Category: Book Review

At the end of October 2021, Heather and I were driving to New Glasgow. We listened to an interview with Rebecca Solnit on her new book, Orwell’s Roses ( see blog post November 2, 2021). On our return I went to the Lawrencetown library and put in a request. It arrived here last week. I had time to read it in New Glasgow this weekend.

For the first time, I gained an appreciation for the life of Eric Blair (George Orwell). Born in 1903, in North India, he died from TB in 1950. At 13 years of age, he went to Eton for four years, then joined the Burmese police for five years; left in 1927. Subsequently, he wrote a number of books, including Down and Out in Paris and London (1929), The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), Homage to Catalonia (1938), Animal Farm (1945), Nineteen Eighty Four (1949). For more details, you can Google ‘George Orwell’ his pen name that he assumed in 1935.

The theme of Solnit’s book starts with Orwell’s relationship to the English garden, and her discovery of roses at a cottage in Wallington, Hertfordshire, he planted in 1936.

It ends with his life at Barnhill on the Eastern shore of the Jura peninsula, in the Hebrides in 1949. In between, Solnit explores his writing within the context of England between 1930-1950, including the Spanish Civil war and the Second World War.

Of course, her text is particularly relevant, as we see the happenings in Ukraine. Here is her concluding paragraph.

”Orwell’s signal achievement was to name and describe as no one else had the way that totalitarianism was a threat not just to liberty and human rights but to language and consciousness, and he did it in so compelling a way that his last book casts a shadow or a beacon’s light – into the present. But that achievement is enriched and deepened by the commitment and idealism that fueled it, the things he valued and desired, and his valuation of desire itself, and pleasure and joy, and his recognition that these can be forces of opposition to the authoritarian state and its soul-destroying intrusions.The work he did is everyone’s job now. It always was.” p.268.

This week, I received two items of feedback to my blogs. From Sandra Barry, a link to Bored Panda that shows a variety of interesting maps. From Klaus and Shirley Langpohl, a link to a video of Stephen Talbott’s presentation to the Nature Institute ’Gestures of a Life’. A thought provoking commentary on present day scientific method.

Postscript

My blog title Ernest Blair Experiment is a tip of the cap to Ernest Buckler and Eric Blair.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Jaki Fraser for bring in the Rebecca Solnit book. To Sandra Barry, and Klaus and Shirley Langpohl, for sharing their readings. Edward contributed the graphics. Heather shared the New Glasgow travels.

References

Rebecca Solnit, 2021, Orwell’s Roses, Penguin Books.

Bored Panda.

Gestures of a Life, Stephen L. Talbott, The Nature Institute.

On Monday, we went to Wolfville. The town was crowded. There were protestors, faculty and students, responding to the strike at Acadia University. At the same time, there was a drive-in pick up of COVID test kits at the sports arena parking lot.

We went to EOS, to pick up some yoghurt starter and coffee filters. Next door is the Odd Book store.

We treated ourselves. I found two books of interest. In the section for Gaspereau Press, there was a copy of Donna Smyth’s play, Running TO Paradise, about the life of Elizabeth Bishop. I was attracted by the title. In this case, I think Paradise likely refers to her time with Lota Soares in Brazil. It ends with her award of an honorary degree from Dalhousie University in 1979.

” I know what I’ll tell them – Dear Class of 1979, go forth and be not afraid. Think of Darwin on his lonely voyages. Writing down all the details …….. writing what he saw, (Pause). Some of the giant tortoises on the Galapagos are hundreds of years old. Buried deep in turtle memory is the beginning of this land.” p.65.

In the Geography section, I found Jonathan Sauer’s Plants and Man on the Seychelles Coast: A Study in Historical Biogeography. Jonathan Sauer was the son of Cultural Geographer, Carl Sauer.

This book returned me to my graduate studies in Biogeography. It also links back to the work of Alfred Wallace, Island Life (1880).

Back to ’Running to Paradise’, the concept set up a chain of thinking ’Walking from Paradise’. The obvious choices are the 110 km Harvest Moon Trailway to Annapolis Royal or back to Wolfville.

Another option is the trail from Valley View Park above Bridgetown along North Mountain to Middleton …

… or on South Mountain, from West Inglisville to Roxbury, or south to Paradise Lake and Trout Lake. These trails are open for skiing, hiking or bicycling. Although on South Mountain, we see the continuous loss of habitat, through the current forestry practices.

