A History of Canadian Fiction

Description

A History of Canadian Fiction is the first one-volume history to chart its development from earliest times to the present day. Recounting the struggles and the glories of this burgeoning area of investigation, it explains Canada's literary growth alongside its remarkable history. Highlighting the people who have shaped and are shaping Canadian literary culture, the book examines such major figures as Mavis Gallant, Mordecai Richler, Alice Munro, Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, and Thomas King, concluding with young authors of today whose major successes reflect their indebtedness to their Canadian forbearers.

David Staines is the former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and now Professor of English at the University of Ottawa. He has authored and/or edited more than twenty books on Medieval Culture and Literature and Canadian Culture and Literature. In 1998, he received the Lorne Pierce Medal from the Royal Society of Canada for outstanding contribution to Canadian criticism, and in 2011, he was awarded the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario for his services to Canadian literature.

'Reading this book is every bit as enjoyable as reading one of the hundreds of novels which Staines cites in this first comprehensive history of Canadian fiction in English from its beginnings to the present day. Atwood, Munro, and Ondaatje are global literary celebrities, but nothing comes out of the blue, and Staines provides an indispensable historical and cultural frame for understanding their significance in the evolution of the exceptionally diverse Canadian literary tradition. This book transforms our thinking about Canadian fiction.' Coral Ann Howells, University of London 'In this first sustained history of anglophone fiction in Canada, distinguished scholar David Staines follows the careers of scores of writers - among them Alice Munro, Mavis Gallant, Margaret Atwood, Stephen Leacock, Alistair MacLeod, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Thomas King, Yann Martel, and Madeleine Thien, all celebrated around the world. Staines further demonstrates the relevance of place and community to what they have written, and he deftly chronicles the important roles of teachers, editors, letter-writers, and agents in helping to shape this historical record. Spanning more than two hundred years, this book celebrates the emergence of a narrative tradition that voices the culture of Canada itself, that of a 'nation beyond nationalism' in the 21st century.' W. H. New, University of British Columbia 'These days Canadians take for granted our world-class literature. Alice Munro wins a Nobel, Margaret Atwood another Booker, and a stunning young talent like Esi Edugyan emerges out of nowhere with a pair of international hits. Ho hum. But it wasn't always this good. For most of our history, writers in Canada identified more with English and American literary traditions than anything in their own land, not least because they could only get published in London or New York. It took a strange amalgam of individual talent, collective will, commercial enterprise, and public support to make CanLit happen, and David Staines has the whole story. Quite simply, this book is a masterpiece, an epic account of the long struggle and spectacular rise of one of the world's great literatures, and it is sure to be the definitive account for generations to come.' Kenneth Whyte, Author of The Uncrowned King: The Sensational Rise of William Randolph Hearst and Hoover: An Extraordinary Life in Extraordinary Times'. '... Staines's work is a masterpiece ... gives a splendid, very dense and admirably knowledgeable survey of fiction writing in anglophone Canada from colonial times to the present ... It belongs in (academic) libraries and should be made available for students of Canada and her literature.' Wolfgang, Klooss, Zeitschrift fur Kanada-Studien 'Staines's enthusiasm is supported by his vast reading, making this book the most comprehensive on the subject ... Highly recommended.' T. Ware, Choice Connect