While he might not be a household name, John Metcalf is a crucial figure to Canadian writing. While he was actually born in England, he began his writing career here in Canada, and his work is deeply based in the Canadian experience. His contribution to Canada is not only based in his writing, but also through his work as a critic and an educator, although there is overlap in the disciplines. Ottawa has the pleasure of being the home of John Metcalf, and his wife Myrna Teitlebaum Metcalf.
Metcalf has been writing for over 50 years, and the highlights of his contributions to Canadian literature can be found in two recent volumes: Finding Again the World, and The Canadian Short Story. Finding Again the World is a collection of a dozen of his short stories that span his career in less than 300 pages, but will give the reader a thorough understanding of Metcalf as a reader and his work.
The Canadian Short Story is a tiny bit longer with almost 700 pages. In this book, Metcalf covers decades of the short story genre in Canada through his impressions, criticism, and overall opinions on a wide variety of Canadian short stories by a span of authors.
The Canadian Short Story is a treasure trove of Canadian writing, and Metcalf’s stark input is extremely engaging as well as helpful as the reader begins to develop a more refined sense of literary criticism when seeing for themselves if they agree with Metcalf’s points.
Most importantly, the novel is a beautiful resource of Canadian writing and is a wonderful way to introduce a vast number of Canadian writers to readers who might not otherwise know about them. It is very in-depth and Metcalf’s love of Canadian short fiction is contagious as you follow on his journey exploring and understanding the writing this country has to offer.
Finding Again the World was a delight to read not just as a fan of Canadian literature, but as someone who loves the art of writing. The short story genre can be tough and takes a great amount of skill to be able to have a balance of compelling characters, beautiful description, and to leave an impression on the reader that makes the story stay with them after they close the book.
In fact, it is understandable to alter your expectations to focus on only one component and appreciate that in a short story, but with Metcalf, you don’t have to. His works are perfect examples of what makes the short story genre great. He uses vivid imagery that submerges the reader completely into the universe of his writing so that it feels as if they are walking in a dream and experiencing the events in the story themselves. His characters and their lives are each completely unique, from a group of young boys destroying a fountain pen, to an aging man working at a bookshop who can feel himself gradually deteriorating.
What struck me most about Metcalf’s work is how his writing invoked a sense of nostalgia for experiences I do not share. Every character is deeply authentic and each setting is described with striking imagery. Metcalf’s writing is impossible to forget and his stories will feel as if they’ve become a part of you—or rather, as if you have become a part of them.
Overall, Metcalf is a crucial figure to Canadian writing and the Canadian community as a whole. His literary criticisms and his own work are unique and striking with his incredible voice and understanding of Canada as well as what it is to be a human being.
To read The Canadian Short Story and Finding Again the World is to discover Canada in a new way and deepen your bond with the country and the beautiful short fiction it has to offer.
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