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Literary Renewal: investing
in their brilliant careers
Canadian literature would
be no more than a figment of the imagination if it were not for those
individuals who are prepared to live without financial security for their
creative endeavours. Literary creation is more than a matter of inspiration
– words get put onto paper thanks also to the determination and
selflessness of those who devote their lives to their craft.
In this article, For the Arts goes to the source, and invites
readers to discover three promising young writers whose brilliant careers
are just beginning.
In 2003, Jacqueline Baker published her first short story collection,
A Hard Witching. Her writing examines the small details of ordinary
life yet is richly evocative, with a psychological depth that is more
commonly found in novels than in stories. The richly detailed and thoughtfully
drawn prose sheds light on the almost threatening banality of our lives.
The events of the book, set in the Great Sand Hills region of Saskatchewan,
have an historical authenticity and the shadows of the past are never
far away. In early 2004, Jacqueline Baker was awarded the Howard O'Hagan
Award for Short Fiction at the Alberta Book Awards and was a finalist
for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize; she recently received the
City of Edmonton Book Prize as well as the 2004 Danuta Gleed Literary
Award from the Writers' Union of Canada. Her collection is on the Calgary
Herald's list of bestsellers. The young author, who hails from Saskatchewan
and today makes her home in Edmonton, confesses that she writes very slowly,
agonizing over every word and comma. Nevertheless, critics and readers
alike are eagerly looking forward to her forthcoming first novel, for
which she received a Canada Council grant in 2003.
Like Jacqueline Baker, Melanie Little published her first collection
of short stories, Confidence, in 2003. Brilliant, contrasting
and surprising, her stories are frank and tender as they explore the deceptive
terrain of the emotions, where trust can quickly turn to treachery. Her
characters – a disgruntled saleswoman, a father addicted to gambling,
a little girl with one leg shorter than the other – are drawn so
vibrantly that the reader cannot help but become involved, either loving
or detesting them. Confidence was on the Globe and Mail list
of the 100 best books of 2003 and was hailed by critics for its refreshing,
searing and intelligent prose. Little was a finalist for the Danuta Gleed
Literary Award and was highly praised by the jury. She has published articles
and stories in numerous anthologies and periodicals, as well as reviews
in newspapers, and has received awards from the Writers' Union of Canada
for a short story and the Periodical Writers Association of Canada for
her journalism. The young writer lives in Ottawa, after having lived in
Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Little's advice to young people who want
to write is: read, read, and read some more. The Canada Council for the
Arts supports both her and her advice.
To complete our trio of literary lights, the name Suzanne Myre follows
naturally on those of Baker and Little. Before she had even completed
a degree in creative writing at the Université du Québec
à Montréal, Myre won the Prix littéraire 2001 de
Radio-Canada for her short story E.T. phone home. Her first collection
of short stories, J'ai de mauvaises nouvelles pour vous, was
followed by Nouvelles d'autres mères, which was a booksellers'
choice, a finalist for the Grand Prix littéraire France-Québec
(2003) and the Prix des libraires (2004), and winner of the Prix Adrienne-Choquette
(2004). This prolific young writer has just published her third book,
Humains aigres-doux. Her writing is mischievous, acerbic, funny
and tender, and its mood of self-ridicule is refreshing and invigorating.
Suzanne Myre has a keen sense of observation that she employs in free-wheeling
descriptions, exploring the quirks of human nature with a wonderful lack
of inhibition. Although Myre likes to isolate herself when she is writing,
more and more people are discovering this fresh young talent. The Canada
Council is proud to have played a part in this.
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Jacqueline Baker, Melanie Little,
Suzanne Myre
(Photos: Harper Collins, Peter Norman, Karoline Georges) |
Like so many artists, these writers need a financial boost to be able
to devote themselves to their art. With time, their books will bring
greater fame and rewards. In the meantime, when you next visit your
neighbourhood bookstore, remember that when you buy someone's book,
you help them write the next one.
(Photo: Top Banner - Martin Lipman) |