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From: bcpalmer@watrose.UUCP
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: "culture" from a Canadian author's point of view
Message-ID: <8499@watrose.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 25-Feb-87 15:51:37 EST
Article-I.D.: watrose.8499
Posted: Wed Feb 25 15:51:37 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 25-Feb-87 19:45:29 EST
Reply-To: bcpalmer@watrose.UUCP (Barbara Palmer)
Distribution: can
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 23

Did anyone see the interview with Robertson Davies (sp?) on the Journal
last night, just before he was to accept a prestigious American literary
award?  He was asked about his feelings about the quality of Canadian
literature and American opinions on it.. He commented that many people think
that if the characters don't go around in snowshoes and muskrat furs (this was
the gist of it - I can't remember the original wording), the writing is not
Canadian.  His opinion was that Canadians have a different "psychology", and
this is reflected in their writing.

From my point of view, it is nice to read a book in a Canadian setting, or
based on our history, instead of characters set in the American Civil War
(which seems a common setting for a lot of fiction on the shelves these days).
We have been discussing culture in terms of TV and movies, but how is the
publishing industry threatened by Free Trade?

Barb.

PS. Someone pointed out to me a typical example of American feeling:
"We Are The World" :-)
-- 
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Barbara Palmer
Waterloo, Ontario