). Biblical. classical and III- cook, pay court, and empty her chamber emry allusion, and the overarching rehr- pot Mamie came to Canada loom ence to Native mythology (Coyote, the England in response to a letter from the Shuswap trickster mod. shadow wrhin Flowers parerfamilias, Adam, hoping to shadow. watchesovereverything) that many money and drag Bill back to made Watson’s earlier novel a source d England. Now. she and Bill and Mockett endless delight for academic critics. nm the store and the Smpping House, But B deep vein of irony runs through the centre of valley civiliition. Up the this book. a subtle lightness that takes hill, Sam and Rme dwell in total isola- the reader by surprise and helies the tion, envious of dx richer, more cultured dated romanricirm ofWawwi~ rhcmc. Flo\verses below Rose refuses to leave There is a hilarious xene. for example, their homestead except m have her when Mockert and Bill Flowers get babies and, once, m came down and drunk and drop the vaporous Mamie on insult Mamie at the school party the floor not once but twice. The hack- Stella’s arrival causes all these rela- woods burlesque of the opening scene of tionships m change, m adjust slightly, Act IV of Macbeth during the school like a pebble hiuing a still pwl. Nothing party isdelicious. much happens in Deep Holkxu Cmk, but a lot happen& if you see what 1 mean. . ..Though you untiethe windsand The chatacters manoeuvre to gain the ler them fighr privilege (and income) of boarding the Againrt the haystacks: rhough the teacher, selling her a horse, entertaining muddy her. The teacher, in her turn. rries m dis- FraJer YES, THE LESSERtNrhs are ah true. bur entangle herself from petty s&al obliga- Confound and ~wsll”w all they are not as revelat”~ or as useful: tions by renting a cabin by herself, buy pmspecrorr up poetn;, like all products. comes in ranges ing a horse, and hiring Indians to cook Though rhe range and mlling hills ofquality-quality not asa judgement and clean for her. Da slope their heads to narrow Deep ofworth, but ofexpense (how much There is no rising dramatic action in Creek, inner truth the author is willing m this book, no narrative climax. What Though Russian Thistle and nlfab5 Spd). thereisisanwaemelycunningand mate Gradations of expense are evident in ironic interweaving of village squabbles together these three poetry books. There are ade- and cosmic themes. About where the Answer me. quate. publishable poems that do not climax of the novel should be there is an aspire to be masterpieces - they are not elaborate scene rife with poetic allusion. Deep HoUow Creek ends with a wxiy so inclined; their poesy may not care for Stella, riding home from a visit to the mocking now-St& watching a pair the rigours ofambition. They are the Far&s, encounters a pair ofyoung bulls ofgrouse mating and thinking of Mamie wise poems that I call “the undriven!’ tearing up dirt and 6etting their intem- teaching Bill the hesitation waltz-and Glen Sorestad writer poems of this sort: perate maleness. She ponders the castra- a vision of the generous and ineluctable tion of cattle - the constant tomult of welling up of nature, the mysterious life natwe and its snuggle with the culture force only just hidden beneath a flimsy that seeks m cut it off and control it. veil ofculture. This parallelism is vintage Watson and the epitome of her art. were Ihe days ewr sv cold? Tbensheheardan undulatingvoice (“Winter Myths”) cryi~Thmwofftbebandsofcw tom, break down the barriers. Nature There is another type ofpoetry that I stirs deep within you. I am the primi- call “the overly gifred.“T”o smart for its tive urge, outoftbe blastodenn end- own good, such poetry wears a trunkful lesslycallimg. of masks and xldom shows an actual face. Gary Hyland’s poecry is of thii sort: Deep Hollow Cxek has the amdied elegance and concision ofTk Double Hook, Waylarwn’sfirst published novel, altbougb L&p Hollow Creek WBJoriginally written in the 1930s.It also sharesthe layersof - A

A me of poem I call “the driven” know. But Hyland’s a good poet with sur- comes in two forma: cbe driven-to- prises to o&r, and once again. I should healdt&wisdom (for example, add that hisadmirers are justified. Ellabeth Bishop’s work) and the driven- Patrick Friesm has shaken larre. as mdestrucrion-ftx-whdom (John you can see: “sometimes you slip the fhT~ER§U§ Berrymar& work). Patrick Friesen writes tyranny of fear at night and the world ahealthyformof”dliven”poem: shines beneath your feet sometimes you CMLIZATI~N shake loose and gypsy’s in your arms.” ifir’s charm Here he is even shaking loose of tradi- by Stan Fqel SSenceiSllOtClYl~y tional poetic forms that rely on an iso- iriswheizunrdrbcginandend lad voice. You Don’t Ger to Be a Saint is CRONENBERG ON CRONENBERG rllmrri.5dleh.%ur5dlamber conqnxd of rumbling sequences of t&zap- dibdlqck&Rcdl~ K:nPIC&%&dF2ll&mHa.224Fqw.Swwl benlQ?.5n~ ments of voices that have been done in ,,sBNoJ94zznov~ (‘bilence”) collaboration with dancers, actors, visual artists, and singers. (One way out of ItknoethatGlenSoresmdis”aleadii poet+ limitations is to invite others I’VE ocn the Cronenherg bug, or has the ligoreloPmllelitemto&asdwcover in.) There is a radio piece about Richard Cmnenberg bug got me.. and many oth- bbnboo~burK+s&oM&ghtisplcd- Manuel. furmerly ofThe Band. There ers. spreading a sort of Cronenberg’s dii- dktglytil, ruUofdxtlich&ofrhythm are tv~ dance-collaboration sections: ease horn cinephile to cinephile? How asw\rljarofphm&batD.H.Lawrmce interpretive movement mixed with else to explain why CronenbergS queasy onceptatiWhimmnforpnming4omhll memories. stories, and facts. Images of images are all the rage? AI& all. he’s \VJdLll&d§XeX&ikPPUbPo3lU rain predominate. even “framed” that arch cut-up and con- beDrcA&asttbey-terentrhisdosero This is a heakhy endeavour: to expand spiracpfinder, William Burroogk; and a nost&lcwrsUlca~andpnxalcremem- and not repeat. Friesen knows that the damned fine job he did of it in Naked bmnc~Butdterewillberhosewholove wide spirit of the long line is justified only Lunch say I. and even the gaunt guy in dwepaenx+,aodIcaoseewhy.Theyare by honesty. This is the only book of these the undersized hat. &nddessatwhatdleydo.They~miodone three that reads as if it hurts to say what it Nonetheless, approaching Cnmenberg ofAldmNowla&poems,buthaveless says; and it displays an adventurous on Cmnenlmg I wastempted to think the humour.Inl&,onepoemV0klFrieods moodinesr and inclusiveness: fullowing: %o earIf or “de tmj?or“‘a Meetn)ackoowl~~tharSmesradand Life” before his life has gone on especially rh&@Nowlan~‘lsplli~‘Illl rhistimramgoghgelsrotfbomin long or (and this is surely paranoid, leav- bacdtepoemrinrhesxoodsectionofdw gnece ing me ripe to have a tiny, slimy book,becausetheyarelesspr&xo. a&&an li&r acmes hir eyes Cronenberger slide into or out ofmy Last year, Roo Borson and I were flesh) that people blithe in one medium judges for the Saskatchewan Writ& mnily dickinson raulu rhe midmghr are usually feckless in another. Well, a Guild poeuy mawscript competition. horrc list offilm directors one would like to One of the Dee entries that we chose mIdgallops lo her love encourage the publishersofrhis book was Gary Hyland’s After Adamis; as I (it5 one in a series) nor to publish is recall, we praised it as having “tecbniial I’m a child in a nonhem we probably in order. but it wouldn’t include virmosity within a range ofstyles!’ I liked r&limbing~~rsky Cmnm~onCronmbeg. the manuscript better than I like this (“biography”) There are many reasons why the vol- book, hoc Ben l’m judgii it in a d&r- ume works. One is the playfulness of the em context, and rhe publiihed text has Friesen. through his theatre and radio book. which opens with a Nabokovian been mod&d. A long poem, which Roe work, is opening perry’s windows for us. (Nabokov. along with Burroughs, is B fa+ and I singled out for praise, is missing. It can get stuffy in here. yes? cination ofGonenberg’s). or False. fore- and a new poem calls Raymond Carver a word; it’s “author” brtunately sent this “turd”! A dwxous confidence here piece &before “hlr mysterious death b seduces the reader while eluding risks. self-immolation.“Then there ISthe for- There are dialect poemq prose poems. mar. which intersperses Cmnenbeg’s philosophical poems, the “liindline- musings with some pithy situating by sandlinaandlinesoflines” kinds of poem Chris Rodley. the book’s editor. -just about everything. Cnmenbeg on C&w&erg also contains a I tell studenta that being really smart “filmography” that is both upto-date and w&t help them widt poetry; how much comprehensive. you know is not as important as how Most valuable. though, are the inter- attached you are m the Ii& you do wews Rodley recorded with Cronenberg

