A book that I’ve recently added to my must-read list is Joan Thomas’ new novel, The Opening Sky. Lately several people have told me I should read it, because it’s a well-written story but also because parts of it take place in the neighborhood where I live. There’s a particular pleasure in reading a book … Continue reading Literature and place
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Catherine Winkworth: the poetry of translation
Translating hymns is no small feat. This is what I’ve concluded after making a first attempt at translating German poetry. Besides conveying the sense of the text, you have to put into metrical form, ideally preserving the meter and rhyme of the original, and do it in a way that sounds good. So I’ve really … Continue reading Catherine Winkworth: the poetry of translation
One book leads to another
How do you decide what to read? This question came up at a lunch with friends recently, and once the subject started rolling around in my head I began finding other writers who had things to say about it. One friend sent me a link to this article from Brainpickings with excerpts from an essay … Continue reading One book leads to another
Sentences
Normally I read for the sake of the overall narrative or argument, but now and then I have to stop to enjoy and admire a particular passage. Certain sentences are so evocative they’ve stayed in my head for years. A friend recently sent me an essay called “The Problem of Reading” by photographer and writer … Continue reading Sentences
A treasury for the English-speaking world: the gift of John Mason Neale
The church I attend sings a lot of hymns translated by John Mason Neale (1818-1866). That probably says something about the type of hymns we tend to sing, but it also says a lot about how prolific he was as a translator, and how much the English-speaking church owes him. The current Anglican hymnal, Common … Continue reading A treasury for the English-speaking world: the gift of John Mason Neale
The art of looking and writing
How do you write about another art form? Can you really convey the visual in words? Poets use language to evoke a visual image for the reader all the time. But somehow, writing in response to another art form has always seemed a little problematic to me. I was not sure why one would do it. If … Continue reading The art of looking and writing
Farewell TWB
As many book-lovers know by now, the Toronto Women’s Bookstore will close at the end of this month, after 39 years in business. It’s a familiar story by now: competition from e-books, online shopping, and the big stores that can offer deep discounts. Another entry in the long list of independent bookstores that have closed. … Continue reading Farewell TWB
The practice of writing
“I think I’ll have to buy this,” I said to my son, holding out The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery. “Of course you will,” he said, knowing how many books by and about Montgomery line the bookshelves at home. I had already read all five volumes of her Selected Journals, compiled by the same editors, … Continue reading The practice of writing
A literature of our own
At the Symposium on Manitoba Writing last month I was reminded of how, for a certain generation of writers, prairie literature was something they had to invent for themselves. That got me thinking about books I’d read growing up. I don’t think I ever felt the same absence of literature that spoke my language. This … Continue reading A literature of our own
Jay Macpherson
Another Canadian poet has died recently: Jay Macpherson passed away on March 24. She was, according to Quill and Quire, one of “Canada’s finest— and arguably most underappreciated— poets.” Reading an assessment like that always makes me want to find out more. I knew of Jay Macpherson, very peripherally (she contributed some hymn translations for the … Continue reading Jay Macpherson