HÂþ»­

 

Considering Canlit, post Canada Day

- July 3, 2008

In honour of Canada Day, a story in The Globe and Mail revisited a conference that took place 30 years ago. Organized by the late HÂþ»­ professor Malcolm Ross, the conference became famous for the list it drew up of "the most important 100 works of Canadian fiction."

Here's the top-10 novels on that highly controversial list:

  • The Stone Angel (1964) Margaret Laurence.
  • Fifth Business (1970) Robertson Davies.
  • As for Me and My House (1941) Sinclair Ross.
  • The Mountain and the Valley (1952) Ernest Buckler.
  • The Tin Flute (1947) Gabrielle Roy.
  • The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1959) Mordecai Richler.
  • The Double Hook (1959) Sheila Watson.
  • The Watch that Ends the Night (1959) Hugh MacLennan.
  • Who Has Seen the Wind (1947) W.O. Mitchell.
  • The Diviners (1974) Margaret Laurence.

"Taking a shot at a new canon," G&M writer James Adams asks experts, including HÂþ»­ English professor Dean Irvine, for their recommendations. (In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje, By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart and Beautiful Losers by Leonard Cohen make Dr. Irvine's top 10.)

All of this is a long lead in for today's Dalnews discussion ... What work of Canadian fiction would you recommend?

READ: in The Globe and Mail