1996, ISBN: 9780771060731

Watsonville, CA: Papier-Mache Press. Fine in Fine dust jacket. 1996. First Edition. Hardcover. 0.7 x 9.5 x 7.2 Inches. 186 pages. While editing <I>Grow Old Along with Me-The Best I… Mehr…

Watsonville, CA: Papier-Mache Press. Fine in Fine dust jacket. 1996. First Edition. Hardcover. 0.7 x 9.5 x 7.2 Inches. 186 pages. While editing <I>Grow Old Along with Me-The Best Is Yet to Be</I>, I reflected on how this anthology differs from its predecessor, When I Am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple. The answer is found, I feel, in both the social changes that have occurred in the last ten years and in the changed perspectives of the writers. Much of the material in When I Am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple was written in the early eighties. About half of the writers in the collection were in their mid-forties or younger, women my age. They painted tender word pictures of mothers and grandmothers and older women friends. They, and I, viewed aging earnestly, poignantly, tenderly-and with a certain distance. Today my generation is firmly entrenched in middle age, marching stalwartly ahead of the baby boomers. Two-thirds of the women writers whose work was selected for <I>Grow Old Along with Me</I> are over fifty; one-third are over sixty. This is our story now: our age spots, our menopause, our arthritic bones. Our expectations about growing older have shifted dramatically in the last decade, influenced by the prospect of longer life spans, increased awareness of health and fitness, more positive media images of older women, and the changed perceptions of women's roles in a world that grew out of the social movements of the sixties and seventies. We expect to be taken more seriously-by politicians, by the medical community, by our religious leaders, by our families. But we also demand the freedom to take life less seriously-to be unconventional, to flaunt our grey hair and wrinkles, to be age proud. It's an exciting time to be an older woman. Compiling <I>Grow Old Along with Me</I> also provided the opportunity to look at another perspective on aging: how men feel about growing older. Over the last several years an increasing number of men have attended anthology readings around the country. Their level of interest in the issues discussed and their enthusiasm about participating in this type of emotionally evocative exploration of aging prompted me to broaden the scope to include both men and women. For most of my editorial life, my work has focused on women writers and women's issues. I wasn't sure what kind of material to expect from male writers. Any assumptions I had, however, were challenged by my commitment to keep an open ear, an open heart. In the end the differences between what men and women had to say about aging were minor. The men in the stories and poems seemed a little more likely to define themselves through their work, to be more reflective about the mark they felt they had (or had not) made on the world, or to be more anxious about retirement and what they would do with their lives afterward. But these issues also surfaced for some of the women. The women in the stories and poems generally seemed better prepared for their old age, more excited about new beginnings as family structures shifted. Yet there were also men on the brink of new adventures and experiencing new personal insights. Particularly satisfying were the writers who spoke from the other side's point of view-men writing about women and women writing about men-the result, perhaps, of writers who are really caring listeners. Common threads ran throughout the material: the need to be loved, the importance of family connections, an acceptance of the aging process. There were observable differences when the writings were grouped by age of the characters in the stories. Self-assessment, both physical and psychological, was most likely to emerge in the stories and poems depicting people in their fifties and early sixties. Those in their late sixties and seventies often focused on letting go, retirement, loss of life partners. The very old were especially eloquent when celebrating life's simplicity. It is hard to find the right words to describe the photographs. Beautiful. Courageous. Tender. Vigorous. Joyful. They stand alone as visual poems. They complement and illuminate the text. The work would not be the same without them. These writers and photographers leave me challenged and eager to greet the future. I invite you, dear reader, to <I>Grow old along with me-the best is yet to be.</I> ., Papier-Mache Press, 1996, 5, Toronto: Mcclelland and Stewart. Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 1989. First Edition; First Printing. Hardcover. 0771060734 . Stiff clean unmarked book in lightly rubbed DJ. ; 0.98 x 9.29 x 6.23 Inches; 280 pages; Set in the forties and fifties, these stories take us back to a simpler, gentler world, the one we all like to think we grew up in. The Kid at the centre of the stories is a boy on a Saskatchewan farm &#8220;down Government Road from Crocus, which is on the CNR line between Tiger Lily and Conception.&#8221; Jake is the hired hand who helps the Kid&#8217;s mother run the farm (and who played a huge role in Canadian history, what with capturing &#8220;Looie Riel&#8221; and all), and who now keeps the Kid abreast of events in the greater world and in Crocus.<br><br>This is no easy matter, for the stories reveal that Crocus is a town in constant ferment. The Kid&#8217;s teacher, Miss Henchbaw, is unfairly dismissed by the school board until her friends fight back in &#8220;Will of the People&#8221;; Chet Lambert of the <i>Crocus Breeze</i> is hauled into court for comparing George Solway with Malleable Brown&#8217;s goat in &#8220;The Face Is Familiar,&#8221; resulting in a courtroom confrontation unrivalled in the history of Canadian jurisprudence; and &#8220;Political Dynamite&#8221; shows the men terrified by women curlers threatening to vote en bloc in the upcoming town election to gain equal curling time.<br><br>The town, of course, is rich not only in disputes but characters, from Repeat Golightly in the barbershop (&#8220;One ahead of you, Jake. I say there's one ahead of you&#8221;) to Old Man Sherry, the town&#8217;s Oldest Inhabitant, who wavers between tributes to Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria. Then there&#8217;s Old Man Gatenby, brought from death&#8217;s door by prolonged exposure to romantic purple prose in &#8220;Love&#8217;s Wild Magic.&#8221;<br><br>Adding to this rich mixture are the entertainers who come through town: Belva Taskey, the sweet songstress (&#8220;Lo! The Noble Redskin!&#8221;) and her memorable poetry reading; The Great Doctor Suhzee, the hypnotist; and Professor Noble Winesinger, whose snake-oil remedies have been known to turn his customers black.<br><br>There are also stories of prejudice against Indians, or against &#8220;foreigners&#8221; named Kiziw, that in the end remind us of the core of decency at the heart of this collection. Whether the stories are told by Jake or by the Kid, they always speak to our hearts, and provide us with W.O. Mitchell's usual magical mixture of tears and laughter. ., Mcclelland and Stewart, 1989, 4<

