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Winnipeg Free Press
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Alexis's beguiling stories feel like a search for home
André Alexis has never let his novels worry too much about reality — witness, for example, the talking dogs in his 2015 masterpiece Fifteen Dogs. In his most recent novel, 2021's Ring, Aphrodite's ring allows the wearer to wish three changes in her beloved. The foremothers of one of the protagonists, Gwen, used the ring to change their men. Should she? Intriguing love relationships and philosophizing about love follow. His new story collection Other Worlds is more puzzling. That the soul of Tam Modeste, an old Trinidadian buyeis (a Carib shaman), enters a dying 11-year-old boy in Petrolia, Ont., seems like the Toronto-based Alexis's attempt to make a gut-level connection with his lost Trinidadian past — a past that recedes the more he tries to grasp it. Almost a novella within the collection, Contrition: An Isekai is the most captivating story of the nine pieces in the collection. Waking up in Paul Williams, Tam hates the sound of English (except for Ogden Nash). Paul's parents, though celebrating their dead son's revival, are troubled by this new, not-so-huggable version, less so the hugging mother than the father, who finds it harder to hide his promiscuity from a buyeis than from an adolescent. In Alexis's hands, the dual soul becomes a way of expressing an estrangement from Canada, although eventually the boy becomes more Paul than Tam. Jamie Hogge photo André Alexis Even stranger is The Bridle Path, in which the lawyer telling the story wants very badly to fit in with an über-wealthy group around his client Edward Bryson. 'It felt,' the lawyer says, 'as if I'd arrived somewhere I belonged.' Thus, when Bryson's wife Miranda explains that the main meat dish at the party is a boy, the lawyer isn't sure whether to take her literally, metaphorically or ironically. Is cannibalism a shibboleth to keep out the unsophisticated? The lawyer doesn't want to commit a faux pas that might nudge him out of the group. Alexis, however, hints that that he isn't quite as tight with Bryson as he imagines: one of the parties at which he feels honoured to be a guest is 'for tradespeople' who have helped Bryson. Despite the humour — the lawyer, for example, feels 'chastised' when, after he shows dismay at the meat dish, Bryson calls him an 'accountant' — the story is too macabre to enjoy, and Alexis's ending never answers the lawyer's confusion. Without the specific critiques in Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal (to which Alexis alludes), it's difficult to discern the target of the satire. Is it rich people generally? If so, that seems unfair. Or is Alexis telling a lawyer joke, mocking the narrator for ultimately fitting in so well as a factotum to the wealthy, the equivalent of today's Todd Blanche to Donald Trump? Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. Other stories go in a variety of directions; one concerns another buyeis, and one another son who, much like Paul, speculates about his unfaithful Trinidadian father. In the final piece An Elegy (an essay, not a story), Alexis explicitly states that his writing is a 'search for home' which, he soon adds, is 'Trinidad, circa 1957' — in other words, the country and year in which he was born. He concludes that his father wanted to escape his home territory, Belmont in Port of Spain. Other Worlds Alexis also reveals that for a year in his youth, he traded the name he didn't like — André — for a name he did: Paul. Here and elsewhere, Alexis's work has the air of a puzzle. If you can answer the questions posed in Other Worlds — 'What is a rabbit when tied to a sofa?' or 'When is a lake most likely to yield?' — then you're ready for Alexis. (Spoiler alert: the answers are 'Western' and 'midnight.') Reinhold Kramer is a Brandon University English professor. His most recent book is Are We Postmodern Yet? And Were We Ever?.