I _ I who, I nob2 tbanklidly, soundsunlike an awew with howem: Instead, Cmncnbeg canes across as a human and pensive sott whvhosecandoor about the olren bewildering gestation ofhis oFren per- verse Rims and willingness to articulate tewns for that perversiry make his tern& more than jottings for 6ms or tidbits for academics. Cmnenbergnonoalizes the Byrantine world ofmovie deal-making and reveals the impositions on hi art that budgetary consuainls have made: the choice of Toronto apartment build&s as sets shaped scenes in some ofhis early films, for instance. In teoent yeats, Toronto has Euusmi BREWSTU(describes this book had todoublefotT~ien becauseofthe as a “sidelong autobiography.” it’s certainly 1 G&crisis and the impossibility of secur- not a conventional suthork memoir; if i inginswanceforN&dLunchto beshor your idea of a literary bio involves names, i inNo& Alrica. dates, anecdotes. and imide goasin Tk Eli&ah Brewster Gossip, of course, is a good goad to Inwmion o/Xwh will be a disappainr- read any book, and the& some of that ment. Here, instead ofjuicy commenm sionistic rather than specific, and rhere are here: Samantha Bggat saying, “The about Canadian lirerati. are pxrw some signticantgaps in the chronology. Bmodwas the strangest and most repul- family phorw journal excerpts, and Brewster doeswrite ar.wme length and sive 8bn I’ve ever done,” and Jennifer dreams. Quirk and rambling as it some- wirhobvious a&&an abour her parents’ O’Neill cryingwhen she read the acnml times is, this book is less about a writer5 pemnalirieJ and their continued effect on script ofScannm and realized that the lii than it is abour memoq and rhe way her. ‘[r’s my way of coming to terms with producers had previously sent hera mxh changes over a lifetime. them, perha&’ she wins. “Maybe my wny script with all the violence removed - Brewster is the aurhorofnumerous ofprolonging their existence. since I have becaw they thought she v&d have books ofpoems and shorr stories, as well no children!‘The secrion ‘Wtorian rejected the role ifshe’d knowm the film’s as several novels. The Sisters andlunction Interlude” is particularly interexing m she contents. prominent among [hem. Barn and raised mingles journal entries. dreams. and rhe Nonetheless, it’s not the titillation, inNew Brunswick between the wars, she Taut in order to interpnx memories and but rathe&mnenberg’s efforts to answer attended the University ofNew conversation with her parrno. questions about his-to some- dir Brunswick. Radcliffe, the University of Yet the result ofrhifocuron herparents twbing engagement with the demented Toronto Libnr+ School, and Indiana is that little is learned &our Bwawr in and the extreme, sexually and otherwise. University. She has wun the E. J. Pratt her&It yearsasan independent woman. &at are the atttaction 0fCmnenbergon award for poeq and has [aught at rhe The miter who recreates engaging scenes Cmnenbag. His conclusions regading University of.Saskarchewan. Fragments from gidhocd - a child who read rhe the attistic vetsus the civilized and the and occasionally entire chunks of her Bible, Shakespeare and rhe funnies wirh political will not please everyone; they own history sometimes float to the top of rhesame avidity- is oddly silent about are, however, lucid and forrhrighr. her work; for instance. much of The her middle years. W&ark missing are he Having moved from virus to verisimil- Sbms contains elements of Brewster’s linksbetweentbechild. rheuniversi~sm- itude, I’d like to leave the last ward on his Sk in that its protagonist. Jane dent of 1942, and rhe woman who exists “place” to Cmnenbeg: “When people Marchant. is also a quiet. bookii girl now Between 1942 and ‘Clara Flaggb say, ‘Great, another Cmnenbeg movie! who rises from her rural New Bnmswick Journal” in 197.7.everas and dates are Let’s take everybody and havepopcorn’ background to study in Fredericton dur- sparse. and aside (ram the mention of&e -then III know I’m mainstream!’ ing the Second World War. two uorld ~ws, external references are few. krpite BrewsteA talent as a prose While biographical details xen’t obliga- writer and pxt, this book is oddly umatis- tog the overall tone of ?Ie lnvendcm of (vi Eachsection haaunityofrheme- Tmrh - gentle, sliihtly bemused memo- one is a collage of dreams and impraioru ties - mm&es the reader kcaw of dher~therandanothe”~~ Flag& what is lelr unsaid. BrewsterSguiding Journal:‘sewed as a frame forThe Sirten - ideas, emotions. and motivesare at least Y but the sectionsdonk ewlw into a coher- important as the bare facts ofher life, but ent whole. Much of the writing is unprer- she has not yet written out her story. andview hissixnowlsandtiwsshort storiesasasuite about violence --an “interlocking system ofwar fictions:’ Her view goes beyond dmt ofearlier critics who saw Fit&y astheaurhorofonly OKOMV- elsonwar(TheWrsandFammaLast %I&). Y&S research is impressiw: she quotes from Find& personal papers at the national archives and cons& a daunting by >lichacl Corm lit ofseciological. political. and historical %RONTLINES”:lHEFICTIONOF s~ierofchefirsra~secondwmkl-.If LAS-T TRAIN To TORONTO: A TIIdomYPINDL.BY rhere is a wakness in “Fmm Liner” it is CANADIAN RAILODYSSEY that York does not rUlly address the larger nanamlcgical and philosophical implica- tions involved in Findleyb fiction. However. to be fair, only so much can he done in a book of this length, particularly when considering the entire body of Ftiley’s writing XxkS streng& is herabil- iry fn illuminate Findley’s oeuurc in terms of ITISNOT !s-rnmYfairtowmp~theJe anall~cml~ingpatter” ofviolence. two books. Both critics are accomplished In Moml Met&timI. Donna Pennee LITERATUREis as much a victim oithe Inrheirnvnfie~andhave9llidcreden- also deals with Find&s wiring in terms of petulant whims of fashion and fad as tiak LortaineYod& book is at least partly fiction as history and history a0 fiction. any other art firm. Travel writing was inspiibyanundngraduatecou~that Pennee analyses his ~ture toward the considered difficult to sell for two she taughton Timothy Fiiley, and is formation ofdominant modes of diirse decades, and gifred and jubilantly aimedarcmatingapmcticaracricalandderaiLd and the way that drey tend to margin&e evocative travel wnters had a wretched aicici5mofhiitinrelariGntothe particularsocial gttwps. Heranalysis talea time of it in the ’60s and early ’70s. ideaofwrasamaletexLDonnaPenneeb inmaccount politics, gender, sexuali~ And then came the renaissance. studyisaimedatherpeaddreszesatm- mce. and class_ She alw deals with the mle Authors of the stature ofMartha dency inFurdl$wodcmwardshiitoricaiofthe reader in h+msttucting the text. Gellhorn and Eric Newby brought the wisiiism, and entets into complexdie Histo~ like i?ction. lrquires interpreta- genre back into the mainstream. re- clrrsionsoftheonmlcgicaiandepis~ tion, and, for Pennec the teadet is establishing the xhool of travel writing logicalramificarionsofhiifieiion.Ina engaged in an interpretive choice that is in its proper and esteemed place. ,va~ the two books mmplemenc each both praaible and morally necessary. The form has twodistinct maniferta- other.York’sservaaranintmdwtkmto However. Pennee explains that this tions: the Laodicean. apolitical volume, pattans of violence in his novels and shott reader-engagement is complicated bv an a delicious guide to faces, feelings, and storiewhilePenneeaaminestheimpli- epistemological question, since within rhe facets of a place; and the political study, caioMofdxsepawns,andbadIauthor3 context ofFindI+ fictions, archival mate- examining and interpreting the state of addrear histon, and its relatkmship to rials, phomgmplu. letws, newspaper affairs and affairs ofstate in a particular F~l&writing.Bareusingacritical items, and other I&IS of dcamentarion country or region. The American tail- __ are shown to be either questionable or way addict Terry Pindell is an exponent anappmachtbatm3tksw4lasameansof false. Pcnnee aplains Find&s met&c- of the Lacdicean approach. illuminating Fdle$ litetary strategies rive method and his tendency to bting so- Specifically, he writes about trains. Foll&nguponJonadlM~ljelJs~- called “‘aurhentic”sounxs ofinlormatkm Train addicts are usually a breed of ceprofintertenuality andHa.ydmWhiteh into question 85his means of challenging which to he wary; dirty ski jackets and a view8 on hi Yotkargues that “wr, like dominant ideologies. Like York. Pennee wretched monomania. Not so with hismticaldiiux,isaewvh&hmay casts her critical eye across the body of Pindcll. however; in terse and sinewy Findley’s writing; she reads his fictions prose he recounts his year of travelling intertextually and discusses their recutting across Canada on the railway system. mot& narrative patterns, and conceptual which culminated in a trip on the final schemes. run ofthe eastbound Canadian from York’sand Penn& studies are intelli- Vancouver toToronto in January 1990: gent analyses of Findleyb textual straw pies, and provide a pow&id opening vol- I am not prepared far the sheer emo- ley in booklength studies of his fictions. tion of the gathering at the CN sta-