1989, ISBN: 0771060734

Gebundene Ausgabe

[EAN: 9780771060731], Near Fine, [PU: Mcclelland and Stewart, Toronto], BRITISH WORLD LITERATURE & FICTION BOOKS LITERARY, Jacket, Stiff clean unmarked book in lightly rubbed DJ. ; 0.98 x… Mehr…

[EAN: 9780771060731], Near Fine, [PU: Mcclelland and Stewart, Toronto], BRITISH WORLD LITERATURE & FICTION BOOKS LITERARY, Jacket, Stiff clean unmarked book in lightly rubbed DJ. ; 0.98 x 9.29 x 6.23 Inches; 280 pages; Set in the forties and fifties, these stories take us back to a simpler, gentler world, the one we all like to think we grew up in. The Kid at the centre of the stories is a boy on a Saskatchewan farm ?down Government Road from Crocus, which is on the CNR line between Tiger Lily and Conception.? Jake is the hired hand who helps the Kid?s mother run the farm (and who played a huge role in Canadian history, what with capturing ?Looie Riel? and all), and who now keeps the Kid abreast of events in the greater world and in Crocus.This is no easy matter, for the stories reveal that Crocus is a town in constant ferment. The Kid?s teacher, Miss Henchbaw, is unfairly dismissed by the school board until her friends fight back in ?Will of the People?; Chet Lambert of the Crocus Breeze is hauled into court for comparing George Solway with Malleable Brown?s goat in ?The Face Is Familiar,? resulting in a courtroom confrontation unrivalled in the history of Canadian jurisprudence; and ?Political Dynamite? shows the men terrified by women curlers threatening to vote en bloc in the upcoming town election to gain equal curling time.The town, of course, is rich not only in disputes but characters, from Repeat Golightly in the barbershop (?One ahead of you, Jake. I say there's one ahead of you?) to Old Man Sherry, the town?s Oldest Inhabitant, who wavers between tributes to Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria. Then there?s Old Man Gatenby, brought from death?s door by prolonged exposure to romantic purple prose in ?Love?s Wild Magic.?Adding to this rich mixture are the entertainers who come through town: Belva Taskey, the sweet songstress (?Lo! The Noble Redskin!?) and her memorable poetry reading; The Great Doctor Suhzee, the hypnotist; and Professor Noble Winesinger, whose snake-oil remedies have been known to turn his customers black.There are also stories of prejudice against Indians, or against ?foreigners? named Kiziw, that in the end remind us of the core of decency at the heart of this collection. Whether the stories are told by Jake or by the Kid, they always speak to our hearts, and provide us with W.O. Mitchell's usual magical mixture of tears and laughter., Books<

1989, ISBN: 0771060734

Gebundene Ausgabe

[EAN: 9780771060731], Gebraucht, sehr guter Zustand, [PU: McClelland and Stewart], CANADIAN FICTION, Jacket, Light edgewear; previous owner's singature, in blue ink, on front endpaper. "A… Mehr…

[EAN: 9780771060731], Gebraucht, sehr guter Zustand, [PU: McClelland and Stewart], CANADIAN FICTION, Jacket, Light edgewear; previous owner's singature, in blue ink, on front endpaper. "A Collection of New Stories." Language: eng, Books<

1989, ISBN: 9780771060731

McClelland & Stewart, January 1989. Hardcover. VG., McClelland & Stewart, 3