The Carpathians - University of British Columbia
The Carpathians - University of British Columbia
The Carpathians - University of British Columbia
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into Amy's point <strong>of</strong> view to spell it out: "It<br />
was not that he didn't want to help them,<br />
they were his people after all, but that he<br />
had always believed that things <strong>of</strong> the spirit<br />
were everlasting, while political oppression<br />
or freedom were equally fleeting. She knew<br />
it, thought he was wrong, but loved him for<br />
his belief." A few lines later, in case we've<br />
forgotten the discomfort motif, there are<br />
some additional gestures: "he frowned...<br />
glanced toward the platform as if it represented<br />
something that frightened him, or<br />
that was somehow not quite the way things<br />
should be. Amy wanted to reassure him." It<br />
is not that there is anything terribly wrong<br />
with these sentences; the problem is that<br />
that Butala overburdens the text with<br />
repeated physical cues backed up by overexplanation<br />
by one or more <strong>of</strong> the characters.<br />
<strong>The</strong> omniscient point <strong>of</strong> view<br />
contributes to this problem: the reader has<br />
access to the thoughts <strong>of</strong> many <strong>of</strong> the characters,<br />
and some limitation <strong>of</strong> perspective<br />
would be helpful.<br />
If Butala tells too much in <strong>The</strong> Fourth<br />
Archangel, Peter Stevens leaves the reader<br />
wanting more. His Dorothy Livesay: Patterns<br />
in a Poetic Life provides a lucid and highly<br />
accessible overview <strong>of</strong> the people, places,<br />
events and ideas which have contributed to<br />
Livesay's poetic vision. "Overview" is the<br />
key word here: the main body <strong>of</strong> the text<br />
runs a mere fifty-nine pages (including<br />
photographs) and this is clearly designed as<br />
an introductory book. What is not clear is<br />
why ECW has decided to print a series <strong>of</strong><br />
such abbreviated biographies: surely anyone<br />
interested enough in Livesay's work to<br />
read a Life would also be interested enough<br />
to read something with a bit more detail.<br />
An expanded version would have permitted<br />
more discussion <strong>of</strong> the relation between<br />
Livesay's personal development and that <strong>of</strong><br />
her writing (Stevens does refer to the<br />
poetry, but not very <strong>of</strong>ten).<br />
Brevity is also a chief feature <strong>of</strong> the individual<br />
sections <strong>of</strong> this book, most <strong>of</strong> which<br />
are two or three pages long— perhaps the<br />
intended reader has a short attention span.<br />
<strong>The</strong> titles <strong>of</strong> these sections indicate the<br />
focus on people ("Parents," "Father,"<br />
"Mother," "<strong>The</strong> Death <strong>of</strong> Duncan<br />
Macnair") and places ("Paris, 1931-32,"<br />
"Return to Toronto," "Montreal,"<br />
"Englewood and Toronto," "Zambia"). In<br />
the second half <strong>of</strong> the book they reveal a<br />
closer attention to Livesay's artistic career<br />
("New Frontier! 1 "Contemporary Verse"<br />
"<strong>The</strong> Search for a New Poetry," "Poetry and<br />
Sexuality").<br />
Stevens' discussion is generally clear and<br />
engaging and it requires no background<br />
knowledge <strong>of</strong> the subject. <strong>The</strong>re is the occasional<br />
oddity: the section entitled<br />
"Recovery," for example, begins with the<br />
assertion that "<strong>The</strong> cancer surgery Livesay<br />
underwent could almost be viewed as symbolic,<br />
on one level." <strong>The</strong> doubled qualification<br />
("almost... on one level") does little to<br />
mitigate the bizarre and rather exploitative<br />
suggestion. In the second half <strong>of</strong> the book<br />
there are occasional summaries (<strong>of</strong><br />
Livesay's illnesses, her trips to London)<br />
which might be useful reminders in a<br />
longer work but which here seem unnecessarily<br />
repetitive. <strong>The</strong>se, however, are minor<br />
points. Dorothy Livesay has led a long and<br />
eventful life, and Stevens' thoughtful selection<br />
<strong>of</strong> material provides a useful starting<br />
point for anyone interested in the subject.