i tion in Vancouver.. .Ar P visiting ist depredations againsr China and American I atn struck bu the lack of supported rhe Party’s main goals. the slick. well-rrhearsed demoostm- Almost as en afterthought. Mao riolrp one sees x) oken in the United squared the equation by saying that States when a special interest gmop only 8ve percent of the population is threatened by govermnent action. should be considered “bad ele- But there is protea it is homespun, ments!‘Only five percent! That’s individual, and personal. An old fifty million people. twice the pap”- man carries a sign hanglog by a lation ofCanada. and rhe principal by hlerilym Siondr hkdnr string loom a stick over his shoulder. jurrificarion for II whole netvmrk of He bar scribbled his message in red cruel “labour-reform”campr....The NO BURDEN l-0 CABBY: and black felt-tip pens on a one-bv_ statistic comer mnighr from hell. NARmVE8 OF BLACK WORKlNG WOMEN IN 0IwxR10 1920s To four-foot piece of one-inch styro- 1950s t&n insulation. Foran has an inttmate knowledge of rditd byDi0nnc *mad the denizens and dramais pmonae of !wnnGRra.?RB~.llip5pa* The interwoven nature of Canadian Beijing Universi~, which was the epi- ,LwNJtG%1,637, history and the Canadian railway is centre of intellectual life in China and capmred poignantly in this volume. at the heart of what occurred in THIS BoM( is part of the relatively new The train has played an integral part in Tiannnmen Square. He brings this s&genre of oral history Subtitled Canada’s political evolution, and is in knowledge. and marvellous empathy. to Nmmtiws”fBkxckWbrkingKbmenin many ways the quintessential symbol of bear on his examination of what hap Onrmio 1920s to 19SLb,it isacollectionof national unity. Pindell used this roman- pened during the protests and on his taped interviews with I5 elderly black tic means of transport as a vehicle of interviews with Chinesestudents and women who ruminate on Canadian life discow.~ travelling north to Canada’s teachers. A flavour of this literary jour- overthe Iasteightdecades. Reading it is geographical limits, into Quebec, and ney that remains in the mouth long lihspendingan&moon wirha momful through the Western heartlands. As an after consumption is that just as with of charming_ strong. witty vanen who American he is attractively incredulous many of those who were formerly citi- have a liitime ofstories toshare. at the size and scope of Canada. at the zens of the Soviet Union, the new “I bad to go in and see a c&wed family, very’facc that such a disparate and often Chinese generation has aspirations. andlbadfbtgotcenwherethemlowd desperate land ls a nation at all. Hi fears, and hopes that would not be out lamily lived: recalls Bertha McAleer. a conclusions ax sanguine, even opti- of place in Winnipeg or Wyoming. parto& daughter born in Amherstburg, mistic. The old trains may be gone, but There is such a thing as the human Ontario, in 1909. the spirit behind them is perennial. spirit, and human ambition, and they Charles Foran’s Sketchesin Winter is know no national, economic. or racial So I seen a little boy come along, and I the otber sort of travel book, a sail boundaries. In reminding us of that, said to the little boy, “Youknow where through profoundly tmubled waters. He Charles Foran has done a valuable tbecolouredfamily is?‘Hesaid tomz was an English teacher at a Beijing col- thing indeed. “whatc0l”urT’ I thought: In-t dlu lege when rhe Tmnanmen Square mas- mange?And it justdawned on me: I same took place. The appeal of this gua h& not used to &at. I said. vibrant and successful book lies in its “&own: and he sad. Uh yeq they refusal to analyse contemporaty China live right dovm there!’ through the coal-black glasses of political history and Maoist rherorie; instead The interviewers. including Dianne Foran employs autobiography, memo- Mod, who wioa an impassioned. innlli- ries, anecdotes, and pungent fragments gent introduction, guided their subjects of conversations wick the Chinese pea- with a list of30 questions. aimed at discov- pie themselves. He also has a gitr for ering what their lives have been like. direct and invigoratingly challenging Same of the anwen are surprising writing: ‘Weknew that we were Black:says Vtole Aylestock. 82, I remember once trying to ecwm- . ._ modate what, on the sutfac-e, seemed but irwasneveremphasized. When a generoos concession by Chairman this Black rhiog rook over, I’m telling Mao Zed”ng....nineq4ve pxent yoa,weolderpeople.wlaugbed--so of the pop&t&n appreciated what what? We know v&e Black, why the Party had done to end imperial- empha5izeitso!BuLofccurx,y”u mut have an idemity. I can remember Individual stories may rankle rndelight. aFdendofmind-hergrandchildren, but there is M single. simple “truth” to he theyhadtohawheAG&aiioand drawn 6nm m oral historysuch as this. ewytbing. ‘Y;mndma, you jwt dent What No Burden 10clny dws, XI nmdetscmd!’And Grandma says. admirably and so necezarily, is to bring ‘Well, Idoundentand! I’vebemBlack into high reliefthe terrain ofeveryday life all my life. ‘#by waddrfc 1under- -of Blacks, ofwmen. ofall Canadians. smnd?“OhLaLAndtlxygotBlackis This IULXis history. Beaudful--wvellBtmvn is BeautiM too.

~~Tbemlourbar,itmmsout,cmssesa multimde oFhua Bee Allen’s uncle drove asueetcarinTorolltoin 1924:~~

Hewastberebecausetbeydidnt!amv by Shrri South hewasBlack.HedidntImkBlack- , i henartotallywhia in sppaance. Andmybmtber,bewentrhroughrhe ~~hirearmywhentheywnotsend- ing coloured sold& with white soldiers.

Someofthewomendeny they met \vith diilimtion - as women or as THIS EOU: rakes a long. hard look at rhr Blacks-while others rcspanded to it priwrr sector’s spending hahits. The “new with quiet rebellion. June Robbins. 79, buremcracy,” Newspeak For the free-enter- recalls&tg4iiparryplannedbys prise qtem, is criticized Forbeing exactly pnminent Chatham doctor and hi wife: likethe’bld” bureaucracy (a.k.a. thegov emment) that it&en upbraids t& wasting TheymmeoutandgcwvhoMxmch public iimds. Herschel Hardin argues that oFurgirl.~allwentlhersandwhen large curporatium are jut asguilb if not weludgouenthere,tbeaelitdeboys more IO, ofwasting resnurces that could be -they\\~kfntbeve.qold-she betterdeployedelsewhere. wmtedu5mcallthemmaJrerliket~y His kak at corporate bureaucracy dodwvnsmth-sbwy.Wesll reveals that there is little relationship decidedw’regoingmwaitrighttill between src&holder return and the corn- nearsuppertimefortbemmsitdow~ forts uf six-figure executive salaries that attbetable.w.allgotupmdlaed include such perb 3s stock options. chauf- out, just I&. feurs. and clothing allowxxes. Hardin m&es nstrcng case for tidl disclosure of “Blackwomm have insome ways always executive pas to help shareholders mak bemliberated:‘saysGwJohnston.77, infurmed invertmenrdecisions. iluxe corporate sharks and raiders who make We\&%.ltOkS#i&?dtC@GUt lvan B0e~L.s motto “greed is poul” their theremdhelpwrmenbringinthe credo are charged with paper bmad,andiFtberewasntamanwed entrepreneurialiim: they may orchestraa havemkinginthebonaufoml. le*ageLl bu)wut.5 (LBOS). spectacular Ithiithatwehavembeve~very mergers and acquisitions, hut they don’t car&laboutgerringxpzaed6an develop and market new pmducrs and the Bkkmen. Blackmmmd Black technologyor increasepmductivity. \\vmenha~a?getcloser mgethex, Takeover games do little more than gener- avxkouttbeirpmblemt,andsmne. ate meP protits for the key players and timesnomerblibemtimgeminthe prop up the stuck market through the way-wme&libemtionnsd&ed movement ofhuge blocks oFshares. bq white women. - ._.. -.-.__ _-_.-___-.A__

DR. ROBERTSNOw, the protagonist of D. E B.un has pmluced a novel for the FICTION Double Blii (Macmillan. 256 pages, self-helpgeneration; childhwd trauma, $24.95 cloth), is 45 years old. 18 months guilt motivation, parental alcoholism, the sober, and ‘%ve months. three weeks and dyslimctiunal family - Healingthe Dead

CAlAolAN iKn0N in the 1950s was nw days, but who’s counting? away from (Douglas & McIntyre. 200 pages, $16.95 ! hardly teeming withfeisty female charac- -maybe-regaining his general licence paper) covers all the catchy cnra. In this, ters-especiallythoseofUluainia”ori- m practice medicine. Xx pay hi alimony hi second novel, Bailey strugglesto rise gin. Due to her singular person&~ Lilli and keep out ofham the “specially above pop ~ychoanalyrir into meaningful Land& thehemi”eofVeraLyse”kok liinced ex-lush” does weekal call duty at spiritual commenr: but although the story 1954novelElfowBoorr,shouldbewell the Maryland State psychiatric ficiliry. itselfiscomplling. II is hampered b known to Gmadkm readen. Alas, the past When he notices an influx of unusual bland, clich&d dialogue and B nrelodra- 38yearshavenotcon&rredo”Lilli the @ems- HIV-positive homaexual men matic narrative. fiaio”alsratosgrantedeithRHagar who, while unaccountably healthy physi- The plot (nllows the live&the three Shipley orDe1 Jo&“. Therefore the calls show signs ofsudden and severe psy Sykes children (Jayne. David, and Rose.) republication of%Uow Boots (Newest, chosis - he f,gwes that a ground-breaking astheygrowrhrwghchildhocdandearly 355 pages, $1495 pper) is timely: it min- puhliation on this anomaly couldnt ho” adolescence in Toronto, and into adult- cideswiththecenrenaryofuh;linianser- hischanca with the licensing board. hood in New York City. lnirrally a quite tlementinWwernCanada, and it intro. However, hescondiivee char his little typical. middle-&s family, the Sykaes ducesLiii-mdhscteator-toa research project has antagonized some experience an unpleasant epimle that whole new generario”of readers. dangerous people, and put his own sanity rhreareru to emotionally cripple them for Vera Lysmko (19101975) w85born in at risk. generations tocomr. While playing”mob” norrhWumipegandfollowiithe.coro- David Laing Damson. a clinical psychi- in their Torontobasement. with what she pl&onofherRA.attheUnivgsiryof rmist and author ofone previous rhriller, a.%sumesis d toy IwOlver, yo”“g Rose Manimba in 1930, wenton to become a Larr Rig/m, has created a” authentically fatally shoots a neighboudwwd Lury.For Joumalii and social acxivis~ Her first nightmarish atmosphere and a believable, the Sykes family, the result of this violence book,MminShe&nCmrr:AStudyof ifnot always lovable, hero. Snow’sstruggle is a cloud ofguilt and denial, which takes Assimii(1947)wa.5thefil3tE”glii mstaysaberas hesearchesforthesowce the rest ofthe novel and some Jeriws kmgwgehiitoryofUloa&“si”Ca”ada ofthe bizarre epidemic, whilesimultaw “uruking through” todissipate. wTitw.“bya”“i”sider!’ oosly facing the respective terrors of het- Uofommanl~ Bailey seems to have no .* UnkutuoateI~ asimilarprepondemncs etc- and homcsexual coumhip in the ?XIS, more thanasurfacetmderscmdingofhis ofdocunentatyminotiatendsmst& is well told. Lzss convincing is the par- characters. Explained rather thandevel- thevitality of%ffowBoats. Although Lilli rrayal ofa gay physician, whine sybaritic aped, they impress as mariooeues who are isachan&gchamaerpodsessedofawin- bathrmm. Russian Blue cat, collections of manipulated to illuspate a tale ofemo- sane spirit, Lysenkok narration smmbles Lalique, Royal Doulmn. and “Canadian riwal resurrection that “ever corna m lii. underthebudenofedetailabout picmres.. Cmnsmns:’ not to mention his JOHX DE~EN Ukmii-Canadian Prairie life. Perhaps sexual prcselyriring, are all a bit too much. Lysenkostitationofclrrtomsandriruals Unfortunately the oppaite can be said of BER~REwriting a plap Anton Chekhov i5anattemptmcumbatthemzuginalsm- dx plot: there jut isnt enough of it m sup used to write detailed profiles ofhis char- us fonxd upon her cul”ue during the fim pat the series of wll-wrirren acters. Then he would throw the profiles 50yeats0fthisce”“l~&“the’%lglo Hitchcockianser pieces (a 6ie”dly sqush away and begin. Barbara Sapegia has a presenc$mciteaphmse&omAlexadra game NIN suddenly vicious; the hero talent for imagining lives. particularly I+voNcws i”troducii0”, was so pII?- impulsively leaver his own prints oo a pa the lives of girls and wow.“. but the sm- dominant in Canadian literature sible murder weapon. etc.) that keep the ries in South Hill Girls (Fifrh House. Nevertheless, despite Lysenkoksome- narrative trundling along. The d&we- 167 pages, $12.95 paper) oken seem like tknesunwieldypmse.,readerscannothelp ment, which r&sonadewexlaboratory mere profiles: overly detailed, giving tespondii m Lillik growth &om a sickI% involving “recombinant DNA (what equal weight to trivial andsignificant ovetworked rSr gid, whose insmsitive else!) is unsatisfying, and m me makes a events, unfolding wirh littlesenseofdra- larherisblindmherpromis+toadelisht- brutal sexual assault that ~XEUOearlier in matic structure. fullyoriginalfolksinger.Callthioap~ the book seem, in retnapect not only gra- Most of these stories are set in South feminist novel with a multiculmral twist. mitow but illogical. Hill, a working-class neighbourhood in a ANNE DENOON prairie tow”. “‘Many and Rose,” one of the more shapely inclusions, is a nostal- gic remembrance of the time a Black man moved into the neighbourhood. Most of the other stories are told by wmen musing privntely ahout their