Acknowledgements

Sandra Barry provided additional details on the play. Edward added the graphics. Heather shared the Wolfville experience.

References

Donna E. Smyth, 1999, Running to Paradise: A play about Elizabeth Bishop, Gaspereau Press.

Jonathan D. Sauer, 1967, Plants and Man on the Seychelles Coast: A Study in Historical Biogeography, University of Wisconsin Press.

In New Glasgow this week, I phoned the library and discovered that they had a copy of The Stone Canoe. It is a collaboration between Elizabeth Paul, Peter Sanger and Alan Syliboy published by Gaspereau Press.

’This is a story about two stories and the authors’ travels through the written record. Peter Sanger uncovered two manuscripts among the Rand holdings at Acadia.’

‘Both are among the earliest examples of indigenous Canadian literature recorded in their original language.’

Sanger contributes two essays.
I. Looking for Someone who sees.
II. Riding the Stone Canoe.

Alan Syliboy provided the artwork.

Elizabeth Paul provided the translation. Of course, the book produced by Andrew Steeves is also a work of art. It is an example of the role of the printer in society.

I would heartily recommend two other books by Peter Sanger: White Salt Mountain: Words in Time (2005) and Spar: Words in Place (2002). both published by Gaspereau Press.

Postscript

The sticker on the cover says ’one of the 150 books of influence’ Libraries150. (150booksns.ca)

Acknowledgements

Andrew Steeves for their excellent work at Gaspereau Press. Edward Wedler for his collaborative research. Heather shares the outdoor travel: canoeing and snowshoeing.

References

Elizabeth Paul, Peter Sanger, Alan Syliboy, 2007, The Stone Canoe: Two lost Mi’kmaq texts, Gaspereau Press.

Peter Sanger, 2005, White Salt Mountain: Words in Time, Gaspereau Press.

Peter Sanger, 2002, Spar: Words in Place, Gaspereau Press.

Before Christmas, I discovered Ernest Buckler’s book Whirligig in a second-hand bookstore in Annapolis Royal.

From biographer, Claude Bissell:

‘This book will come as a surprise to Buckler readers.’

‘But we must not identify him completely with Ernest Buckler, the writer, who lives in an old farmhouse, on the highway to Annapolis, just outside of Bridgetown.’ p.7.

‘The narrator has less respect for his literary work than Buckler for his; he tends to agree with his neighbour that a man who neglects the duties of the farm to write fancy stories doesn’t really count for much’. p.8

Another example.
Tenure be Damned p.56.
Some colleges are largely staffed
With moldy Ph.D’s
But if the students win the day
They’ll lose their faculties.’

In response to my previous blog post, I received a number of updates.

From Heather Leblanc … she reminded me of the new material on the mapannapolis.ca website. Besides the StoryMaps, it includes the Youtube channel created by Andrew Tolson.

From David Colville … he pointed out the link to the Interactive Nova Scotia Science Atlas, featuring the work of Ian Manning, and others.

Today, I had reason to go to Kentville. I stopped at Chisholm’s bookstore and picked up Meditation for Makers (for Heather Stewart) and Wild Green Light: Poetry by David Adams Richards and Margo Wheaton.

Afterward, up the hill to Gaspereau Press, I discovered two more finds:

Soren Bondrup-Nielsen’s Voles, not Moles: A personal journey connecting with nature and Bren Simmers’, if, when (poetry)

And a T-shirt!

“Quit your unjust gaslighting of circumspect whelps with unverified reports of zippy brown foxes.
Fake News!”

Gaspereau Press. Printers and Publishers. Literary Outfitters and Cultural Wilderness Guides The typeface is Rod McDonald’s Laurentian.

Postscript

Today, in Annapolis Royal at the Historical Gardens, we picked up Alan Syliboy’s children’s book, The Thundermaker. This is such a good Mi’kmaq message.

Acknowledgements

Heather LeBlanc and David Colville provided feedback. Edward Wedler added the graphics and links.

