Jean Baird 1972 by Jean Baird

Jury: Cyril Connolly, Dr. George Steiner, Elizabeth Bowen. Down from 5 to 3. Wonder why? And only 4 short-listed books rather than 6 of previous years. John Berger: G, Weidenfeld & Nicolson; Susan Hill: Bird of Night, Hamish Hamilton; Thomas Keneally: The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith,... [Read more...]

Brian Fawcett Ciccio’s Time by Brian Fawcett

On January 29th, my neighbour Francesco DeCaria died after a long struggle with heart disease. He was 87. He’d already had 2 major bypass operations when I met him 13 years ago, and he had many more procedures of different sorts performed on his ailing heart before he died.... [Read more...]

Brian Fawcett Saving Haiti by Brian Fawcett

Like most people, I’ve followed the aftermath of the Haitian quake with a kind of horror. But for me, the horror has been not at the quake itself and its terrible consequences for the benighted Haitians, but at the Canadian media response to it, and the consequent public response. This... [Read more...]

Newest Articles

On the absence of hatchet-work amongst Canada’s Book Reviewers

Brian Fawcett takes exception to Martin Levin’s characterization of Canadian book reviewers as lacking venom. He thinks Levin is part of the cause.

The Silly Season comes to Toronto in January

Wally Hourback thinks Toronto has lost its mind, on several fronts

Saving Haiti

Brian Fawcett tries to reassert perspective in the face of the earthquake in Haiti.

What Good Are Books?

Rick Salutin thinks we could do with a lot less book-reading.

Missing the Point about Abdulmutallab

Failed terrorism and the end of airline passenger docility.

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Newest Reviews

Parsing Reality Hunger

Caleb Powell reviews an about-to-be published and likely-to-be controversial book by American cultural analyst David Shields

Discovering Ulysses S. Grant

Brian Fawcett reads an 1885 memoir, and discovers a contemporary culture hero, complete with a code of conduct

Positively Barbara Ehrenreich

Lanny Beckman reviews Barbara Ehrenreich’s latest, and possibly most timely book

Pitch Perfect

A little night-music maestro… How J.S. Bach’s “Cello Suites” made it from obscurity to modern times.

Decline and Distraction

The illusions of empire and the illusions of critics of illusions.

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Newest Dictionary Entry

Gary Goodyear

Recently minted Federal Minister of Science and Technology under Stephen Harper. He is a chiropractor by profession, and an evangelical Christian.  Is his belief that dinosaurs roamed the earth 6014 years ago and that Intelligent Design is actually intelligence a job qualification?  Harper evidently thinks it is.

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