tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329706.post111773671896405306..comments2024-03-21T12:51:21.667-04:00Comments on Whisky Prajer: Whisky Prajer's List of Five Great Canadian Novels That Aren't By Margaret Atwood or Robertson Davies - And Won't Piss You Offdpreimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09905531259256800022noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329706.post-1154180009893426872006-07-29T09:33:00.000-04:002006-07-29T09:33:00.000-04:00You make a good point, and Coupland is indeed one ...You make a good point, and Coupland is indeed one of my faves. I'd probably substitute GenX or Microserfs for Brad Smith's book. Maybe I should have nudged this list up to ten...Whisky Prajerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14076228013022881173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329706.post-1154109623102608362006-07-28T14:00:00.000-04:002006-07-28T14:00:00.000-04:00No Douglas Coupland? I think he's one of your bes...No Douglas Coupland? I think he's one of your best.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329706.post-1118686958346212042005-06-13T14:22:00.000-04:002005-06-13T14:22:00.000-04:00Barney's Version can be had from our Borders after...<I>Barney's Version</I> can be had from our Borders after a seven-day wait.<BR/><BR/>His other books mostly appear to be out-of-print. <BR/><BR/>But his name is <I>so</I> familiar: maybe somewhere in one of the myriad piles there lies a copy of something?Xenoversehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067895289265719351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329706.post-1118669700375895712005-06-13T09:35:00.000-04:002005-06-13T09:35:00.000-04:00I'm a wee bit surprised - I would have expected a ...I'm a wee bit surprised - I would have expected a stray copy or two of <EM>Barney's Version</EM>. Alas, but be assured: having read your blog over the weekend, I'm confident you'll find him worth the Amazon effort.Whisky Prajerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14076228013022881173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329706.post-1118632465586513952005-06-12T23:14:00.000-04:002005-06-12T23:14:00.000-04:00Nae luck at Borders today - plenty of "Rice", but ...Nae luck at Borders today - plenty of "Rice", but no Richler.<BR/><BR/>It'll have to be Amazon...Xenoversehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067895289265719351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329706.post-1118062863142568302005-06-06T09:01:00.000-04:002005-06-06T09:01:00.000-04:00Nice!Nice!Whisky Prajerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14076228013022881173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329706.post-1117925956983820412005-06-04T18:59:00.000-04:002005-06-04T18:59:00.000-04:00An acquaintance of a close friend of mine (sounds ...An acquaintance of a close friend of mine (sounds convoluted already, no?) was invited some years back to a soiree honoring the Canadian arts at the Canadian consulate in Washington D.C. The usual "artistes Canadienne" were there, she said. All seemed to steer a wide berth of the grande dame herself, Ms. Atwood, as she was known to bite off heads of any rival talker while still maintaining her own uninvolved patter. The acquaintance, let's call her Ms. Apropos, noticed that Ms. Atwood was in a potentially embarassing state of dress. As a fellow Canadian, she felt it her countryman's duty to point out the matter to Ms. Atwood, before people would simply break into unadultersted laughter at the site of her.<BR/>What was the mis-dress?<BR/>Ms. Atwood, a secret trencherman, well, a "trencherwoman", had been sampling some of the foods laid out. While gnoshing on some fried sea creature or other, she had inadvertently let a small fork drop off her plate. It hadn't clattered to the floor; it had opted to entangle itself in the thick wool of Ms. Atwood's sweater. The weight of the fork must have been slight, as she paid it no attention as she strolled around the room, basking in all of the attentive looks. From far off, Ms. Apropos said, the fork looked like a piece of jewelry, possibly some Inuit artwork. Say a silver canoe. Closing the distance, it became apparent that the artwork was tine work.<BR/>Ms. Apropos approached Ms. Atwood. She complemented her on her newest bestseller and laid on thick other accolades as expected when coming within the Atwood aura. Then, gently and politely (Canadian National Traits, as we know), she pointed out the hanging fork. Allegedly, Ms. Atwood glanced down quickly, then raised her head slowly. She looked squarely at Ms. Apropos and said.<BR/>"My dear, some of us are born with silver spoons in our mouth while others prefer other silverware to show we've come to this point on our own."<BR/>Then, she turned on a dime and radiated away.<BR/>Through the balance of the night, Ms. Apropos would catch quick glances of Ms. Atwood. Her chest was out proudly pouting with the dangling fork.<BR/><BR/>I'm with F.C. Bearded on <B>Atwood's</B> books. This story served as a summary of her style. Obdurate insistence on holding ridiculous opinions. I admired her aplomb and her recovery; she still must have looked ridiculous walking around with silverware jewelry.DarkoVhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11572734667248592785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329706.post-1117918848088969252005-06-04T17:00:00.000-04:002005-06-04T17:00:00.000-04:00I myself run hot and cold re: Atwood (well ... it'...I myself run hot and cold re: Atwood (well ... it's more "lukewarm and cold"). If you like Davies chances are very good you'll enjoy Richler. <EM>Solomon Gursky</EM> could be tough to find, but Richler's last novel <EM>Barney's Version</EM> should be readily available, and is every bit as good. Would love to hear your thoughts once you've had a look.Whisky Prajerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14076228013022881173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329706.post-1117912517709015582005-06-04T15:15:00.000-04:002005-06-04T15:15:00.000-04:00If you don't mind, I shall avail myself of your li...If you don't mind, I shall avail myself of your list when next I visit Borders?<BR/><BR/>I have been a devotee of Davies since the day I picked-up the Deptford Trilogy, believing it to be a thriller. <BR/><BR/>Atwood was never my cup of tea.<BR/><BR/>But Richler? That sounds like it might be.Xenoversehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067895289265719351noreply@blogger.com