A pen-pal friend of mine has inquired about a go to list for Canadian fiction. If you were introducing someone that doesn't live in Canada to our homegrown talents, which books would you feel absolutely needed to be in the top ten?
Of course, Atwood, Munro, Shields, and Ondaatje are givens, and in choosing their titles I'd probably pick Cat's Eye, Runaway, Larry's Party and In the Skin of the Lion, what who else should be on the list?
Margaret Laurence, of course, and I'd pick the utterly brilliant A Bird in the House and then The Diviners, as they are two of my all-time favourite books. We mustn't forget Timothy Findley, especially his Not Wanted on the Voyage and The Wars. However, I'd also like to include books that have obviously evolved from those titles too, like Clara Callan (see A Bird in the House) by Richard Wright or the brilliant Three Day Road (see The Wars) by Joseph Boyden.
And then don't forget Urquhart, whose The Stone Carvers brought tears to my eyes and gave me pause when I visited the church that she based the novel upon. I'd also like the list not to read like a version of a high school syllabus. But sometimes, that's unavoidable, for example, should everyone read The Watch that Ends the Night by Hugh MacLennon? Maybe. But it's a familiar book on Canadian Fiction 101 course calendars.
Plus, we can't leave out classics in the making like The Colony of Unrequited Dreams or Guy Vanderhaeghe's The Last Crossing. How would you create the list? Or pare it down to just 10? It's a loaded question: but what's your quintessential go-to Can Lit book?
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6 comments:
No specific book but don't forget Mordecai Richler and Robertson Davies!
Oh, yes! For small town Ontario, you can't do better than Robertson Davies.
The first book that popped into my head is Who Has Seen The Wind by W.O. Mitchell - I'm not sure why, since I read that book in grade 10 English class. It is high school reading list, but it's a good book.
I'd also recommend Douglas Coupland and Farley Mowat. Oh, and Lucy Maud Montgomery, of course. It wouldn't be Can Lit without Anne of Green Gables.
I'm with you on the Boydon, but maybe Lawrence Hill's new one, The Book of Negroes, should be included too.
I haven't read the new Lawrence Hill, but hear great, great things about it. There's a fab interview on Bookninja right now with him.
All good suggestions, thanks peeps!
For Munro, I'd say Love of a Good Woman. I agree on Skin of a Lion (or maybe English Patient) and Stone Carvers. For Shields, I'd say Unless and Atwood, Alias Grace. Definitely The Wars.
I agree with Alice on LM Montgomery.
Anne-Marie MacDonald, Fall On Your Knees.
Rohinton Mistry, Fine Balance.
One more! Thomas King, Green Grass, Running Water
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