“Canada Also Reads” shortlist announced
If you want to be up to date on the books people are going to be talking about this spring, you should check out the six finalists on the Canada Also Reads list. I anticipate an intelligent discussion of these under-appreciated books.
Personally, I was overjoyed to see my favourite novel, The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis on the shortlist for Canada Also Reads. I interviewed Terry Fallis on January 20, 2010 and credit The Best Laid Plans for inspiring me to write my novel (and this blog). I look forward to reading Andy Maize of the Skydiggers defend The Best Laid Plans. As I noted just a couple of days ago, I do believe that every Canadian (in the broadest sense of the word – including permanent residents, anyone currently in Canada and anyone who has ever visited Canada, thought about visiting Canada, read about Canada or heard about Canada) and everyone else should read The Best Laid Plans.
I would go one step further: we should also consider that, but for Terry’s persistence and incredible talent in self-publishing and promoting The Best Laid Plans, we might never have had a chance to read this book. Agents and publishers along the way turned it down because they thought Canadians would not be interested in reading a satire about Canadian politics. Clearly, they were wrong. But what does this say about us? Our literacy levels? Our buying habits? Our need to support Canadian novelists and publishers? Our implicit acceptance of a narrow range of choice in the books that are published? And what about our responsibility to vote for politicians who value the arts (and substantive equality … I can’t help but throw that in)?
I wonder what kinds of measures can be put in place to ensure that we, as consumers/supporters of Canadian literature, have a wide-range of books to chose from, and not just those that are perceived to have mainstream appeal or marketability outside of Canada. These are the things that I think about when I see The Best Laid Plans now get the recognition it deserves. And to think, they predicted that readers would not be interested in this book!
If The Best Laid Plans emerges from this contest as the winner, I think that will be a very strong message about what Canadians want – intelligent, funny novels that reflect things we care about! Like politics … and a democratic government where important questions can be asked and answered with respect and honesty (but of course, I’m only talking about fiction!).
I also want to take a moment to recognize two other authors I am profiling on this blog who were included on the Canada Also Reads longlist: Pasha Malla (The Withdrawal Method) and Thomas Trofimuk (Waiting for Columbus).
Finally, I want to mention that the former Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission passed away last Sunday. Keith Norton was a really kind man and a great human rights advocate (even when he was in politics). His funeral service will be at Trinity- St. Paul’s United Church at 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto on Wednesday, February 10th at 2 p.m .
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