Latest news with #WrittenontheDark
Calgary Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
History Rhymes: Guy Gavriel Kay's new novel begins with a poet protagonist and a royal murder
In Guy Gavriel Kay's new novel, Written on the Dark, there is a segment where the powerful but ruthless Duke de Barratin is leading a group of men through the countryside and stops to get a blessing from a cleric. Instead, the cleric chides the Duke for the chaos he is causing, which triggers the royal's nasty sense of entitlement. Article content In January, the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde made headlines after she gave a sermon at the interfaith prayer service following Donald Trump's second presidential inauguration. She called on Trump to show compassion towards the marginalized groups that he was already intending to target and persecute. Article content Article content Trump and his followers went ballistic. Meanwhile, an American book reviewer whom Kay has known for years received an advance-reading copy of Written on the Dark the very next day. Article content Article content 'I said 'You know I wrote that a year-and-a-half, two years ago,'' says Kay, in a Zoom interview with Postmedia. 'It is an example of history not repeating but rhyming. I wasn't making any direct (reference.) I couldn't have been, I'm not prophetic in that way. I wasn't making any direct association with right now. But he said he didn't sleep that night, thinking about history and power and the people who push back against power. That effect, I love to achieve.' Article content Kay is a veteran novelist who uses reflections of historical backdrops for his fantasy fiction. The famous quote 'history doesn't repeat, but it rhymes' is one of his favourites. It guides his work. Article content Article content 'I like looking into history and finding things that evoke, associate with, trigger thoughts about the present without trying to pin anything down to specific repetitions,' he says. Article content Kay's 16th novel is set in a world meant to reflect a turbulent Medieval France, called Ferrieres in the book, during the Hundred Years War. His hero, Thierry Villar, is a tavern poet who becomes entangled in the dangerous power struggles among members of royalty after he is enlisted by the king's provost to help investigate the brutal murder of the Duke of Montereau, the king's brother and advisor. The country teeters towards civil war as the powers behind the assassination become clear. Article content So, yes, Written on the Dark begins with a tantalizing murder mystery, although it doesn't take long for the reader to learn who the culprit is. Kay says the early sparks of inspiration for the novel came from rereading Dutch historian Johan Huizinga's 1919 classic Autumntide of the Middle Ages, which had just been reissued as a handsome, illustrated coffee table book. It is about 14th- and 15th-century France and Burgundy, a time and place that Kay had not spent much time evoking in previous novels.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Free Press Head Start for June 5
Widespread smoke. High 23 C. UV index 7 or high. While images of wildfires capture their ferocity, data can provide insight into how bad a fire season is. Such is the case with two graphics, powered by satellite data, that showcase a Canadian wildfire season off to a wild — and scary — start. Twice a day a NASA satellite sends images to the ground, giving a real-time view of where fires are burning. This is especially useful for remote areas where no sensors are stationed. The Associated Press has more here. What's happening today Toronto-based former Winnipegger and bestselling fantasy novelist Guy Gavriel Kay comes back to town to launch his latest novel, Written on the Dark , tonight at 7 p.m. at McNally Robinson's Grant Park location. Kay will be joined at the launch in conversation by Bruce Symaka. Ben Sigurdson has a preview here. Guy Gavriel Kay (Ted Davis photo) There's plenty of family-friendly entertainment to be found at The Forks this week during the annual KidsFest event hosted by the Winnipeg International Children's Festival. The party kicks off at 10 a.m. today with a showcase of Francophone performers, including local singer-songwriter Micah Baribeau, a.k.a Micah!, and Montreal theatre duo Les Soeurs Kif Kif. Today's must-read The NDP government has asked the provincial auditor general to probe Project Nova, the doomed technology project undertaken by Manitoba Public Insurance. In a letter to auditor general Tyson Shtykalo, which was obtained by the Free Press , Finance Minister Adrien Sala stated that after spending $165 million on Nova, most of the promised features — including full online access for Autopac customers — remain unfulfilled. Sala stated in his letter that an internal government review identified a number of 'concerns' about MPI's management of Nova. Dan Lett has the story. The NDP government has asked the provincial auditor general to probe Manitoba Public Insurance's Project Nova.(Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files) On the bright side An adolescent loggerhead sea turtle named Dilly Dally crawled into the Atlantic Ocean Wednesday morning, months after having a front flipper amputated at a Florida turtle hospital. The turtle was brought to Loggerhead Marinelife Center in January suffering from predator wounds to the front flipper. The veterinary crew at the Juno Beach facility assisted in Dilly Dally's rehabilitation and care. 'Every time we can release a turtle back into the wild is special and not just for us but for all the interns and volunteers and everyone that puts an effort to getting these turtles back out there. It's always a really special day,' said Marika Weber, a veterinary technician at the centre. The Associated Press has more here. An adolescent loggerhead sea turtle named Dilly-Dally crawls into the Atlantic Ocean after being released on Wednesday. (Rebecca Blackwell / The Associated Press) On this date On June 5, 1956: The Winnipeg Free Press reported city council told its public safety committee to draw up new specifications on boots for the Winnipeg fire department and call for tenders again; the decision was a victory for boot salesman William Gelfant, who a month earlier had caused an uproar at city hall when he charged the city was buying footwear that did not meet the city's own specifications. Read the rest of this day's paper here. Search our archives for more here. Today's front page Get the full story: Read today's e-edition of the Free Press .
