The A M Klein Symposium

It is for his poetry that A.M. Klein is best known and most warmly remembered. This collection includes all Klein's poetry, both original works and translations from Hebrew, Yiddish, Aramaic, and Latin. Many of them, coming from all periods of his careers, have never been published. The poems are arranged chronologically according to date of composition. This makes possible, for the first time, an appreciation of Klein's poetic development. The editor's introduction places this development in the perspective of Klein's life and time, and in particular explores Klein's lifelong struggle to reconcile his dual vocations as both a Jewish and a modernist writer. The textual apparatus identifies all authoritative versions for each poem and lists all emendations and all substative variants in both published and mauscript versions. The explanatory notes gloss obscure terms and references. They also provide a rich context for appreciation and interpretation by drawing connections with Klein's life, his wide reading, and his work as a whole. Wherever possible, Klein's own numerous, but scattered, comments on his poems have been cited.

Much of A.M. Klein's finest prose is to be found in the mass of uncompleted work that he abandoned at the time of his breakdown, and that became accessible only when his papers were deposited in the National Archives. Notebooks offers a generous selection of this work, revealing previously unsuspected facets of Klein's character and artistry. The fiction, criticism, and memoirs collected here focus on Klein's exploration of the role of the artist. The works illuminate crucial periods of his career, especially the early 1940s, when he was transforming himself into a modernist, and the early 1950s, when he was struggling to overcome the misgivings about his art that were to lead to his final breakdown. The semi-autobiographical text which Klein referred to as 'Raw Material' and the unfinished novel of prison life entitled 'Stranger and Afraid' cast a new light on Klein's often frustrating relationship with the Montreal Jewish community. In 'Marginalia' he discusses poetic form and technique and makes observations on the nature of poetry, thereby providing insights into his own concerns as a writer. In 'The Golem,' a profoundly ambiguous treatment of the act of creation, a self-portrait emerges of a storyteller who has lost faith in the power and value of his story. The volume includes a critical introduction, that places the material in the context of Klein's other works, as well as textual and explanatory notes.

Thomas Chandler Haliburton was perhaps the only Canadian writer whose name was a household word in nineteenth-century Canada. The ten papers in this volume reappraise the historical, geographical, political and literary contexts within which Haliburton lived and worked. His letters, his historical books, the Club papers and Sam Slick sketches are all included in these valuable and lively criticisms. Published in English.

A.M. Klein has remained an enduring but elusive presence in the Canadian literary consciousness since his death in 1972. Klein's legacy has been mixed, his literary achievement sometimes overshadowed by his reclusiveness and withdrawal from the literary world.Failure's Oppositepresents a fresh perspective on Klein's reception and legacy, exploring why he has remained a compelling figure for critics and readers. His experimentalism drew upon strong traditions and fluency in several languages - English, French, Yiddish, and Hebrew - allowing him to develop a multilingual, modernist Jewish voice that is a touchstone for understanding Canada's multicultural identity. His struggle with the emotional and historical dimensions of diaspora is of considerable importance throughout his work and is investigated through the lenses of translation, voice, and his relationship to other Jewish writers. Contributors also re-evaluate Klein's connection to Montreal and the original ways in which he captured the atmosphere of his "jargoning city."Failure's Oppositereflects the many ways A.M. Klein is being remade, refashioned, and reconstructed in the twenty-first century, both as a bridge to the past and a model for contemporary critical and creative work in Canadian literature.

Canadian literature, and specifically the teaching of Canadian literature, has emerged from a colonial duty to a nationalist enterprise and into the current territory of postcolonialism. From practical discussions related to specific texts, to more theoretical discussions about pedagogical practice regarding issues of nationalism and identity, Home-Work constitutes a major investigation and reassessment of the influence of postcolonial theory on Canadian literary pedagogy from some of the top scholars in the field.

Windows and Words is a collection of seventeen essays that confirms and celebrates the artistry of Canadian Children's Literature. There are essays that survey a wealth of English language fiction, from the internationally acclaimed work of Lucy Maud Montgomery, the aboriginal adolescent novel, to the increasingly multi-cultural character of children's books. Others examine book illustration, visual literacy, and the creative partnership seen in the picture book and its art design. With contributions by two Governor General's Award winning authors, Janet Lunn and Tim Wynne-Jones, and a final commentary by Elizabeth Waterson, the heart of this collection offers a unique perspective on the artistry of writing for children and claims a rightful place for Canadian children's literature as literature.