The first great authors
Let us begin with one of the figures of Native American literature, Pauline Johnson (1861-1913), born of a Mohawk Indian father and a British mother. Her most famous work, Legends of Vancouver, is a book of Indian legends told by Squamish Chief Joe Capilano. In 2018, his work will be translated into French. One of his poems, The Song my Paddle Sings
, is learned by a large majority of Canadian students. Also noteworthy is Robert William Service (1874-1958), a Scottish-born poet who lived for many years in Dawson City, where his log cabin can still be seen. Nicknamed the "Canadian Kipling" or the "Bard of the Yukon", he drew much inspiration from Canada and the gold diggers in writing his collections of poems. His words, painted in capital letters on one of the buildings in Dawson City, are: "The magic of the Yukon. I wanted the gold and I searched for it; I scratched and I drooled like a slave; whether it was starvation or scurvy, I defeated them. "He also wrote such novels as The Trail of Ninety-Eight, a Northland Romance (1910) and The Pretender, a Story of a Latin Quarter (1914)...Jack London (1876-1916)
The American author Jack London, an adventure-lover and wilderness enthusiast, embarked in 1897, among tens of thousands of gold seekers, on the adventure of the Klondike Gold Rush (Yukon). He arrived in Alaska through the interior passage between British Columbia and Alaska to reach Dyea and Skagway and from there to Dawson City via Bennett Lake. Arriving in Dawson City in late fall, he spent the winter there listening to stories that would later be used to write some of his novels (The Call of the Forest, Croc-Blanc, Children of the Cold, Belliou the Smoke, The Son of the Wolf
, etc.). Suffering from scurvy, he is forced the following spring to return home to San Francisco. For the return trip, he took another route inland and along the Yukon River to St. Michael, near Nome, Alaska. After a difficult economic period, he began to publish his first writings, based in part on this journey. Between reality and fiction, his books allow us to immerse ourselves in this fascinating era that has left such a mark on the Yukon province.What child hasn't come across The Call of
the Wild in the library or at school or in a textbook? Published in 1903 (1906 for France), this novel tells the story of Buck, who lives in California and is kidnapped from his master to be sold to a sled dog trafficker. He has to get used to his new life and impose himself on the other dogs of the pack. After many ups and downs, he is adopted by John Thornton, but Thornton is murdered, and Buck returns to the wilderness and becomes part of a wolf pack. It is a true learning novel in which the hero lives adventures that make him evolve, but Jack London also evokes adventure and wilderness. There have been many film adaptations, including Chris Sanders' 2020 with Harrison Ford and Omar Sy, whose splendid images are worth noting. We should also mention Jack London's other illustrious novel, Croc Blanc. Once again, the wilderness is in the spotlight in this tale, which tells the story of a wolfhound who, living in the wild, is confronted with the cruelty of mankind, but not only.Some other names
Ethel Davis Wilson (1888-1980), of South African origin, is the author of six novels that made Canadian literary history between 1947 and 1961: Hetty Dorval (1947), The Innocent Traveller (1949), The Equations of Love (1952), Swamp Angel (1954), Love and Salt Water (1956), Mrs. Golightly and Other Stories
(1961). She was the first to truly capture the beauty of the British Columbia landscape in her books.Pierre Berton (1920-2004) is a writer, journalist and television host originally from the Yukon. He has written some forty books, including The Last Spike
, a story about building the railway across the Rockies. Recognized as a specialist in Canadian history, he has received the Governor General's Literary Award three times. Let's finish with Robert Kroetsch (1927-2011), a renowned Alberta writer born in Heisler. He wrote many major works on the history of the province. His trilogy Out West, which covers 40 years of Alberta's history, as well as Alberta and Seeds Catalogue are about the lives of prairie farmers. He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2004 in honour of his contribution to Canadian culture.Contemporary authors