References

Ernest Buckler, 1977, Whirligig: Selected prose and verse, McLelland and Stewart.
Deanne Fitzpatrick, 2022, Meditation for Makers, Nimbus Publishing.
David Adams Richards and Margo Wheaton, 2021, Wild Green Light, Pottersfield Press.
Soren Bondrup-Nielsen, 2021, voles, not moles, Gaspereau Press.
Bren Simmers, 2021, if, when, Gaspereau Press.
Alan Syliboy, 2015, The Thundermaker, Nimbus Press (Translated by Lindsay R. Marshall) (Mi’kmaq)

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Returning to Iqaluit, I find old books on the shelves from previous visits. That includes Barry Lopez, Arctic Dreams (see post Arctic Dreams). Meanwhile, this week’s issue of Emergence Magazine gives a tribute to the author, who died over a year ago.

The Internet service in Nunavut makes it a challenge to watch the film Horizons by Jeremy Seifert or read the essay ’An Unbroken Grace’ by Fred Bahnsen. First published in Notre Dame Magazine.

”Starlings show us a way around the dilemma of scale, a model for human cooperation and deference towards others. A murmuration shows the idea of genius residing in one individual, and recognizes that genius is actually possessed by community. Human genius ”might rise up and become reified in a single person in a group.” Barry said ’but it doesn’t belong solely to that person.”

Barry Lopez: ”one of the reasons we’re lonely is that we’ve cut ourselves off from the nonhuman world and have called this ’progress.’ ”

Yesterday, we walked to downtown Iqaluit. It takes about forty five minutes each way. Stopped at the Arctic Ventures store. No new books jumped out at me. Sun sets around 3:15 pm.

Acknowledgements

Edward added the graphics and links. Heather shared the cold walk in the snow.

References

Barry Lopez, 1986, Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape, Bantam Books.

Emergence Magazine. A Tribute to Barry Lopez. December 19, 2021.

Through interlibrary loan, I received Thomas McCulloch ’s The Stepsure Letters. Published in the New Canadian Library series by McLelland and Stewart in 1960. It contains eighteen letters written by McCulloch to the Editor, Acadian Recorder in 1821-22. The letters were originally published under title The Letters of Mephibosheth Stepsure.

In the New Canadian edition, there is an Introduction by Northrop Frye.

”McCulloch is the founder of genuine Canadian humour: that is, of a humour which is based on a vision of society and is not merely a series of wisecracks on a single theme.” p. ix.

In the words of John A. Irving,

”When he died in 1843, Nova Scotia lost its ablest and most persistent champion of liberal education.” p.153.

“Long before Joseph Howe began his work, McCulloch was teaching the people of Nova Scotia the new ideas which were ultimately to change the whole system of government. Howe himself used to say that he learned the principles of responsible government from a man in Pictou.” p.156.

This weekend, I found in the New Glasgow library, Monica Graham ’s book Cradle of Knowledge, Pictou Academy 1816-2016.

McCulloch’s Dream p.1
”Rev Dr. Thomas McCulloch stepped ashore in Pictou in 1803 with a globe mapping the earth tucked under one arm. Under the other arm, he carried a second globe mapping the stars.”

p5.
“A liberal education involves training and study that develops students’ intellectual abilities, piques their curiosity about the world and teaches them how to learn, rather than instructing them in specific professional or manual skills. The term is not a political label.”

p.12.
”Also about 1824-25 Academy supporters and its liberally-educated graduates became increasingly outspoken against the oligarchic political system that saw the province governed by a wealthy minority of Halifax Anglicans. Pictou’s rebelliousness gained the town a reputation as the provincial centre of reform politics.”

When I visited the MacDonald Museum last Tuesday, I found a second-hand copy of Joshua Slocum ’Sailing Alone around the World’.

It starts:
“In the fair land of Nova Scotia, a maritime province, there is a ridge called North Mountain, overlooking the Bay of Fundy on one side and the fertile Annapolis Valley on the other. On the northern slope of the range grows the hardy spruce-tree, well adapted for ship-timbers, of which many vessels of all classes have been built”.

Slocum was born in Mount Hanley.

What are the lessons ?

Over two hundred years ago, McCulloch was championing liberal education. We need McCulloch today to challenge our educational institutions, to provide genuine Canadian humour. Perhaps, too, we need more Joshua Slocums from rural Nova Scotia.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Library staff for access to these books. Edward added the graphics. Heather joined me on the trip to New Glasgow.

References

Thomas McCulloch, 1960, The Stepsure Letters, McClelland and Sewart.

Monica Graham, 2015, Cradle of Knowledge, Pictou Academy 1816-2016, Pictou Academy Educational Foundation.

Capt. Joshua Slocum, 1999, Sailing Alone around the World, Reprinted Sheridan House.