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fantasy-adjacent historical fiction finds fans worldwide
It's difficult to neatly categorize Guy Gavriel Kay's published work of the last 35 years — and that's just the way he likes it. The Saskatchewan-born, Winnipeg-raised Kay, now 70, was studying at the University of Manitoba when he was enlisted by J.R.R. Tolkien's son Christopher to help edit his late father's unpublished work, The Silmarillion, in Oxford, England. After returning to Canada and completing his law degree in Toronto, Kay set about writing fantasy of his own, beginning with the three books in The Fionavar Tapestry. But since his breakout 1990 novel Tigana, set in a world similar to Renaissance Italy, Kay's writing has moved away from deep fantasy, treading a fine line between fantasy and historical fiction, inspired by real-life events in history but with a certain mystical element underlying his novels. 'I write about the past — I do that quarter-turn to the fantastic, but essentially, I'm writing about moments in history that seem to me powerful and resonant for today,' says Kay, who will launch his latest novel, Written on the Dark, at McNally Robinson Booksellers' Grant Park, where he will be joined in conversation by Bruce Symaka. Written on the Dark follows the exploits of Thierry Villar, a tavern poet in the town of Orane (a stand-in for Paris) in medieval France, who becomes embroiled in the machinations of local politics, war and an investigation into the murder of one of the local dukes, the king's brother. Kay took inspiration from real-life poet François Villon and the assassination of the Duc d'Orleans in Paris during the Hundred Years' War. Avoiding straight historical fiction has allowed Kay to explore themes that continue to resonate today without being hemmed in by the hard facts of what happened at the time. 'History rhymes for me, and it underlies my entire literary method, which is that I'm not trying to pretend I know the thoughts and feelings of real people — I'm fine with other people doing that,' he says. 'I'm happier with that quarter-turn so that my protagonists and the secondary characters are clearly identified as inspired by real people, but not equivalent to them.' Kay's body of work continues to be widely read; his books have translated into dozens of languages, with the bulk of his novels still in print. Tigana and his 1995 novel The Lions of Al-Rassan, set in a world similar to medieval Spain, have both enjoyed a particular uptick in popularity in recent years thanks to BookTok, the TikTok sub-community that posts reviews and thoughts about books, and where fantasy novels remain incredibly popular. 'I've been given a gift by readers around the world. I don't sell on the order of people who've had movies and television series made of their books, because I don't write those kinds of books, but by great good fortune, I sell well, and I sell around the world, and the books stay in print around the world,' Kay says. Among Kay's recent global accomplishments are the recent release of Tigana in Taiwan, for which he wrote a new introduction, and some of his books having been published in Ukrainian in the last 18 months, with two more in the works. He admits to being moved by the fact that not only is the war-torn country still publishing and reading books, but that his are among them. 'In a war zone, in a country afflicted the way it is, especially as I get older, that sort of thing really gets to me,' he says. Every Second Friday The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. Kay recognizes one of the keys to success is recognizing who can help you get your art into the world, acknowledging that doing book tours and interviews in advance of a new work's release is all part of the business of writing. 'All artists need a patron — whether it was the Borgias or Medicis or the pope in the Renaissance, or the Chinese emperor in the Tang Dynasty, or McNally Robinson stocking you at the front of the store, or the Canada Council supporting you if you're a poet, he says. 'Artists have always needed to find a way to appeal to those who can let them make a living, let them make their art.' @bensigurdson Ben SigurdsonLiterary editor, drinks writer Ben Sigurdson is the Free Press's literary editor and drinks writer. He graduated with a master of arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba in 2005, the same year he began writing Uncorked, the weekly Free Press drinks column. He joined the Free Press full time in 2013 as a copy editor before being appointed literary editor in 2014. Read more about Ben. In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the Free Press's editing team before being posted online or published in print. It's part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Toronto Star
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
‘Poison: A History' and a 100-year-old book signed by Tolkien: a peek at the library of bestselling fantasy novelist Guy Gavriel Kay
The author of the new 'Written on the Dark' describes some of the books in his collection.