CBC
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
10 Canadian books turning 10 in 2025
Books published in 2015 are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year! Check out this list of 10 Canadian titles celebrating this milestone and see if your favourite classic is featured — or find a new read to add to your collection. Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis In Fifteen Dogs, the Greek gods Hermes and Apollo bet on the outcome of giving animals human consciousness. Their test cases: the 15 dogs spending the night in the back of a Toronto veterinary clinic. What unfolds is a powerful story about what it means to have consciousness, and the good and the bad that comes with it. Fifteen Dogs, championed by Humble The Poet, won Canada Reads 2017 and the 2015 Giller Prize. André Alexis was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and raised in Ottawa. His debut novel, Childhood, won the Books in Canada First Novel Award (now known as the First Novel Award) and the Trillium Book Award and was shortlisted for the Giller Prize and the Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. His other books include Pastoral, Asylum, The Hidden Keys, Despair and Other Stories of Ottawa and Days by Moonlight, which won the 2019 Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. WATCH | André Alexis reads most memorable sentence from Fifteen Dogs: André Alexis reads from Fifteen Dogs 8 years ago Duration 1:09 The Illegal by Lawrence Hill The Illegal examines the plight of refugees who risk everything to start over in a country that doesn't want them. After his father is killed by a dictator's thugs, elite marathon runner Keita Ali flees his homeland and goes into hiding in a country known as Freedom State, where his presence is illegal and he must go underground to save his own life. Lawrence Hill is the acclaimed author of novels such as The Book of Negroes, The Illegal, Some Great Thing and Any Known Blood and the memoir Black Berry, Sweet Juice. He also delivered the 2013 Massey Lectures, Blood: The Stuff of Life. The Book of Negroes won Canada Reads 2009 and was adapted into a six-part miniseries, which can be streamed on CBC Gem. Hill has also won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. He has a star on Canada's walk of fame and was named a member of the Order of Canada in 2015. The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda In the novel The Golden Son, Anil, the eldest son from rural India, leaves for America to become a doctor, while his childhood friend Leena faces hardship after an arranged marriage. Their paths diverge, but fate brings them together again at a time when they need each other most. The Vinyl Cafe Turns the Page by Stuart McLean In The Vinyl Cafe Turns the Page, Dave and Morley navigate the changes of growing older and their children growing up, while Dave continues to find himself in amusing conundrums. Despite the shifts in their lives, some things remain constant for the beloved family. Stuart McLean was a bestselling author, journalist, humorist and the host of CBC Radio's The Vinyl Cafe. McLean has earned numerous awards, including the Canadian Author's Association Jubilee Award in 2004, three Stephen Leacock Memorial Medals for Humour and the CBA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. After the War is Over by Jennifer Robson After the War is Over follows Charlotte Brown as she navigates her life after the First World War, balancing love, duty and personal growth in a shifting world. Faced with an opportunity to speak out for those in need and confronting her past with a former lover, Charlotte must find the courage to choose the future she truly desires. Jennifer Robson is a Toronto-based historical fiction writer. She is the author of several novels, including The Gown, Somewhere in France and Goodnight From London. She holds a doctorate in British history from the University of Oxford. The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood In The Heart Goes Last, Margaret Atwood envisions a dystopian society where people rotate between roles as prisoners and guards in a social experiment. Seeking stability, Stan and Charmaine join the Positron Project in Consilience, but soon find themselves ensnared in a dangerous and unpredictable situation, especially after Charmaine's romantic involvement with another man sets off a series of events that put Stan's life in jeopardy. Atwood is a Canadian writer who has published fiction, nonfiction, poetry and comics. She began her writing career with poetry, publishing The Circle Game and winning the Governor General's Literary Award for poetry in the late 1960s. She's since published more than a dozen poetry collections, including The Journals of Susanna Moodie in 1970, Power Politics in 1971 and Dearly in 2020. She has won several awards for her work including the Governor General's Literary Award, the Giller Prize and the Booker Prize. She was named a companion to the Order of Canada in 1981. In 2024, she was the recipient of the Writer in the World Prize for her impact on literature, art and culture. Open Heart, Open Mind by Clara Hughes Clara Hughes bares her heart in the memoir Open Heart, Open Mind. Hughes, the only athlete to win multiple medals in both summer and winter Olympics, overcame a troubled childhood and battled depression throughout her career. After retiring from speed skating, she became a passionate humanitarian and mental health advocate, using her platform to promote forgiveness and awareness. Hughes is a cyclist, speed skater, author and humanitarian. Empire of Night by Kelley Armstrong Moria and Ashyn are tasked by the emperor with rescuing the children of Edgewood in Empire of Night, but their mission becomes dangerously complicated by betrayal, treachery and mounting unrest in the empire. As they face deadly enemies and the threat of war, they must rely on their strength and power to survive. Kelley Armstrong is the author of the Darkest Powers, Darkness Rising and Age of Legends trilogies for teens. She is also the author of numerous thriller and fantasy series for adults, three YA thrillers and the Royal Guide to Monster Slaying series. The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands In The Blackthorn Key, Christopher Rowe, an apprentice to Master Benedict Blackthorn, is thrust into danger when a mysterious cult targets London's apothecaries. As the murders close in on Blackthorn's shop, Christopher must use his skills to discover the key to a deadly secret with the power to tear the world apart. The Blackthorn Key received the John Spray Mystery Award and was a finalist for the Arthur Ellis Best YA Crime Novel Award. Kevin Sands is a Toronto-based author of numerous books including the Blackthorn Key series. Sands has also written Children of the Fox and Seekers of the Fox, which were the first two books of the middle-grade fantasy series Thieves of Shadow. We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen In We Are All Made of Molecules, 13-year-old Stewart Inkster and 14-year-old Ashley Anderson, polar opposites in both personality and social status, are forced to live together when their parents move in together. Told in alternating voices, the story explores family dynamics, rivalry and the complexities of adolescence. Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High. In 2008, she published her first YA novel, Word Nerd, and has been writing steadily since. Her previous books include which was longlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal and Optimists Die First. Nielsen lives in Vancouver.