~~I----- ...~~

__. . ___ -. ..____ ,.C.~--~I__ -_- - - lives. Their voices are methodical and I DELVEDinto Michael MimII& The dipknn& veneer; he is simply a gcod neigh- articulare, and their emotions seem real Formal Logic of Emotion (Nuage hour- tbra l&e.That is, until lirenlly if a littlesimple But the stories are with- Editions, 191 pages. 513.95 paper) with undercovercommerce I” :ippr Bibles out tension and newa surprising. considemblegusw both thecover illus- mvolws him in inrrigue. Suddenly, Kjnals Sapergia follows her dated characters nation and the story rider were intrigu finds rhar umlppmg scripture is twice as ovet three decades; a daughter in one ing But despite the best use of a T. S. Eliot dar~gemusaspeelinghxka~le&rhi story may be a mother herself in another. quote since Susan Chew& LDoki”gfor bumbling, milqwtmstgumshoe bjolaxl But the effect of these connections is Work. the book w-a&appointing. into dw higher herrneneurics ofverse~ pa- merely to string the stories together, Perhaps Mirolla~ yearn of roil for tenrouly underlined. baggies ofcocaine, rather than to move them towards the Montreal’s trash tabloids have affected ~“.5ofdXlUS?lIId5oddollXS,an,0ldphopor complexity da novel.Sowh H~IGirls his “~tunl warmth of spirit, for his clever suggesting rhat @l&r community mem- tead.5 mote like a series of promising and witty constructs reveal a disturbing bers had Nazi alI%ations. notes dmn a finished book. lack of authorial empathy. The charac- If Kjnals weraik w kduced by her- CARYFAGAN ters enact their creator’s t&a&s with a manes solving rhii complex tangle might chill, lacile precision; the moment they proceed owe quickly. But it only raliep Bnowsw3lHRouGHdleaverage have outlasted their usefulness they are tight jeans yld rheslippegeofa bra snap to Canadiangade”, one doant lind too returned. without ceremony or sympa skew Kjnals’s cunning. Wirhin the easy many black tulips. And in rhe CanLit thy, to the void from which they were temeroffolksy hilarity, Mebestrewshii plot,you~&tfindmonmnyB”xe advanced. Only their usefulness as pawns clues with alacrity until they are ahout as Eawns, either.BLxk Tulips CTitone, in philmophical dilemmas (e.g. Being soluble ar the agglomerate ofhii characters’ 149pages,$16.95papa) isa bleakbut versus Non-Being) is explored; they are names on the readefs to”gxe. E!eitelkopp mmpelliifustboakofshortstories. “or allowed to develop any emotional or Blatz. SchmuggleVeera. Rumack Ramp4 Eason,af&nerMonuealer”ow living in spiritual resonance. for that ahwys upsets and Holzzlnck Hiekx are as tenaciw in Wrmipeg, does not cmtl bloodless, care- the apple-carr. the mouth as &January molw in fuuy academic fiction.Instead, Easo& But lo, there is hope: “The Tiurh-Tree Mama’sshootly pie. This mix scrambles cbamctemaresweatily,grittilyreal; their Method”opens with adashingdirplayof cltir)rwmetinKstouicadva”~at \\wld isseen through a blackly hwnomus genuine lyric intensity, mercifully Ike of otherstothhedtivantageofd~e t&S glass.Theya.rea~a5isGmndmainthe the intellectual posturing so readily smry”CountryQuiirk*“unreliableina deployed elsewhere. SadIN it peters out sinistersmtof~y.DoesGrandmareally into a somewhat predictable poarmod- hyrhesearofhispanrs:ashorintheacr cmism. where the hem, refusing further brings apocalyptic viimrs to his hospital bu”6yingpsn?Easo”i”si”nsinuatsheorders, wanders off naked to embrace his h&de. WI& webe lewesenough Iaxe does,rhensuggestsshedoemt-and demise in a snowbound forest. ends dangling so thar ho hem is not budged leavesthereadetinthesameeonfused Mimll$sobvio~anrecedenrsare ban rhecomic intepriryofhii kfuddle- doubtthathauntsthegmndchildre” Kafka and Barges; fans of these twa mar menr. Afrer~ll.Kjnalsrrmindrirr.‘lam NonnaTbddandJoyJoy. ters will perhaps be thrilled. I was. Pm schneppa Kjnalr. I am everywhere. I am Despite their determinedly mundane afraid. only sporadically impressed. I the eyesat rhe hack ofyour head. I see the realkn,the&alsosam&ngslightlysw- longed to be touched in Yeaes’s’*deep world in asapped-in cowpie. 1am a gccd re&“daskewaboutallofEasonkstories, heart’s core”; for the most part, the long neighhwr fbr a I&.” wneofuhicharereallyo”lyvig”ems. ing remains. ELIZARETHANTHONY %weadthemquicklv,andthentheyha”g CioRooN PHINN amundinyourheadmhauntyoufordays. A wxrrcollectio” ofpcay and stories rm”otsuelleauyfi!4?da”yof~tales EVG4w-m4 I was a pigtailed. Mennonite offeeroglim~ ofa Dutch prexnce in -burlcouldntig”orearofthe~ tomboy in feed-sack skirts 1 knew dw mys Western Canada. Buffiloberries Pnd \%tChf&iithiilthiSti~ te&softheXbrdwerek.u~kagedin Saskauxms (Nethedandic, Yom LYNNEVAN LUVEW blxk,zippered leather: I derpemtely $Q95 paper), thesixth ina seriesof wanted a zipper Bible. Afrer reading Armin anthologies, contains the work ofsix writ- WiebesMurds in Gutenthal (Tumstonr, ers. The anthologies. axording to the edi- 279 pages, $1 L95 pa&. 1figure maybe it% tor Hendrika Ruger, atempt to redress rhe agood thiilnevergao”e.Carnelius “noticeable alarnce of wrk hy Dutch Begen. aka. SchnepCa Kjnak a parochial Canadians 1” the literature of~mmigmnr “Pee-Eye”who has take” crash courser in writers of Canada’ sleuthiivia co- laes in hi The writing ranges from rhe pioneer job like rhe hammcck it is. Being a private experiences oflane Abenon, who l&m investiitor in the Mennonite rural border- 1929 to 1973 wmte about her Canadian town ofGutentha1 does not scratch his adventures for Dutch “ews~pers, to the -. .--’ .‘-.. -

