I love a regular dose of CanLit - and Klee Wyck certainly fits the bill. This slim volume chronicles some of Emily Carr's experiences along the coast of BC as she sketches and paints their totems and villages. At a mere 111 pgs, one might be fooled into thinking that there is not much to this book, but Carr is an extremely skillful writer - the kind that I like best: simple, direct and poetic- and her writing is colorful and profound. With so few words, Carr can create the feeling of being right there beside her. Like this passage:
" Only one house was left in the village of Cumshewa, a large low and desolately forsaken house that had a carefully padlocked door and a gaping hole in the wall. We spent a miserable night in this old house. All our bones were pierced with chill. The rain spat great drops through the smoke hole into our fire. In comfortless, damp blankets we got through the night." Makes me want to go put on a sweater!
Anyone else loving some CanLit lately?
Okay I need to ask, does it really say "...that HAS...", or was that a typo and you meant to say "...that HAD...."? Because I hate reading books and stories in which the author mixes up verb tenses!! :P
ReplyDeletehee hee - oh no, Carr is far too careful for that. That error would be mine. :-)
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