Today is the birthday of Alice Munro (born in Ontario in 1931). I'm almost ashamed to say it, but I read my first Munro story only a couple of years (after watching Away From Her). I've read many since then, and have the rest of her collections in my to-read pile. She's amazing. Her prose is clear, spare, beautiful, and her characters so real and vivid that even in stories where nothing much seems to happen the story draws you in and releases you only well after you've finished. I'd call her a national treasure if she were American; as it is, she's a treasure in the world of English-language writers (and readers).
Language Liberalism Freethought Birds Verbing Weirds Language only if you're expecting it to work in a simple way. This is a special case of the more general truth that Language Weirds. Only when a republic's life is in danger should a man uphold his government when it is in the wrong. There is no other time. The church says Earth is flat; but I have seen its shadow on the moon, and I have more confidence in a shadow than the church. If we can't find Heaven, there are always bluejays.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Happy Birthday, Alice
Today is the birthday of Alice Munro (born in Ontario in 1931). I'm almost ashamed to say it, but I read my first Munro story only a couple of years (after watching Away From Her). I've read many since then, and have the rest of her collections in my to-read pile. She's amazing. Her prose is clear, spare, beautiful, and her characters so real and vivid that even in stories where nothing much seems to happen the story draws you in and releases you only well after you've finished. I'd call her a national treasure if she were American; as it is, she's a treasure in the world of English-language writers (and readers).
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