wildlifeohsewatio”sofDickKekker, who sonlething all of the contributors to this hook is B pleasantcombination ofscience, emigrated to Canada in 1959 and settled anrhology are proud of but which rhey hisrorKand s&help. Coren recordsthe in Edmonwm. This attractive volume also have all bee” made to feel ashamed of at mvly linguistic slursagainst l&es and the inchxiesthepoeuyofAliceVa”Ww one time or another. A large number of biasedstereonlpes that hawenaditionallg wholived inAlbermandBritish vibrant, creative -en writers are repro- depicted them as incompetent, immoml or Columbia~sevetal yeers bdbre moving sented here,someofwhom-such BS even evil. The sciencem dx kak MI only toT~nt~andtheMani&an~ Audre Lo&- ere well knovm. but there providesB carefulsn& ofwhat makes I&- Klasse”, whose poetry te&xs her Prairie are also talented new authors such as handerJdi&renc but also asksthe co-r &“lb&tOund;andprarebyArithaMn Christina Springer, Nice Rodriguez,and questionsneeded to elicit a rare picture of Herk,b~tknownforsoch”ovelsasNo Kit YeeGhan. life on rhe I&. The self-helptherm: will be a Fixd A&x and Tk l&uPeg and F’leuke As a white Irrhian. I could relate to welcome one ibr rhoselekies who are some- Boyce,apoeuhowoqwtitewmd- these worn& wordsand worlds in many timaco”liwd. ol& widmut realizing it, later. ways:women-loving wme” ere en often byevqday impleme”wsuchaJpower Each piece ofwork in this eclectic misunderstoodgroup ofpeople. To be a tools end kitchen ga*lgeo. awtnnent is written with the ettention to wma” of colour and to love women muw Behindplllhisuapleaforac~~eof IX& and derail you would expecxof the be ewn more aliennring, end can often he rhe l&&&d minori which shouldbe stetexypicaUymeticuloosDwch~ (es is pointed our) more tightening rhan manilated. Gren sat>,in more senritiw Dekk&descriptionofhissighrj”gof being e white lesbian or Bstraight wnma” designand more researchinto the problem wolws in “Songof the No&’ is es good as of colour. I was”\ able to relate whole- dlar plague left-handal pzople.cxen qthiiof the me wriuen by F&y hemtedly to these w.m~e”. but 1 was able arguesthat toleranceand appropriatedesign MowatandAberson’s’)SHPanyin to listen. recognize,and understand their will more lily co”w abour if I&-hx,ders Ca”ad~readsliiso”lethi”gs~ situation. themselvestake pan in educatingdre restof Moodie mighthave winen had she bee” There isagreetdealofpride inthis rhe unrld ahout dwir pmblemr. lessj*nml. of the poetq Va” book: as Raymina Mays writes. “Tell them \&‘et&“Tl~eLoonPoem”iscetilybeautiful, there BIZ tw things that I’m going to love andlClass&‘?ntedakeChiklho~#series being for the restof my We:queer and A NL)TICWALhut impxtant line repantes shao”tedbytheghcelsofcounrless black.” PieceofMy Hears is a piece ofhope, Canada from its hulking neighbour to rhe immigrant&“ers. a piece of trurh, and a fine collection of south. Botderlands: Essaysio Canadian- LYNNEVAN LUVEN work komapan ofoursociety that istoo ~meri~” wetions wx 328 pgges, oken shunned and too little praised. $45 paper). edited bv Robe” Lecker, contains a collectionofessaysthat wnsiders how this boundaq af%ctsthose on e&r NQiV-FICTION ls BUNOl&-handed injuriousto yourh&h? side of it. Borderlandsstudy is inherenrly WelI,itcanbe,acurdiitoSmnleyComn. mukidixiplinaq including in irs compare ap&olqypml&rattheUniversin/of history,economics. sociology, pobrical sci- Thefictthatwehave to talk about it BritishColumbianddleaudlorofThe ence, and the am. meeosdiet e lot ofpeople dent want L&HaoderSyndmme(Maxwll Several uf the 14 essayscollected here to hear it. And essnm~ u tbe& Macmillan, 375 pages,$2995 clods). Coren will be of interest only to the specialist.for something they dent want m hear, irk repcumthetdlereere~“lai”~~ exampleThomar McIlraithS dexriprion veryimportentthetwes8.~ it. l&iestolearfbrdwiilives-accidemse”d of rrnnsporation~tems in the lxx&r- d&se. Beceu tii ba right-handedworld lands horn rhe late 18th to rhe early 20th T~usJw~~~~LGahminenwayrsaym- (onlyroughlylOto15percentofusyeIdr- centuries, PeterMaerve’sdiscursionof written with BBltare Smith, ‘T&i rhe lmnded), lef&nded people mwt contend provincial and state responrw to boundary HomeoutofHonmphobia: Black Lesbian withnwhinwmdtoolsdesig”edFxdu water connuversies,end Laurence Heald$‘oneofmanymnuihwio”sto lig!ltha”ded. cxl%qw.“tl~ dq s&.r Seidenbergk treatise on recent “egotia- PiofMyHeart: ALesbianofColour “lore i”jutieJdIanri&t-he”dedpqlqxu- tiom heween Canada end the United Anthology (Sister vision, 393 page& ticuladyinaccidenrsr&ngtodrivi”g States regardingthe thefr of American $1995 paper), edited by Malt& Silvem. Lei&sarealsomnelikellrelytoJieofdisew television signalslq Canadian cable tele- TheT~mwhichGo~refers~of bxauseofpcarerinuounesysreManda course,lesbianism, and the “dq” she pmpensiryforinh&ingcertainmaladia, nwntio”sisthemejori~moralornot. As k&diigdiatetesacdallergies dutri&ties the subtitle indicates, this collection of do”ksuar~as~~“tlyOr~~~l~. poetryandproseisebautbourmoRrhanbeing Core”e”al~dlex.i%ui”so”ledetail B wonun-loving, woman-ident&d ~ingabsrmgeof~ticals”&stosup lsomeu It isabout beingswnend porr hisclaimr. coloorm!da wo”len who loveswomen, ButdapitethedepwingmeJsag+rhe _-- _...._. ___ i. A._~. ~.~ .~ hi___,

vision bmadcaa (easily rhe least pa-e \Meo rk Changing ujbrld is probably of b.lNE,t MARIARILKE’s paean toO+.us wblesmdyinthebook).There &how- limited intererr to the general reader. but writtm in 1923, celebrated rhe translorma- ever,muchhereminteresttbegeneral those who work with video-and espe- rive power intrinsic in the image of&is reader.Nombleareahistoricala”alysisby cially those trying to use video in conmu- tragic yet tmnscending gcd “Hail the Mii Schwartz ofso&sric move- nitydevelopment projects - will Rnd it spirit that may unite us I for vwily in mentsamongfatmersonbotbthsiderofrhe IZ.?lid. images we live:’ The way of image Rilke botd~andasmdybySharilherrillGraeeenti- honoured was not our way offestooning de&~ Myrholcgies: Ideas of our leisure with the Aadymadesofcellu- WestrandNorth!’ MOST REA~R(Swill approach loid entertainment or buying into slick Aldmugh Victor Kontad’scapable Christopher Ondaatje’s The Man-Eater visual enticements to cwsumerism. inu”d”ui”n5ervat”~tbia~ed of Punai (HarperColli”s, 208 pages, $35 Rarherir~Merd”poiesiu”luaacmr- wllection, irnvhere did 16nd a definition cloth) hoping $I some hint about the cept than a living pmces. BSexplored bv “f&at c”nstiD.lrea the ‘b”rdalands” impulses behind the author’s notoriously Stephen K. Levine in Poiesisz The S~Pral”ftheessagaarei”factc”mpala- mercurialcareer. As John Frasersays in LwgugeofPsychologyarx-ltheSpexh tive studies with only pa&tg tefetmce m his introduction, “Christopher Ondaatje of the Soul (Palmersron Press, 135 pages, tbeCa”ada-US border. Many ofthe con- is Bn of8cially controversial person.” $12.95 paper). a slim. moving v&me of wibu~howewr,dousetbe~a.ptof The book is a” account ofO”daatje’s hisown essaysandpoetry. thebordeda”dsardw.stslringpoinrha rear” to Sri Lanka to sate his curiosity A professor at York Uniw-sity in vigoroua”alysisofdIe~iarr about a man-eating leopanl. a much-sto- Toronto and one ofthe inauguramrs of Amer*anr&tionship.Inthewrdsof ried mwster that had haunted his child- ISIS-Canada. a training program in Shenill Grace, “the study of botd4a”d.s hood. The journey was &oOndaatje’s expressive-8”s theram, Levine defines cancatai”lyshowwvhntwesbare,how anempt to confront another demon - poiesis as a” integmting, trnnsformnrive wecametoshareit,andwhy!! his father’s strange self-destruction. activity we can engage in through creative, ANNE GIARDINI As such, it is understandably a self- “embodied thinking:’ using the human besotted book in which the author views imaginative capacity not to aboliish but to THEcaEcnoNoferPaysVideothe the minutiae ofthe past and the trivia of ~“srnute the suEeri”g of the mul into the Changi”gWorld (Black&se, 228 pages, the present as vastly important elements wine of nwrishing meaning. In this co”- $3795 &&$I895 paper), edited by in his journey. Ondaatje recalls his boy- tea theexpressivewts (vi.4 music. NancyThedeandAiainAmbmsi,lmks hood in Sri Lanka and his school days in drama. moven~e”~ and writing) are “ot primatilyatrheuesobvide”byThird England with a frankness that is unnerv- about aesdwics. but rather envisioning \%ddc”nlmunti~a”~~ ing and faintly risible. He was B “fig” (a andcreatingadequate-zmdsametimes dleitreas”“s~usingthetghnologKdle servant to older boys) in his public elcquent -containersforouranguish debatesandpmblemsthavearisen, Mhool and, he claims, a fine cricketer. that enable us to “imagine ourselves more andtheirauemptstodenmuatizevide” His father was a laconic ma” with a de&‘and finally joyfully project our p and t&km te&mk sharp temper who eventually became sibilities into lik. Thaeseemsmbewmethi”ghingabouc unstable. The civil war that rage in Sri Levine shows how arts rhempies relate videothatmakespeoplewi” Lanka as the author ambles through it to Western philosophical, sociological, k+Ti”thinepc¶“ode”+go”,a”dVii remains nothing more than an irritating and ~ycbological theories and have dxir tke.ClumgPlg~kiisunfo~ly”o background noise. These are the truths roots in shamanic pracrice. And rhere are exceprirm;itis”@cessaymwadetbmugh we glean from the text and the ear”w doors in his \*nrlt dwough which readers a” a&l lotofacademic v&i to get to captions to the tourist-type pho- from all walks of lii can enter, not just rhelittlehardn4ggesrsof~lexperi- tograFhs. academicians or therapisrs. Levine xcom- e”ceMcstofdIecontibuto~i”~ct,are A climax ofsorts is reached when plies a” integrated, whole. and mov- FkstWoddacademicsami”dewlop”vznt” Ondaatje arrives at the place where the ingly human work by prcgressi”g quite vorlrersButtheconcretecxpeIie”cc5perienast man-eater was finally shot. It is alsoat seamlesrlg -co”siderinpdxx this book is dogetrelwdareintaai”gandvalwble. this point that he reveals the truth he a quilt ofseperare pieces - into an unob- DebbiiBrix.boi&saccouofdxcre- has learned about his father’s rapid rmsive demonstration of the power of ationofInuirDelevisio” innordwm decline. The problem for the reader is poieris. Caada, and rhi pmjec& suteequent sab- that Ondaatje invests this climax with a “wby~~lgo vanmew is impor- great deal more seriousness than it war- tantreading,andthesevemlxccuntsof rants. In fact the entire hook. utterly ha”dxnwd&?psi”Afr*aa”dLati” lacking in irony or wit, giver greater America are interesting, tbougb sketchy; weight to the author’s inner turmoil aga~wehearmoreabout dIedvaries than it possesses. A cynic ca” only con- being illusuated than about what really clude “so what?” happaedorwhatwsmallyproduxd. EN 1 SPEAK,or d-&k ofspeak- issobeautifullydesigned, ing,nowlcanheamymi John Clementxni~ illus ws+ciigitright&er!“This is mxions are so vibrant, my three-yearold daughter, Brett, telling and the nine stories so me.somethiiamsring.Here’sthe~~t”f irreverent and primal theconwrsacion, staning with my reply: that a parent who pays “G”od,yowmhearyowselfthi! $18.95 will probably want (L”tIgptI”.%Z&.&iSp&.t0 m keep it on her MH~ her) shelves. It even has a ‘%tonlygi&mindsspeak~ dust-jachr that mirrors “Oh...whatdobays’mir&d”~’ it3 shiny boards under- ‘Nothi”~ They just thi& neath. Imlly”&iitO”p”tl”U~“UX3t Thiimid. 1admire the abouteight newchiire.n’s books because book enough m have Bra’s diitinction betwzen thiiing and ignored the pmmotionsl speaking is am&d one, perhaps, for jwlg- guidanceasmage level, ingsuch publication as rhese (Ha and have begun I” read notion ofgenderdiitinctions with regmd one smry each Friday m &iii...well...l’lI “think” about rhat morning m Brett and her elsewhere --presumably without ‘speak- nurser+ &rub when 1do i&mmy&.) my Participating Paxnt Thisspmking&nkingc”nve~ti”n stint. We’ve begun a remindsmeofhow”aspoo&lofs”ga? mural on which, at&r wa5bupposedm%lpthemedicineg” rhey hear a smq rhey down”-‘ulinking’beingthemedicine, draw the animals and give fmm How the Animals Got Their Colom and%pcakim$beingthe.sugar.The.tmu- thrmtheircnlours. bleisthateachdecade5childrenend up Gyote. that ‘Mr. W~guy” who loves worn& life experiences to be published in haviimopentheirmout~rnew to eat goose, ha thrown his eyes inm the Cree with an English trandati”n, under me&ii BPwell as new s\pgtenels. True river. “nly to have them rmlen ty gew. the title ~oraci&- conristency resides “nly ill the “se “flan- Now he has yellow eyes fnrever because he uuuuiOur Gmndm”rherr’ L.&s. As Told in guageit&Nomatcerhnmuchth”ught had to put cactus flowers inm his empry TheirowtWZdS. goesinmspeakiiofw t social con- so&a. Otherwise. how would he ever This book deserves t” be quoted for its cems,chiirenloveordismisssmriesbaxd find thme laughingpese!Thenexrweclt, rich. rvtitive. enthusiastic rhythms of mhowheysound,howtheykxk country people get turned into hogs recorded speech-and for how these F”rthwreas”“s,Ich”oSedure tecwse they wait share their pond-water have been preserved in translation: lavouites6omthe.pilecfbc&infmntof with an incognitogcddess. (How many me.Amagingofvisualand exmal greencray”rE.can I find!) As we were waking up uh, my little vi~andanabsenceofsweerenasor Freda Ahenakew and H. C. W&m sister had badly swollen feet since she preach&s, hap caused these three m rise have edited and translated wanisinwak had cut herself. And in the old days, m the su&ealmmton theirown. iskwesi&Lo Little Girls Lost in the of course. all you had I” mar was HowtheAtSmalsGotTheirColon Bush-A Cree Story for Children (Filrh fhur-sacking- slips made from that &ester FaMii 48 pages, $18.95 House. 40 page. $14.95 cloth), ils told b kmd. and hmssiere for your breasts cloth), by Michael Rwen, has only one NehiyauKIecia Bear and illustrxed by was also made 6um that kind, from thiiwmngwith ie notice the price.. Jerry Whitehead. The prelkce states that fluwsacka rhar kind wu all you had Althoughthisbookisfagessixandu~it thisstory is pn “f% larger collection of 1” wear. Then I said to my little sister, . .

