Editorial Matters
Thursday, May 08, 2014 at 2:57pm
In Search of Canada
As editor of the Manitoba, later Winnipeg Free Press, from 1901 until his death, John Wesley Dafoe was one of Canada's most
influential journalists. In Search of Canada, written by his grandson Christopher Dafoe, describes the formative years of this famous newspaper editor from his unpromising beginnings in the backwoods of pre-Confederation Ontario to his early and unexpected success in nineteenth century Canadian journalism. Along the way, the author explores Dafoe's family background, his education, his early career, his rise as a national and international figure and his lifelong search for a true Canadian identity.
In Search of the Truth
In February 2013, Tom Flanagan, a University of Calgary professor and former advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, made
comments surrounding the issue of viewing child pornography that were tweeted from the event at which he was speaking and broadcast worldwide. In the time it took to drive from Lethbridge to his home in Calgary, the story was front-page news across Canada. Most of the reports cast Flanagan as a pariah for simply sounding an opinion (he in no way suggested that he was anything but virulently opposed to child pornography) in an academic setting. In Persona Non Grata, Flanagan tells his side of the story in a passionate defense of free speech, not just in Canada but everywhere. Flanagan's is hardly the first book on the subject, but what makes this book different is the component of the internet. A powerful vehicle for free expression, it does allow people to pass anonymous, and sometimes virulent, judgment against those whose opinions they disagree with. Persona Non Grata is a sobering look into the kind of political correctness that threatens freedom of speech and discussion in Canada.
This article appeared in the May/June issue of our news magazine, The Bookseller. You can pick up a free print copy of the news mag inside of our stores.
Categories: Saskatoon, Winnipeg, New ReleasesA letter from Erin McHugh, author of Like My Mother Always Said...
Tuesday, May 06, 2014 at 10:31am
The following is a letter sent to us from Erin McHugh, author of the wonderful, witty, and hilarious new book Like My Mother Always Said... which is now available in hardcover.
And after the letter, learn how you can get yourself a free signed copy of the book...
Dear Kids,
And I do mean "Kids," no matter what your age. You're someone's son or daughter, because it just so happens that everyone has a mother. Everyone! And people tend to quote their moms, rely on their advice, and refer back to something she said probably more than they ever realize.
How do I know? Because that's exactly how my book came to be.
(Read more of Ms. McHugh's letter after the jump...)
Categories: Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Contests and Giveaways, New ReleasesMay's Author of the Month: STEVEN GALLOWAY
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2014 at 7:39pm
After two well-received novels (Finnie Walsh and Ascension), Vancouver's Steven Galloway hit his stride in 2008 with his third novel The Cellist of Sarajevo. Heralded by The Guardian as "the work of an expert," it became an international bestseller with rights sold in 20 countries.
His new novel The Confabulist weaves together the life, loves and murder of the world's greatest magician, Harry Houdini, with the story of the man who killed him (twice): Martin Strauss, an everyday man whose fate was tied to the magician's in unforeseen ways. A magical tale of intrigue, love and illusion.
Mr. Galloway will be visiting our Grant Park store on Thursday, May 15th, to converse with John K. Samson and sign copies of The Confabulist. The event begins at 7:00 pm inside of our Atrium, and all are invited to attend!
Are YOU Mom enough?
Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 at 4:19pm
Why are we so obsessed with Motherhood?
How do you think popular culture feeds both the motherhood obsession and the idea of perfection?
Which of these essays were closest to and farthest from your own experience?
And what essays might I be asking about? Those found in the new book The M Word: Conversations about Motherhood, which features a collection of essays on contemporary motherhood by Saleema Nawaz, Alison Pick, Nancy Jo Cullen, Carrie Snyder, and many others, assembled by Kerry Clare. The book is available now in paperback for $22.95.
So, loyal readers, do you have any answers to the above questions? Or to any of the others posed in this list of bookclub questions from Goose Lane Editions? Share your answer in the comments section below, or send it our way on Facebook or Twitter.
And be sure to join us on Tuesday, May 6th, at 7:00 pm in our Winnipeg store for the launch of The M Word! The event will feature the editor of the book, Kerry Clare, as well as writers Ariel Gordon and Kerry Ryan. As with all of our in-store events, the evening is free and open to everyone. Bring your friend, bring your partner, or -- better yet -- bring your mom and celebrate your understanding of the M Word!
Try Something Different: KNAUSGAÅRD and NEUMAN
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2014 at 5:43pm
"If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking."
- Haruki Murakami
This article was written by our very own Chris Hall, and appeared in the March/April issue of our news magazine, The Bookseller. Access a digital edition of the news mag here.
KARL OVE KNAUSGAÅRD
Norway's Karl Ove Knausgaård has undertaken one of the most interesting literary projects in recent years. He's written a cycle of six novels called My Struggle, and what's interesting about it is that the story he tells is completely and intimately his own. In other words, it is a kind of memoir. But it's a memoir that details (and I mean details) periods of his own life as well as his family and friends in books that he calls novels. When does a memoir become a novel? For me it's in the minutiae because he can't possibly remember his own past in so much detail. Because as a reader I have no idea what he remembers, I don't know where the fiction meets the nonfiction.
And that raises all kinds of questions about the two concepts that we normally consider so distinct. When his father dies are we allowed to think of it symbolically? How do we generate meaning from our lives and how is that different from how we find meaning in the fiction we read? I can't stop thinking about it. The same goes for Zadie Smith, apparently, since she gave the work one of the best blurbs I've ever seen: "It's unbelievable," she says, "I need the next volume like crack. It's completely blown my mind." The cycle starts with A Death in the Family and continues with A Man in Love, both available now. Volume three, Boyhood Island, releases in late April with the others following thereafter.
ANDRÉS NEUMAN
Another author to watch hails from Argentina. His name is Andrés Neuman. A few years ago he wrote a novel called Traveler of the Century. In it a young man arrives in Wandernberg, a city in southern Germany with an indeterminate location due to its shifting coordinates. Our hero, who fancies himself an experienced traveller, finds that he is forever getting lost and swears that the city's layout changes slightly each day. He meets and befriends various characters including an old organ grinder, a Spanish businessman, and an enchanting young lady named Sophie. And then he finds he cannot leave. The first part of the book reads like a traditional 19th century novel with lots of philosophy and intelligent conversation. As you progress through the book, however, it becomes more and more clear, both in style and content, that this novel was written in the twenty-first century. The resulting compression in time makes us aware that we look at history through the lens of our own time and vice-versa. Hence it puts the reader in the position of the traveller in the title.
Fascinating stuff. None other than the great Roberto Bolano said of Neuman: "The literature of the twenty-first century will belong to [him] and a few of his blood brothers."
In April, Neuman's new novel, Talking to Ourselves, arrives and I can't wait to see what he's up to next.
Categories: Saskatoon, Winnipeg, New Releases, Newsletter
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