October 5, 2006
Margaret Atwood
Atwood is a polarizing force. Heather Mallick says that disliking her is an act of misogynism. I’m not sure I agree, but many people dislike her rather senselessly.
When The Guardian Books did a feature on Canadian fiction in which readers submitted their CanLit suggestions, the number of Canadians who responded solely to rubbish Atwood was quite astounding, most of them beginning their comments with “I’ve only read The Handmaid’s Tale, but…”
When The Globe ran a Margaret Atwood interview a few months back, I was fascinated to see the comments readers left (how much I detest readers’ comments on online newspapers is another story), admittedly mostly from men, glibly wanking something like “Yawn, Atwood, stupid b*tch, can’t write sh*te, CanLit is crap, typical of The Globe, wank wank wank, I’ve read Handmaid’s Tale and it wasn’t very good.” Etc.
When I was at the Vic booksale on Monday, two undergraduate-appearing students were sorting through the CanLit table. One held up a copy of Survival to her friend, and said, “How about this one?” The other, sounding like she was repeating something she was very sure of, said, “Oh no, not Atwood. Can’t stand her novels. She just writes the same book over and over again.” Her friend said, “Survival isn’t a novel.” The anti-Atwoodian said “oh” and then rapidly changed the subject.
I don’t understand how people can have such strong feelings for an author they’ve hardly read. (In addition, I must suggest that if you read any book in high school [ie Handmaids Tale, or Stone Angel for that matter], it doesn’t count as actually reading it and if you read it again, it will probably seem quite different). The undergrad’s assertion is so ridiculously off; the spectrum of Margaret Atwood is broad enough that there is probably something there to please everyone. And if one does give Atwood a fair try, and comes up unsatisfied, then why not just go read something else? Why all this time so devoted to badmouthing someone whose work so many other people clearly enjoy? Why not direct that energy toward championing a writer you do like?
A friend of mine maintains that anti-Atwoodism is simply a matter of jealousy, and I’m inclined to agree; the woman is indomitable. And I think Heather Mallick is a little right about the misogyny; it drives some men a little mad to see a woman so successful, a woman who will not be marginalized. The whole thing is typically Canadian in innumerable ways, and absolutely annoying.
October 5, 2006
Shine On
Hooray for productivity! Because I was so good yesterday and did all that had to be done (reading, writing, laundry), I got to go to bed with Shine On Bright and Dangerous Object by Laurie Colwin, which has been an absolute pleasure to read so far. And it’s brilliant to read for pleasure when you’ve earned it.
Learn how to write an ekphrasis. Russell Smith on tenses. Here for Random Acts of Poetry.
October 4, 2006
Magyar
Like most girls, I went through my Hungarian Revolution phase, and though I am less obsessed than I once was, it’s still my favourite Cold Ward Historical Moment. And it’s on my mind lately, as well as all over the news, due to its 50th anniversary this month. (It’s interesting that it’s also 50 years since the Suez Crisis, which so overshadowed the Hungarian Revolution, and yet I’ve heard much less about that). Anyway, I was directed to www.reimaginefreedom.org, by the Hungarian Cultural Center in New York, and it’s a fascinating website. I’ve decided to have a Hungarian Freedom Fighters dinner on the 23rd, with chicken paprikash and the rest of the menu tba.
October 4, 2006
Such is the life
The book people outdid themselves and my copy of The Sea Lady arrived yesterday, but I can’t bring myself to read it. I remember finishing The Red Queen last winter, and the terror of having all the Margaret Drabbles behind me, and I don’t want to face that again. I will savour the prospect of this novel for a while I think, seeing as I am up to my elbows in CanLit and won’t have the time to savour the actual reading anytime soon. But I am so looking forward to reading it, and inevitably adoring it. And don’t think my expectations are set too high; Ms. Drabble has never failed to meet them.
I am writing this entry on a break from writing, which today is devoted to. I have been reasonably successful at resisting the urge to google Tina Yothers and other relevant pop culture figures (this is a lie; this morning I watched Family Ties clips on YouTube, but such acts have been kept to the minimum. Damn wireless internet) and I am being pretty productive. Laundry has just been installed in our basement, so no more trips to the laundrette for me, though there is a rumour that the dryer is broken already we shall see. Am a bit tired, as thunderstorms awoke us and ours at 6:30 this morning for the second day in a row. Now reading Green Grass Running Water by Thomas King, and I’m really enjoying it. I’ve never read anything by him before.