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“I will take offmy slip and bind your find ow what he duts each month wrh expressions chat are inarprered licerally in feerwithi~Isaidtohr.Ands”I the single live lohrrer he buys. Ewryrhmg the amwk. Aunr Flqdle has a green took &my slip and core it in half and leads I0 rhii one mble. if uncoulred. pdl: chumh She rums blue when she’s blue and then wrapped her feet up with it. plays a fiddle when she’s fir as a fiddle. Her &ends. slippmp mu” the night, are seen Suchlrpetkion, coming right kom the sliding p~~car~wsly off the pap. The hip mowhasitdoes,semns tometobeoneof l&cured. absurd illusmri”m are the main rhegreatsueng&ofthe”mluadiiicns amaction. and kids will enjoy rhe discrep whenthey areused inchildrrnk litmamre. ancy between u-hat “livmg hiih offthe Casiihowchildlove&aii hog’*acrually meam wmpared with how ir suchdialogueastheabov”seemstoc& irrepresenred. themthe plez3wes”frepetili”n inacrys ‘Talkiti’ and’thinkin$ unite in a tale, yer fundamental form. pragmatic way, I suppee in My First 100 Iwisbfidlythi&chat,wirhsuchdual Fraxch Wxdr (McClelland & Srewarr. EXK&h~~S”Xdl~lEWithCE unpaginared.$l295 clorhl.This ka 0n”““sk&mdEnglll”“dx0dIcr Aunt Fred Is a Witch (Second Srory, study ‘)-&the-rah word ba#’ in which a wuld be a good idea unpagimxed, 65.95 pperj, by Rachna full-pagesceneofapark ora home isfaced MythirdfavouritelsMaqnGodfreyb Gilmore_maybewfulasad&nking hyil~ofiamsfnrmtheb~erpicrure. ~ItOKIfThiSMonsb%S~S~ device blame, as IISride indicates it has Pull rhr rah a the balm. and the v.wds Lunch? (0dord, 32 pages, $7.95 paper). somefun mcklb@at”ld poin~~hat-an& under the picrureschange hum English “3 with illurtrarions by SusanWdkirason. Pve broomrrick caricatulr: charm blinds wr French. The hook has no author. no alw&nthisonemn”x-sqschooland children cooahistory dappalliq -L n-led irouc the u&shed, wnky allitem- violence by church and stare tionofthetw\nasabighi~Liscenbr againsr HOmen he&x and )%nus&w eccentrics. &It, hey, &ii is 3 6mny hook, and Chum Tkmmy was nrrlbly tiny and wore a M&x& illustrations are s+ed rorn, weed, too-righrT-shirr. She aaionshwarriked a&s wirh had a black boot with a buckle on benrdca-frames and lowfred. onefootandabluebootwirhabell Aunt Fred has red hair, and on the ocher. She kqe a slimy slug “witch” is acmally an acronym named Sloopy i” the pocket ofher of her hdl name: Winifred lnez purple.po1kadorpam.s. Tam Chowiry Hoganh! A necklace ofgarlic cant prorex Th”y”ungglIllintiSt”+&~W~ Fred’s niece, L&la. fmm her webdohomeforlunchevqday”fche aunr’s infectious capacity fur week,onlytobetoldbywhofchemem- fun. As Fred says, “I ger so rival bersinherfamilytharuoUs,gremlll ofpeople telling mew act my diiulwpacec and mons~ls age, dent you?’ maydainirelynotsrayforkmch.When, The only message Jarin L onSundqshemeeesMichaelab”ywith Marmn wants to pass abng in dadcskln,andabobwithimh”mebr Am&$ Celebiation (Annick, Fran Aunt Fred Ir a Witch hlnch,herfamily~swhyMiil ““paginand. 3 1595 cloth. $595 bUUl”trhe~~bdC8?R&~S~. humour, and the f&page scenes v&d Becauaechisbookdealswirhracism,ir perhaps l-e “we inrerestmg if they had doesbekmglnthe%iinlring’cangnKthe small narmriw elcmrnrsdraw into rhem. “medicb#categ”q. Burltsexuhemnr As ahvays with books that have moving xv&&e, and itrtangential, almost pares the usefulnw of rhir reaching to”1 wcatcdwyofgrringirspoincacr”s6isa will depend upon rhe dumhilily d its tabs. lormorefunrhaniris’kweer”orpreachy. Bur then. in a way,all books could he HughMacD”nakJkCh”ngLeceeLans said to have moving parts. I rhink as 1 rum L4lhster(Annl,unpaginated,$l4.95 grim% Familiar pages for Brew at h&me cloth, $4.95 paper), ills byJohnny Once io a Blue Moon (Oxford. 32 once again. And as she grabs my lapel m W&s,ischesmryofttqswh”blkm~ pages. $7.95 pep& by Nicola M”rgmx is pull herrelf higher in order to see rhe pic- anoldmantotheharbwin just good “Id nonsense and fun. The smry rwe bener. ir occurs to me rhar we all Ch&Ketown, Prince Edwxd Island, to ofAunt Floyd% is mid by way of figwaive depend q-wn rhedurahiliry ofour uk. 0 _ _... --. ~. ” ~_-_-~~.-~- .---.