CBC
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Other Worlds by Andre Alexis
A Trinidadian Obeah man finds himself reborn, a hundred years after his death, in the body of a Canadian child. A writer takes up a seasonal job as the caretaker of a set of mysterious large sacks hanging from the rafters of the houses in a small town. A woman starts a relationship with the famous artist who painted portraits of her mother. The contents of a sealed envelope upend a woman's understanding about a tragic crime she committed at the age of six. In this dazzling collection of stories, André Alexis draws fresh connections between worlds: the ones we occupy, the ones we imagine, and the ones that preceded our own. He introduces us to characters during moments of profound puzzlement, and transports us from 19th century Trinidad and Tobago to small-town Ontario, from Amherst, Massachusetts to contemporary Toronto. These captivating stories reveal flashes of reckoning, defeat, despair, alienation, and understanding, all the while playfully using a multitude of literary genres, including gothic horror and isekai, and referencing works from greats like Jane Austen, Jonathan Swift, Yasunari Kawabata, Witold Gombrowicz, and Tomasso Landolfi. Masterfully crafted, blending poignant philosophical inquiry and wry humour tinged with the absurd, here are worlds refracted and reflected back to us with pristine clarity and stunning emotional resonance as only André Alexis can. Other Worlds is available in May 2025. André Alexis was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and raised in Ottawa. His debut novel, Childhood, won the Books in Canada First Novel Award (now known as the First Novel Award) and the Trillium Book Award, and was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. His other books include Pastoral, Asylum, The Hidden Keys, Despair and Other Stories of Ottawa and Days by Moonlight, which won the 2019 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and was on the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist. André Alexis's novel Fifteen Dogs, championed by Humble The Poet, won Canada Reads 2017 and the 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize. Inteviews with André Alexis André Alexis reads from Fifteen Dogs 8 years ago Duration 1:09 André Alexis reads the most memorable sentence he wrote for Fifteen Dogs. The novel will be championed by Humble The Poet on Canada Reads 2017.
CBC
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Esteemed Canadian actor Tom Rooney tells us what it takes to play a dog
Tom Rooney is one of Canada's most beloved stage actors. Over the last three decades, he's taken on some of theatre's most memorable roles, from Romeo in Romeo and Juliet to Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady. But Rooney has also played a big part in contemporary Canadian theatre, which is where we find him now. Currently, he's playing Majnoun, a black poodle, in Mirvish's remount of Fifteen Dogs at Toronto's CAA Theatre. The play is based on André Alexis's Giller Prize-winning book of the same name, which follows a group of dogs who are given the gift of human consciousness and language. While Rooney doesn't wear a full dog costume in the play (he says there are a few costume pieces to suggest which breed of dog each actor plays), he does take on all of the mannerisms of a dog, including barking, panting, scratching and sniffing. WATCH | Official trailer for Fifteen Dogs: "We've always tried to stay away from being on all fours," Rooney tells Q 's Tom Power in an interview. "We try to do the essence — we try to suggest the dog. "The thing that I find very interesting is just the little things that you can do to suggest a dog. Just a tilt of the head, the energy of a dog — you know, dogs are generally always moving. The eyebrows are always going. They're all very, very much alive. The focus that dogs have. It's wonderful to be able to try to tap into the dogness of it all." Rooney had read Alexis's book before joining the play's cast. He says he found the story to be quite tragic, but not without humour and beauty. "It's about poetry, it's about language, it's about love, but it's also incredibly funny," he says. "I just loved the people that were involved and the challenge of bringing a dog to life on stage." But does a veteran stage actor like Rooney ever feel a bit silly playing a dog? "Absolutely," he says. "Many nights I think, 'Here I am, playing a dog. I've made it.'" You can catch Fifteen Dogs at CAA Theatre in Toronto now until Feb. 16.