Plenty of book news: The Giller Shortlist is announced. Coverage at CBC. Book City’s founder’s favourite books. Top ten fictional poets. The problem with literary how-to guides.
Must go wash dishes and then investigate dryer situation. Such is the life of a student/housewife.
October 3, 2006
So long Vegreville…
Citizenship and Immigration Canada is pleased to announce that the processing of my husband’s application for permanant residence has been completed! A local immigration office will be in contact with us concerning his permanant resident status. This is good news, as currently he’s on a temporary visa that doesn’t allow him to leave the country and makes it difficult to obtain permanent employment. It all comes together eventually, fabulously.
Now for CSI Miami…
October 2, 2006
At the Vic Book Sale
I went mad at Half-Price Monday and acquired the following:
Human Croquet by Kate Atkinson, because I love the other books by her I’ve read; Survival by Margaret Atwood just because; Atwood’s The Journals of Susannah Moodie for my ghost course; Babel Tower by AS Byatt because sometimes I really like her; FINDS OF THE DAY Goodbye Without Leaving, Shine On, Bright and Dangerous Object, Another Marvelous Thing and A Big Storm Knocked it Over ie almost everything by Laurie Colwin; Crocodile Soup by Julia Darling, because I liked her Guardian Poetry workshop way back when; An American Childhood by Annie Dillard, because I used to own it and left it in Japan; Mavis Gallant’s Paris Notebooks, because I read it years ago and loved it; The Remains of the Day because I’ve never read it and Kim Dean said I should; Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri because Kim Dean picked it up and said “Read this” just as Amy Tan said she would on the book’s back cover; Heat Wave and Spiderweb by Penelope Lively because I LOVE her; Martin Sloane because it was a dollar; Moo because I’m in the mood for campus fiction; Park and Ride by Miranda Sawyer because I’ve read it and liked it, and I’m up for “adventures in suburbia”; and The Queen and I by Sue Townsend, which also used to belong to me but I had to leave it behind in England. All this for $27. Oh yes, it had been a fine fine day. It’s nice that I like authors that are so unfashionable I can pick them up in droves for pennies.
October 1, 2006
Dip Surfeit
Oh, a most pleasant weekend has been mine. I met with Katie on Friday evening so she could assist me in a shoe shop; I needed black heels to accompany my bridesmaid’s dress for her upcoming wedding. I got a pair I adore, and then we shared a dessert, and had a wonderful while together. Last night, we had a small gathering at ours, and I was in a determinedly hostessy state of mind and cooked for four hours in preparation. Unfortunately, I’m not a brilliant hostess and it was too late when I realized that my menu consisted of various dips and dippers, which hardly constitutes variety, no matter how scrumptious my roasted red pepper/white bean dip was. So I made mini bruschetta-like pizzas, and cupcakes too, and drank enough wine that I forgot to worry about it. Topic of the evening focussed mainly upon what must have been going on back in Gomorrah. Sodom- pretty straight-forward- but I can’t imagine what they must have got up to down in G-Town. I missed Nuit Blanche, but that’s because I couldn’t figure out what it was. And now we’re about to embark upon an autumnal walk. It’s not raining at the mo, which is strange for a Sunday.
Nick Hornby on public reading. Belinda likes sex.
I’ve displayed excellent restraint this weekend, and have saved myself from the Victoria College Booksale. I am going tomorrow, which is half-price day, and then I can spend spend spend without a hint of remorse.
October 1, 2006
A Waiting
The Sea Lady is released in Canada tomorrow. My copy has been preordered for ages, but Amazon informs me it won’t arrive for at least a week or so. And so the wait continues, but you can’t say we’re not ready.
September 30, 2006
Please insert change
I knew that Every Day is Mother’s Day would cure all that ailed me. It was wonderful and horrifying; Hilary Mantel has such a gloriously sick mind. In this book, Colin is having an affair with Isabel, and, as it’s the mid 1970s, he frequently needs to come up with reasons to nip out to the phonebox and call her. And I couldn’t help thinking about cellphones as a plot device, a topic that has fascinated me, mainly in film actually. There are all kinds of movies, books and television shows that wouldn’t have been remotely plottable before cellphones came into use- CSI would struggle, 24, various ransom stories. However the phonebox is a plot device all its own- I’m thinking Rosemary’s Baby, Superman of course, and obviously Phone Booth. In addition, I can’t help but think of all the old storylines that could have been cleared up in just five minutes, if a cellphone had only fallen from the sky.
