Mavis Gallant: The Writer as Rapscallion III, by Linda Leith

6 March 2014

III. Delinquency and Writing

The final in a series of three excerpts from a talk presented to the Atwater Library in Montreal, March 6, 2014.

Mavis Gallant

Mavis Gallant: The Writer as Rapscallion II, by Linda Leith

6 March 2014

II. Escape

The second in a series of three excerpts from a talk presented at the Atwater Library in Montreal, March 6, 2014.

Mavis Gallant, née Mavis Young
[Photo: Glay Sperling]

Mavis Gallant: The Writer as Rapscallion I, by Linda Leith

6 March 2014

 

Linnet, as in Linnet Muir, by Linda Leith

6 March 2014

To begin at the end, here is a coda to the talk I gave today at the Atwater Library in Montreal on Mavis Gallant.

Mavis Gallant at The Standard, Montreal

Living with the Ghost of Duncan Campbell Scott

29 January 2014

Mark Abley's Conversations with a Dead Man is an unorthodox mash-up of sources, but it is this generic variety which allows the text to both entertain and succeed.

The Immortal Dany Laferrière

13 December 2013

Salon .ll. congratulates Dany Laferrière, the first Canadian to join the Immortals 

[Photo: Linda Leith]

Daewoo, by François Bon - Part Two

25 November 2013

Part Two: Fameck, May 2003: Waiting for the mailman, and Sylvia

Daewoo, an evocative historical novel by François Bon, gives voice to the (mostly women) workers who were the ultimate victims of this corporate crime. 

Daewoo, by François Bon - Part One

15 November 2013

Based on documentary research and personal interviews with some of the workers, François Bon has created a work that captures the very human and often tragic side of this drama. As he himself describes it, "If these female workers no longer have a place anywhere, let this novel be their memoir."

"I like to hunt down murderers and put them away." -- Luc Vanier and the Vigilantes, by Pamela Davison

22 October 2013

Pamela Davison writes about Vigilante Season, the second in Peter Kirby's gripping Luc Vanier series of crime novels, launching today at Montreal's Paragraphe Books.

Mont-Royal métro

20 September 2013

Just read this post from writer Will Aitken on Facebook, along with comments from other friends. Incidents of this kind are happening every day here in Montreal, prompted by the Quebec government's recently revealed "Charter of Values."

 

 

Connie Guzzo-McParland, in conversation with Linda Morra

13 September 2013

Author Connie Guzzo-McParland

Connie Guzzo-McParland is the author of The Girls of Piazza d'Amore, a first novel published by Linda Leith Publishing of September 14th, 2013. Literary critic Linda Morra conducted this interview with her on the eve of publication.

Introducing Jennifer Quist

3 August 2013

Jennifer Quist is an Alberta writer whose first novel, Love Letters of the Angels of Death, is published today by Linda Leith Publishing. This interview took place on the eve of publication.

Jennifer Quist

A Midsummer Night's Dream

14 July 2013

This is what makes a culture, this kind of occasion, this play, this green sward, this shared delight, the company of all these friends and strangers. This is Shakespeare in the Park, thanks to Repercussion Theatre.

Julie Tamiko Manning as Titania and Alain Goulem as Bottom [Photo: Repercussion Theatre]

Recovering Thrills: The Globe and the Tate Modern, by Kenneth Radu

23 June 2013

The Tate resurrected my joy. Perhaps a replica or reconstruction may have the tendency to kill the imagination or spirit. Perhaps there is a dark aspect to glorifications and resurrections from cultural graves.

Courtyard of the Tate Modern, London

2013 Commonwealth Literary Prize shortlists

9 April 2013

The Commonwealth Foundation has announced shortlists for the 2013 Commonwealth Book Prize and Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Part of Commonwealth Writers, the prizes unearth, develop and promote the best new writing from across the Commonwealth, developing literary connections worldwide.

How to Eat Like an Italian, by Davide D'Alessandro

25 March 2013

Photo courtesy Davide D'Alessandro

We all must eat to survive, but visitors to Italy are invited to join in a little activity, done three times daily, that is another pillar of the dolce vita, namely eating to have pleasure. And lots of it.

Another excerpt from Davide D'Alessandro's unpublished book The Dolce Vita Code.

La Gelateria, by Davide D'Alessandro

16 March 2013

A gelato, that most simple, small, and affordable item of gastronomic art, is a fundamental part of the dolce vita. Few things, big or little, so easily inject us with happiness and evoke a smile of satisfaction. Have it often, certainly daily, while in Italy. 

More from Davide D'Alessandro's The Dolce Vita Code.


Luca D'Alessandro [Photo courtesy Davide D'Alessandro]

The Science of the Dolce Vita, by Davide D'Alessandro

6 March 2013

Via Veneto, Rome [Photo: Linda Leith]

Why do so many visitors to the mecca of pleasure fail to experience the wonders of the dolce vita? The answer, I submit, lies in psychological research.

The Foreword to Davide D'Alessandro's The Dolce Vita Code.

Walking Through the Trees, part III, by Kenneth Radu

2 March 2013

It’s worth remembering that the word paradise traces its origins to the word pairidaeza, which in the ancient Iranian language Avestan, means a wall constructed to enclose cultivated grounds or a small grove of fruit trees. There is the wall again. As for Eden, that fabulous paradise lost, one need say no more.

Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

Walking Through the Trees, part II, by Kenneth Radu

28 February 2013

Aside from necessary funds, restoring a landscape or great garden requires patience, understanding, knowledge, and a good helping of genius. Gardens, unlike pyramids or palaces, can disappear through neglect, financial collapse, or death of original maker. They are often staked to the fortunes of the families.

Eden Project, Cornwall

Walking Through the Trees, part I, by Kenneth Radu

27 February 2013

A garden requires walls, water, and stone.

Xstrata Treetop Walkway, Kew Gardens