[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[Barrister]

I know who Margaret Atwood is, but I have thankfully avoided ever reading any of her books.

My plug for CanLit is to suggest Viper read some early Douglas Coupland.  Or in the alternative (and in a totally different style) some Mordecai Richler.

And of course - Pierre Burton's history of the Klondike Gold Rush.

[crazy canuck]

I know who Margaret Atwood is, but I have thankfully avoided ever reading any of her books.

This is one of the oddest things I have ever seen you post.  Why are you "thankful" you have not read one of her books?

[Josephus]

Especially when he encourages Richler, who I don't think is better.

If we're on the subject of Can Lit (and we should perhaps change the Subject heading to: All Things Canadian) I recommend Timothy Findley.

[Grey Fox]

Have any of you guys ever read about by a french Canadian Author?

[Josephus]

Have any of you guys ever read about by a french Canadian Author?

Yes.

In English. I read that famous short story about the Hockey Sweater. Roch Carrier. I read his book La Guerre Yes Sir which I really liked.

I also read Louis Hemon's Maria Chapdelaine. There may be others. I took three Can Lit courses in university so there was an awful lot.

[Malthus]

Have any of you guys ever read about by a french Canadian Author?

Yup. I like me some Yves Beauchemin. He wrote The Alley Cat  (Le matou).

Another favorite is Yves Meynard, who wrote The Book of Knights.

I assume all Quebec authors are named Yves ... 

[Martinus]

Isn't it the mayor's brother she's going up against...a guy who says he's never heard of your aunt? Maybe if he spent more time in libraries as a kid instead of the candy shop. I mean like her or not, she's not exactly an obscure Canadian novelist.

He didn't say he never heard of her, just that he wouldn't know her if he saw her. Ain't much better, but it's different

Not much better?  There are all kinds of authors that I've read extensively whom I wouldn't know in person.

For example. Grrum looks like a fat bum.

[Martinus]

Have any of you guys ever read about by a french Canadian Author?

Yup. I like me some Yves Beauchemin. He wrote The Alley Cat  (Le matou).

Another favorite is Yves Meynard, who wrote The Book of Knights.

I assume all Quebec authors are named Yves ... 

Maybe it means "Writer" in French.

[Martinus]

I know who Margaret Atwood is, but I have thankfully avoided ever reading any of her books.

This is one of the oddest things I have ever seen you post.  Why are you "thankful" you have not read one of her books?

He is a conservative. They usually treat their ignorance as something to be proud of.

[Malthus]

For non-Canadians of course it will be different, but I truly find it difficult to believe that any Canadian even slightly media-aware could not know what my aunt looks like - she's made herself a very public persona here and her face is in the news commenting on this or that with some regularity.

[Grey Fox]

Neil is semi-right. She looks like you.

[Martinus]

I admit (but not "thankfully") that I've always wanted to read a book by her but never got around to do so. I have been thinking about "Handmaid's Tale" (which is probably her most best known book) but then I fear I would find it extremely depressing. I don't enjoy reading dystopian stories.

[Malthus]

I admit (but not "thankfully") that I've always wanted to read a book by her but never got around to do so. I have been thinking about "Handmaid's Tale" (which is probably her most best known book) but then I fear I would find it extremely depressing. I don't enjoy reading dystopian stories.

Don't read A Handmaid's Tale if you don't like depressing dystopias. 

I quite enjoyed The Blind Assassin myself.

Though my favorite for personal reasons Moral Disorder, which contains the short story The Labrador Fiasco which is a thinly disguised story about my grandfather's decline and death - I found it very moving.  [The other stories are also thinly disguised stories about my family's odd history, but I identify with them less, as they mostly refer to stuff that happened before I was born].

[Drakken]

My plug for CanLit is to suggest Viper read some early Douglas Coupland.  Or in the alternative (and in a totally different style) some Mordecai Richler.

I can already hear Viper gagging by this thought.

Most French Quebecers that have even heard of Richler would prefer to eat shit Salò-style than read his works. He has a bad reputation here as a Frog-hating jackass, did some dubious interventions on the whole French language issues in the late 80s and early 90s, and collectively we weren't exactly sad when he passed away.

In Quebec, Mordecai Richler is seen as a reminder of the "Speak White" attitude of a passed era, whether it is deserved or not.

Then again, Céline was a French collaborationist and an anti-semite, doesn't stop him from being a great author. So maybe Viper can dissociate Richler the author, from Richler the asshole.

I liked "Open Secrets" by Alice Munro in my English Literature class. So there, another suggestion.

[Grey Fox]

Damn Straight. May Richler burn in hell!