A Tale of Monstrous Extravagance
Imagining Multilingualism
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"Speaking one language, I submit, is like living in a house with one window only..."
From his legendary birth in a snow bank in northwestern Manitoba, through his metamorphosis to citizen-artist of the world, playwright, pianist, polyglot, storyteller, and irreverent disciple of the Trickster, Tomson Highway rides roughshod through the languages and communities that have shaped him. Cree, Dene, Latin, French, English, Spanish, and the universal language of music have opened windows and widened horizons in Highway's life. Readers who can hang on tight--Highway fans, culture mavens, cunning linguists, and fellow tricksters--will experience the profundity of Highway's humour, for as he says, "In Cree, you will laugh until you weep." Introduction by Christine Sokaymoh Frederick.
"Fasten your chastity belts, ladies and gentlemen, it's gonna be a bumpy ride."
From his legendary birth in a snowbank in northwestern Manitoba, through his metamorphosis to citizen-artist of the world, polyglot, playwright, pianist, storyteller, and irreverent disciple of the Trickster, Tomson Highway rides roughshod through the languages and communities that have shaped him. Cree, Dene, Latin, French, English, Spanish, and the universal language of music have opened windows and widened horizons in Highway's life. Readers who can hang on tight--Highway fans, culture mavens, cunning linguists, and fellow tricksters--will experience the profundity of Highway's humour, for as he says, "In Cree, you will laugh until you weep."
About this Author
Tomson Highway enjoys an international career as a playwright, novelist, and pianist/songwriter. He is considered one of Canada's foremost Indigenous voices. He is best known for his award-winning plays, The Rez Sisters (1986), Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing (1989), Rose (2000), and Ernestine Shuswap Gets Her Trout (2005), as well as his critically acclaimed novel, Kiss of the Fur Queen (1998). Winner of the 2021 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction for his memoir Permanent Astonishment, he lives in Gatineau, Quebec.
Reviews
"...a humourous tour through the languages and communities that have shaped the playwright, novelist, and musician as a person." January/February 2015--Quill & Quire
"An incomparable storyteller with a knack for exaggeration so deft you'll think he's telling the truth, Highway elaborates on how he added Dene, Inuktitut, Latin, English, French and some Spanish to his lexicon.... Learning new languages later in life is difficult, but let the power of language broaden your world, Highway encourages. Appreciate that multilingualism can hold this stunning country together--and give your children this gift, too." Dianne Meili, Alberta Views, September 2015
"Tomson Highway's 2014 Kreisel talk...is a brief life story with a point to make: learn languages. He himself began life with Dene and Cree, picked up some Inuktituk, went on to learn Latin and French at boarding school, then English at highschool in Winnipeg, then more French and some Spanish while living in France with his partner for 13 years. And music. With words that range from professorial ('entailed') to mundane ('butt-freezing'), he sets a lively tone to make his case." [Debra Martens [Full review at https://canadianwritersabroad.com/2018/10/31/tell-us-a-story]
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