EsFm~na,~sayingofanum~ofthe oloRcoNelva- pamdigmatic Gothic-symbolist poems from the first, and while t rive elememx in poesy todq the range of possibilities heremotional range has broadened. especially towards a biting ID, rrmainsaswideasever.Irh~rhisislorrheberr.and black humour, and the autobiographical allusions have become amwddenedbysucha-petonegatepoeticproliferarionas both somewhat less privately symbolic and more humorously coy Gary Geddes’sautocmtic removal ofconcrete poesy kom the the boric Gothic main remains strong. Thus, in the new poems, thirdediti~ofT~~C~P~~rmdPoericr,anacrrhat the protagonist of”Here It Comes-Grief’s Beautiful BlowJob’ deni~dmorerhanOOyearsofpa~nandmncrrtepoerrlrOf r&s through various forms ofsexual assault only to reitemte &&anadiititers who have kept this particular Uame burn- that “it didnt even hurt I/ not the way it hurt to be I loved lesd’; ing, John Riddell and David W have bath publii nifty books I’ve got a feeling there are many battered women who would dis- recently RiddellkE clips E (Undmvhich, 108 pages, $9.95 paper) agree. Musgmve has made her reputation BJa ptic witch, and isLllofnewformsoficotqmphictex~ madebyshredding.over- TheEmbuhnefsAncanonly enhance that view ofherpceny. painting,anddeployingdiite.nttypes~ allofwhiih make text LeonaGomh~crraDedaMnld~rentrepurarionfurher apainterly pmposition. A visual d&it, it continually teases us poetry over the years. gaining a wide readership for her wittily real- withporentialmeaninga.well,andsuggaDrhatrhereareeMr istic memories ofgrowing up on a nor&em farm and eventually more pcssibilitiesofplaya new methodsofprcduaion arise. escaping to the bii city, her sly interrogations of male-female I&- DaviiULrsHighc:selectedsmmd&viiulPoems 196 tionships, and herdeeply moving archival digs at the haught rite of 1983 (undenvhii 71- $1795 paper) is a lovely rewspec- the hmily Gom has always been a narmtive poet, even in her tiveofW$wxkinvarioos medii inclodii some silkscreen tip shortest. tncst clearly imagist poems. and in recent years she has inr.Wpraeriseradagicartasop~edroRiddellSmore turned to novel writing; tlw it is not surprising to find her telling mmamicefons.?hev.wkheretaoges6omtypewriterpoems usthat The Collected Poems &noNi 274 pages,Sl7.95 paper) thmoghslyeollages topurelypicmtial texts. They will startle and “will (although paem have said tbii before and lied) be my last delight, temindiitaden (viewers) of the childlike joy they book ofpoet$lt o&s agenerous &ction from all her previous once took from simple textwe before it became texts. ~.plustwonewpoem, thelalrer factirrelfassuongarcsra- ment as possibletbatshe is not lying. Asall herprevious Lx& are nowoutofprinSTkCdlecrsdP~ldkrsagoodoverview ofthis poet5 realiitic and compassionate. humorous and humane, pxnx. .%I& K&en, who also has mmething of a farm background, wxlcs a similar emotional landscape in her narmtive sequences. In Violence and Mercy (Ncthedandic I IO pages $9.95 paper), her second txmli. the poems arent necessan ‘Iy anecdotal, but the connection throughout each sequence are essentially those of story. The secdom respond to teaching school, growing up es ao immigmnt, being hospitalized, travelling through the Par East, reading ofwar and battle in news reports or the Bible, and viewing the recentexhibitionofda Vinci’sdmwings. Klarsenharagwd eye for derail. and in&s that the imagination must tutor the eye. 1prefer her visions to her sermons as when, instead of telling us how hard it is to write a poem aboutJesus she finishes a poem about how her mother rried to carve her Emily history in the old cowmy by showing what she knew in her own new place: In the “other poem$ bewailing anomiz isolation, human destruction of the whales and perhap the whole eccsystetn of Earth. she still insists that “we only keepgoing”and “that the world is round / humiliv is endlar, and it raitx” and Sat we are simply real:‘These poems are almat toa eager to share the pain: a romantic rhetoric dueaalus t” undermine their spiriwal politics But their cry demands attention, just like the writing on the walk. JoanneAt~uevolreranorherkinJofpin.rhem”rrprsonal s&ring&hildten indy&wionalfamilier. in manyofthevms LdWd~ofGi.lhood(~Gang,96~$9.50paprj.~rfi~t collection. The title piece is a series &mall pnx takes in the third prron,&monswtinghourchildishlmsginarionpmvidesejcap horn theattacks thatmmehwn withinand withoutthefamily: it achieves just de rightdistance. Not all rhe ptxms &at folluw man- ~rhazartheyaaemptturalreuri~~ami~darnlbhraving domestic honors and ~nnounting dxm. ifonly in the writing. Amott~contml ~sMnerima,anduKlallyt~~thederrimenrofa peris literarysincerity, but whenshe understatesand fir& the rightimagerdxtdoalj rheworlcon theirown. thesepoemshum witharighteowangerthatforcesa re&rtowspandThmugh pwmrrharwn~“tthesexuala~obherownchildhoal,Arnorr

mowsto poems celebrating her“vm modwhaxl in all itssocial and psycholo&al dif?kuhy. “Umbilicus” is SF&+ interesti”g, becaweitslaterfbnnal revision in’ReprSaffinns’!aom- ansrrmgrh”br/ondSit”pkiwrand~BU~~sheSUggestS.dl~ e-of these poems isessentially fwlkd by rage. and itcanbum:

~~IJyouwrentikfdog instead ojmyfah, how mmly times udd I y m befriendyou. be~mshwtingpu&m?~~

Kim Monissey chooses a famous fictional protagonist through whom to explore the wounds of child abuse in For Men Who Dteam of L&a (Caeau. 8Opegw $995 paper). “I am the Book of Dolores 8. Hare:' says this anwet to L&a. “I come with a curse!’ Especially for the men rhe title isolates. Mottiwy follow the given otq but this time it is Dolores who gets ro tell it. and her w.tsion darkens further and removes the comedy from the version of”Mr. Humbert Squated.” But Mart&y’s Dolores is strong, and the poems do not whine; they simple tender a stunning taking of innocence in the cool. controlled kn- gage of rhe survivor:

~~andrwwir’rrhemmah lhem”ulhandlhet”ngue presscd&um to lhefainr rmdl”fse”~~

~~by DOUGLAS HILL~~

lium a lack ofvimli~ A ficrionalimion of her fonmda ptcduces a predictable hour or rheencounrersbenvecnapairofburnt~our mu of light enrenainment. thiiish buddies. brick and Peter. and an Robert MacNeil. rhe wellknown elderly New Age guns Garth Xavier, ir broadcar journalist. has higher ambitions neverriss tothe exhilarating heightsof IUI for Burden of Desire (Doubleday 466 admimal model, &e nanarives ofCarlo+ pages, $27.5Ocl”rh). a mainstream hisrori- Cast&da. The writing is occasionally cal romance VI against the backdropof humorws but new gripping, and Moon me 1917Halibx Exploaron. And he real- has the irritating habit ofinrerfering with izes mosr of them, this is an intelligent and hisdialogue:chamcrersconstandyray energmic novel. with a saris&m&n&y things”lamel$“lighd$‘“kindlyYmeekl~ ofscenic derail and human emotion. lfrhe '!avawingly."Thircan lead mclunkers: nxnanric tangles ar the hean of rhe hook “‘Two thousand layers-holy d&o”!’ depend on an inrerkxltmg xriej nicoinu- Theadvenweisfullofadolescentcw Peter commented wonderingl$ dencer brsr Ieli unexamined, no macw monsofchamaerandiociien~andthe For all its novelisric thinness_ the book such sr~~rural device never stopped the wiringconcainsenoughof&ncesagains~ has considerable rherapeuric rubstance. Vicmrian novelists. gmmmar,uage#J~~uncruation,andgma, Ma ofthe documenmtion ofpersonal and MacNeil has done hlx research care- demomlii an entire high school English gmuphealingprocejs- which, to be fair. is Tully,and his alenr fur panoramic narra- depamnentOolyama5ochistwuklread what Moon really cares abar- rings mx, rivesem him well. Historical figures dIiib”&.Chlly~S&tU&3~t” and ar rimes can be quite &ccing. The (Robert Borden, J. W. Morrice. Ernesr reviewir.I’Ujoscquoteoneeadysencaxe: basicmewgeisrharowlivesareinour Jones) intema with ficrional characrers; ‘l-l”ldii”urch&skerwirhonehand conuol; we need not be napped in our pBliL the rhemer of the book -the terrible aodhokiiiupherwhiagwirh L*emanyself-helpbwksT~P~~“~~ blundering carnage of the Grea War. con- anothe~,hwanda~fee~s~ed Gifr will seemsimplistic m modr readers. but mnwswr over nearing manal illness. the fmm”nest”net”thenext?Matersd” 1 rhink ir will be illuminating to anyone emerging emphasis on sexualiry m human notimprove. primed for &Cal insight. developmenr - are built up in siuxions [email protected], JoanHallHovey’&scentothe and discusions tha while occasionally $1495 paper), by W C Sellara w.lls iti tale shadows (Zebra Books. 32op3ge-x $550 stagy. are seldom triviahzing. snaigh&xwardl~ but tire.. nor much tale paper)isamw+makergenren”vel:rhe Bun&n OfDesire is”populor” ficnon in co rell The rime is 1965; rhe nanaror, categoty is mmanric suspense. The aahor. the same sense char the work ofPierre RalphPrase.r,isaNe&mdlan&b”m fromNewBmnwick.sersher& inasea- Bert”” and Peter Newman is “popular’ T”mnt”bosineaman wh”renlm5m side town (Maine, perhaps) wirh dx usual history. If ir wont find &our with litwary lab& where he waked in buelliince suspects: rhe heroine. Katie Summers. a critics. it will n”nerheksJ appeal r” a wide inth&CC¶dY&ki~,VGHr,rorenew late-blooming artist who supports herself by general readership. MocNeil knows how acquaincancesaod soln * l&ova punle working in a coffee-shop; rhe ambiguously to write srrong and confdenr prmo how aboueawanimeplaneuashandamysteri- amactive, “boyiihly har&ome” lawyer, m mow a stow and how m flesh out ora& ousGermansubmarioe.Therekasmry Drake &din; rhegenrl+ mrmenmi py tics with vividly ima~mned incidenrs. Sure, here, but the 8cti”nal whniques are mdi- chiiois~ Jomxhan Shea (“wide shoulders eve+ody and everything’s a bit larger Inenay: the plot is thin, the nanative snainingagainsrrhesofrcamel wxlofhis than lik, but rhere’senoughwirringdnma pwwzdgy,andthedii~aiffand blazer@‘).who oea~ Karieaftera shocking and nobility dchamcmrm compenwre. improbable. Good inrenrions, maybe bur accidenr.cnesaryew?wlcceeds III lx rurpri.5edifa TV mini+eries rloernt anunsatisfyingre.ad. another, and rhe implausibiliries ofplot and follow; 1mean no slur. Ch&o&erMo&shomdidaccic motive mourn owardsilliness But all The Afterlife of George Cartwright nowL-fllePow.r”ftheGik(Rllesm& worksourfarhe besr. and whocaresabour (McClelland 6r Srwarr. 296 pm $16.95 124~$1295papr),likewisesuflers loose ends? Howy writes comperendy, and paper). by]“hn Srefller. 1sin rhr historical

