Isa
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Post by Isa on Jul 22, 2008 6:01:12 GMT -5
Here's a thread for discussing your favourite Canadian authors/books!
To start off, I would recommend anything by Mordecai Richler, but especially "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz", "Joshua Then and Now", or "Barney's Version".
Morley Callaghan is another author I really like. "The Many Coloured Coat" and "That Summer in Paris" are my two favourite books by him, but he's written tons of other novels.
Most of you guys already know about Margaret Atwood, but two author female writers worth checking out are Alice Munro and of course Carol Shields.
I would also add Robertson Davies (It think he's mentioned in Gilmore Girls) and Michael Ondaatje (The English Patient - way better than the movie!) to the list!
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Michelle
First novel published
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Post by Michelle on Jul 22, 2008 8:41:31 GMT -5
Thanks for starting this thread, Isa. I will check some of these out. Especially since That Summer in Paris was such a good recommendation of yours.
I would like to try Margaret Atwood. Is The Handmaid's Tale the best one to start with?
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Isa
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Post by Isa on Jul 22, 2008 11:50:27 GMT -5
Good question... yes, possibly. Another option would be to start with her first novels (The Edible Woman & Surfacing), or maybe some of her other prized books if you can't get your hands on Handmaid's Tale (Cat's Eye, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin, Oryx and Crake).
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oureternity
Collection of short stories bought by Random House
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Post by oureternity on Jul 22, 2008 12:21:33 GMT -5
I'll check some of these out too I love Margaret Atwood and Carol Shields is also a great writer. I'm sure I've read other Canadian literature but nothing comes up to my mind right now.
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Bina
First novel published
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Post by Bina on Jul 23, 2008 7:24:47 GMT -5
I think Atwood, Ondaatje and Munro are the only Canadian authors I´ve read so far. Thanks for your recommendations, I´ll definitely try those And The Handmaid´s tale was my first Atwood, it´s a good way to start, I love this book.
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oureternity
Collection of short stories bought by Random House
bam.
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Post by oureternity on Jul 23, 2008 12:11:50 GMT -5
Did you guys like Oryx & Crake? It was my first Atwood and somewhat it wasn't as appealing as the rest of her books in my opinion. I still regret reading it first, it was a good book (although difficult to read at first) but I think you have to get used to her writing style before reading it.
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Katelyn
First short story featured in regional newspaper
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Post by Katelyn on Jul 24, 2008 1:46:23 GMT -5
Having been born and raised in Canada I was always exposed to Canadian literature while in grade school. Every year I also read the Giller Prize winning book and author; this year Elizabeth Hay's novel, Late Nights On Air, won. I just finished reading it actually, and I thought it was wonderful, I really recommend reading it. I've always thought that Canadian literature was slightly understated. Canadian authors aren't as well-known as American or British authors, for example. I've always thought that they deserved more recognition. Part of the problem, I think, is that there aren't as many prizes for Canadian authors as there are for either American or British authors. I like to think that there are more prizes and better funding for Canadian literature now than there was though, and that Canadian literature is gaining more recognition. But this might be optimistic thinking on my part.
I love the role that the landscape plays in most Canadian literature, it's such an important aspect of Canadian literature, it's like another character.
Along with Margaret Atwood, L.M. Montgomery is probably one of the best known Canadian authors, and she's best known for writing Anne of Green Gables. But there are many other Canadian authors whom I would recommend reading, including Margaret Laurence whose novel, The Stone Angel, is amazing. Oh, did you know that Yann Martel, the author of Life of Pi, is also Canadian? Apparently he lives in the Toronto area.
Thanks Isa for introducing this topic!
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Lu
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Post by Lu on Jul 24, 2008 7:51:46 GMT -5
Most of you guys already know about Margaret Atwood, but two author female writers worth checking out are Alice Munro and of course Carol Shields. After reading this I saw a pretty cheap italian translation of Unless by Carol Shields, I was ordering some books online, so I bought it too
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Michelle
First novel published
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Post by Michelle on Jul 24, 2008 16:32:44 GMT -5
I'm getting The Handmaid's Tale in a swap (I am in love with swaptree - so many new books). I'm looking forward to reading it and expanding my Canadian section.
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Katelyn
First short story featured in regional newspaper
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Post by Katelyn on Jul 24, 2008 19:02:36 GMT -5
Hurray!
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Isa
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Post by Isa on Aug 29, 2008 8:46:40 GMT -5
I now want to add Miriam Toews's novels to that list: "Summer of my Amazing Luck", "A Boy of Good Breeding", and "A Complicated Kindness". I love her style, very witty and moving!
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Katelyn
First short story featured in regional newspaper
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Post by Katelyn on Aug 30, 2008 0:06:45 GMT -5
I agree, I like her style of writing too, it's very contemporary and her characters seem very real. Actually, I just finished reading Summer of My Amazing Luck. I read A Complicated Kindness a few years ago. But I'd like to read A Boy of Good Breeding next because I haven't read it yet.
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cheylyne
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Post by cheylyne on Aug 31, 2008 13:36:46 GMT -5
A few authors in this thread that have been mentioned, I haven't even heard of! I'll take a look for them when I can.
Agreeing with Canadian lit. being understated. Some of the best books I've read have been by Canadian authors.
A book I recommend, that I recently read, was From Bruised Fell by Jane Finlay-Young. The characters are very tangible, and the story creates vivid imagery in your mind while reading. I really found it to be a good story, and connected to the characters as if they were real themselves. Though, it was difficult to find the actual book and took me a while to get a hold of it.
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neh
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Post by neh on Dec 7, 2008 7:47:15 GMT -5
Does French-Canadian lit count? Coz by golly i adored The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches.... well, adored in so much as you can something that harrowing!
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Isa
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Post by Isa on Dec 7, 2008 9:10:36 GMT -5
Ooh yes, that was such a haunting, great novel! I'm sure French Canadian lit should count, but I'm never too sure about how widely available the books are...
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