Some names of contemporary authors will certainly tell you something! For example Nancy Huston (born 1953) who is a French-Canadian writer born in Calgary. Living in France since the 1970s, she has published many novels that have been noticed by literary critics, including The Goldberg Variations (1981, Governor General's Award), Lignes de faille (Femina Award 2006) and the beautiful Cantique des plaines (1995), which describes the lives of immigrants in the Alberta plains. In her latest book, The Relative Miracle Club, published in 2016, she denounces the development of the oil sands in Alberta. Since a visit to Fort McMurray, which would have been a real "emotional shock" for her, the writer has worked to publicize the ecological damage that is shaking her native province. She co-authored with Naomi Klein (author and committed journalist) the essay Brut, which highlights the disasters of this "boomtown" in the midst of ecological hell. In a completely different vein, she wrote Mosaic of Pornography
, an essay that tackles this phenomenon. In it, she offers an analysis of certain works and also proposes a reflection on the position of women.On the women's side, we can also quote Monique Genuist (born in 1937), one of whose favourite themes is the quest for geographical and historical disorientation. For example, she wrote C'était hier en Lorraine (1993), Le Cri du Lion (1993), L 'Ile au cotonnier (1997), Itinérance (1999), Racines de sable (2000). Some critics compare her to Gabrielle Roy because, like her, she paints with a keen sense of describing the small details of everyday life. For the record, Gabrielle Roy, born in Manitoba in 1909, was a schoolteacher before leaving for Europe and settling in Quebec City, where she remained until her death in 1983. Her novels deal with urban life, modest backgrounds and their obscure destinies (Bonheur d'occasion
, Prix Femina, 1947).Douglas Coupland (b. 1961) is best known for his novel Generation X, which describes the graduate and unemployed generation that followed the baby boomers, born between the 1960s and 1980s. He is associated with the so-called social anticipation movement. His work deals with the difficulties of the life of this Generation X, faced with media saturation, the absence of religious values and economic instability. In City of Glass (2000) and Souvenirs of Canada 1 (2002) and 2
(2004), the Canadian author gives his perspective on his hometown of Vancouver and his country. He is internationally renowned and the humorous style of his stories is critically acclaimed. Let's take a look at Timothy Taylor (born in 1963), author of three novels, the latest of which, The Blue Light Project, was published in 2011. But it was his first work Stanley Park, a novel featuring a Vancouver chef, that earned him the most success. Finally, let's mention Nancy Lee (born in 1970), of Indian and Chinese origin, born in the United Kingdom and living in British Columbia since childhood. She became a critical success with the publication of her first novel Dead Girls in 2003.Cowboy poetry
In Calgary and Edmonton, another phenomenon has been growing in recent years: cowboy poetry. Albertans are embracing this literary genre created to preserve the heritage of western culture. The poems make ranch life more beautiful and exalt the beauty of the landscape. Ian Tyson is a star of the genre.
French-language literature in the West
French-language literature emerged around the 1730s but has always had varying degrees of difficulty finding an audience. There have been many historical circumstances over the centuries that have slowed its development, such as the prohibition of the use of French in schools and administrations (Greenway Act in 1890 and Thornton Act in 1916). And then, more recently, the emergence of a specific Quebec literature has blocked publications from elsewhere. The intermingling of ethnic groups has fragmented the Francophone community. In recent years, there has been a slight improvement. For example, there has been the creation of specific publishing houses such as Les Éditions du Blé (1974) and Les Éditions des Plaines (1979). But once again, the problem is that the public is limited and so is the criticism. As a result, these authors often turn to Quebec or even France.
If we had to name a Franco-Manitoban author, it would be Roger Léveillé (born in 1945), who wrote many novels(Une si simple passion, 1997; Le Soleil du lac qui se couche, 2001; Nosara, 2003...) as well as poetry(Le Livre des marges, 1981; Causer l'amour, 1993; L'Invocation de Rutebeuf et de Villon, 2012...). There is also a whole group of researchers and academics, but once again the audience is limited. For more information, there are two reference works: Anthologie de la poésie franco-manitobaine (1990) and the Dictionnaire des artistes et des auteurs francophones de l'ouest (1998), which provide a better understanding of all these writers.