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mode, too hut II nrnz IO remvent. nut and character for the reader. hut his nana- repmduce. The real Grrqe Canwright tiye devices nwer ~,htnnie. ( 173~1819). &ran undistm~lshed mlh. In St&x’s hands_ Cxtwright’r human ta~ycareer, fintsaile.4 IO Newfoundland in significance is a capacity br dream and 1768. Two yean later he went hack. ITIet wonder joined to unfiwwd motives and up a tradingenterpnu m Lahctd~v: hl> uncrnam prmuplra. He ~ssimukaneously adventurer there brm the Im;lllinative enchantal hy the cxpenence of the New centte of St&l&s huok. &i 17i9 World and bewildered hy it. Adrilrupon Cartwright w finished. h&en and htsmry; rdr. he hcu lmrs an exemplar of broke; he wuld live out ha remammti ma& ahdny to brtch ha upprmumties daysquietly in Nottmghnmrhre. Hr left through ~nexc~s~~iamhinun: thenovel behinda journ (addingsin mxagmrrl suggests clearly that this ISnot a hiling years to the record). some place-names m pecuhart~~dre 18th ccntuty He isone of Labrador, and enmgb unansuwed ques “them:’ and yet nlw one of us. tions t& 3 nwrl. Tk .Afdif~ C$C;S~ i:anuqht MIX Sreffler II an xcomplirhed poet; what wxh natur.d history xnd folkbrr. Scenes seems to have drawn i-urn to thla project of horror -filth, ru~%nng. the crimes oi arcthe challenges in structure and lan- European c~~kx~catux~- xe set against guage it presented. Happily he mreu~ and the monnumamd L~hndor landzxap: “the sum~ounts them with gwd saw and sb awer~w. rhr skudr hxh. a nbbed greatskill. Hedevwsa kind uftlmc-warp vault in opal and rlate-blue spanning the “... destined to become a to bring his hem poignantly mto the pre- whnlc earth. the air kneath clear m rhe sent day, and intenveaw &wright’s nm llfthr black. flattened hills, the black, I doubt Canadian classic. words, historical accounts, and lxs own flattened sea.” Anchwd m the past, the there’s another Canadian novel descriptions and meditations mto a rich hwk never &IF like a period pece. in English, all of Hugh fictional tapestry of the past. None of this Steffler has raken the dry stuff uf history MacLeman included, that can manipulation is at all heavphanded; and made ofit ax&h, thoroughly offer as clear a Janus-eyed vision of our two European Stelllersmcad~ly w&r time and place enprc&ngcontemporary novel. 0 founding cultures.” -Globe & Mail

~~6‘. . . a brilliant first work of fiction guaranteed to shake up the Canadian literary scene.” -Now Magazine~~

g6... unforgettable . . . a deft and incisive portrait of women of two very different generations . . . a remarkably gifted first novelist.” - llfontreal Gazette WIIH SPRUNGin the air, Can WrS hncy turns to the runrful. Imagine. iiyuu will. a CanLit tide made into a musical comedy and then prowde an appropriate song or two VOICE-OVER is an loom its score - “Ivan. Ivan. Make Up Your Mind” tiom the murud version of imaginative feat almost Dortoyevsl$s The Bmtken khmmn;nv is the wtt oi thing we have in mind. The prize is uncanny in its intensity.” 825. and entries should k sent to Can Wit No. 165. &ks in Canada. 33 Cmpr St.. -Rosemary Sullivan, Second Floor. Tommu. On M5V 2M3. Thedeadline isjuly 31. author of By Heart Results of Can Wit No. 163 WEWEREdeliphted with thedelugeofentr~esspxked hy nursall61r humorous. near.miss Now a National Bestseller! versions of CanLit clasws. Acwrding m the ch

~~,,.I By Fred Shape~~

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TTET35 ixxzzi 0. Naked-by-choice person ?j-izx?ix= G. Going out of fashion %-iKiziiiiiF?ii~i5i p. Sk Wilfred _, madlcal ~Yi&i75ii7&XXiii missionary iicTm (1. Made empty C. GeorgeCatalan _Poems authorof7’he _------88 18 es IO 50 ,111 4( IdO -5 Ft. Borders Ontario. Manitoba. TiT T w x x x s x and Minnssota (4 wds.) D. Fawning follDwem ixiiTX5i7iizi

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G. PalntsrJsck_ ----IR I4 109 36 ----I.54 183 14 II U. Landed a fish, aided by pole ?iT x %- x T F H.’ experfence”: KF7T3EKFiz practicaltraining (2 wds.) V. ;;# a$vid Cronenberg -1.x - II -1w -IY -182 - 84 - FJ iii I. Graphic artist Pitseolak - XX~~%ix?~

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~~M. Member of pacifist, i=xTY~~Xi575- German-apeatdng sect z by ALEC McEWEN.~~

MISH WRITING. Although the NORMITY,EWXMOUSNFSS. A condition is that, at the time ofher 1992 edition of The Canadian ?‘resr Vancouver editor. in an article that child’s death. the mother’s mind was dis- St#ook is mainly intended to IE appeared in pmqgroeh magazine, jus- turbed. either hum the e&cts ofgiving help journalists and editors, it provides tifiably complained that thespellingsof birth to the child or from the consequent a useful tehtence soutce for anyone Englii classical pets had been &ted to lactation. Even if the mother’s mind is interested in good writiw Among the the American form in a modern anthol- not proved to have been disturbed. how- few criticisms that the book deserves is ogy. In hi view the resulting inconsism.ncy ever, she may still be convicted unless it

its te151salto accept the modern use of was’%adlysurprisinggiven rheenonniry is established that her act OF omission gender as an alternative for sex. It is true of the task.” Although many grammarians was not wilful. charge&r relates strictly to nouns and insist that enormity means outrage, not pronouns, not to humans, planol, and large site, it is commonly used in eilher of N THETREADMILL. GmadEqxm, a animals, and that exptesaions like gen- dux senses. The main objection to such federal government publication, da gap and genderequnlity ate ungram- dual wage isthepcaibilityofambiiity. A 0 carried a laudatory item about matical applications. Yet the word sex, tektence to the enormity ofa building. for prosperous Costa Rica and the foreigrr in the sense ofsexual activi& is now so example might suggest drat it is huge_ or investment opportuniti~ it offers. As a widespread that genderhas almost onsight orboth. Enormousness is group ofcitizens living under a private inevitably teplaced it for the descrip rejected b sane audwrities as being unla- enterprise, l?ee-market system. the coon- tion of male ot female categories. miliar, even awkward. Yet rhere are other t$s middle claa issaid to be’%mdy on Gender can no longer be surmnarily dis- synonyms, such as immensity and vat- rhe economic ttead mill of&e global missed, as it was in Fowlet’s Modem ness. that could be used instead, without economy!’ Since dw figurative use of& English Usage, as a blunder ot a joculat- causingmisunderstandingorconfusion. mill implies a dull, monotonous life rhar ity. Canadian Press also displays some Canadian dictionaries tend to confine the seems to be going nowhere C&a Ricab inconsistency in ira forms of spelling. It meaningofenonnitymmonstmus middleclassappeaxtobe &enviable favours Labor Party, not L.&w Party, wickedness orgmssdeviation from the than the writer tally meant to suggex. for the British political organization, acceptable standard. simply because its own normal style is UST IN TRANSLATION. There ira k&r. The irrationality of this alter- NFANTICIDE:To illustrate the occur- tale, perhaps apocryphal. that ation of a ptoper noun may be seen tence of child deaths by culpable IL when an English speaker quoted from the fact that wheteas aluminum is I homicide in Toronto, the Globe and “The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh the preferred North American spelling, Mail cited tw recent killings: one of a is weak” at the United Natioru. the a major Canadian producer of that girl by her father’s common-law wife, and Russian translation appeared as ‘The commodity is Alcan Aluminium the otherofa boy by hi babysitret. Both vodka is good but the meat is muen! In Limited, a corporate name that can deaths were incorrectly described as the Glok and Mail’s report of a museum’s only be properly spelled in that man- infanticide. a crime in which, according recent acquisition of Mata Hari’s scrap net. A minor quibble concerns the use to the newspaper, the killer is usually a books, the adopted name ofthe seductive of bracketed metric equivalents for parent, ‘and that parent is usually the Dutch-Javanex spy is translated as”+ imperial distances. where the example mother!’ Neither of the TWOdeaths was of the morning!’ Although eye (mare) of “Canada’s ZOO-mile (320-kilomette) infanticide. for under Canadian law that the day (heri) is a bener literal mmsla- fishing limir” is in error. By interna- crime can be committed only by a tion. the everyday meaning of the tional convention, the widths of all mother. h$zmici&, whichcarriesa pun- expression is the sun. The Malay lan- maritime zones, including coastal fth- ishment of up to five years imprison- goage uses the ward mara in a variety of ing areas. are defined in terms of nauti- ment, applies only where a mother’s sil- c&n&l compounds. ofwhich two eel miles, not statute miles, so the cot- lul act M omission caused the death of other examples are mnra marn (all eyes) rect metric conversion is 370 her child who was born alive and who for police &cer, and am& mata (eye kilomettes. died before its Rrst birthday. A further child) foroptic pupil. 0

--_.. .- - .- ___I ----- I.The entrant must be afull time undergraduatestudent at aCanadian univer- exceed 2500 words; a poetry entry may contain up to two poems with a ri or communi college; employees of BOOK CITY or BEDFORD HOUSE maximum of 2500 words in total. P 8 MSHIHG and 1.t err familim may not enter. 4. Entrants agree to permit one-time publication in BOOKS IN CANADA. 2. Please suppl with entry: Name, home address and phone number, uni- verrityorco fylegeaddress and phone number,student identification num- 5. The decision of the judges is final. Winners will be announced in the ber. Ho entries will be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self- October 1992 BOOlt5 IN CANADA. addressed envelope with suffident postage. 6. Entries must be postmarked no later than July 15. I992 and should be 3. Eachstudent may submit one entry per catego~.5hortfictionrhould not addressed to:

STUDENT WRITING AWABDS, BOO115 IN CANADA, 33 DBAPEB STREET, SECOND FLOOR, TORONTO, ON PI511 2M3 Here is a wonderful celebration of the harvest season and the family farm on the Canadian prairies. Following one family, the book captures in exceptional colour photographs all of the many activities during the 1991 harvest on a typical prairie farm.

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POEMS for MEN who A CELIBATE SBASON DREAM of LOLITA byGzml Shiekis & BlandrrHoumni byKimMs* An entertainin& inteIlllt and witty collaborariveepisto~aryovelabout Thmughfemlolstreexamlnatlon, the breakdown of traditional roles, playwrl htand poetKim Monissey rules, and communication in a redalms 6N at&&s “Lollta” asa marriage. survivor of child sexual and emotlonalabuse $14.95 pb ISBN l-55050-0244 6Zl.95 cl ISBN 1-55050-0304 $9J5pb ISBNl-55050-029-5

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