Riveting Canadian Storytelling

Listening to Pauline Holdstock talk about her writing was extremely inspiring. She came to Canada from England in 1974 and writes of Canadian culture with fresh eyes. Holdstock's first novel "Blackbird Song", won the Federation of BC Writers Best Short Fiction in 1987, and she has continued to write incredible award winning stories ever since. Last week, she read from her newest collection of short stories "Beyond Measure" (2004) for the Canadian literature classes. Holdstock held the audience riveted to attention as she read with warmth of rich imagery about Canadian culture. Despite calm, steady voice, her rich images of chimneys poking through the snow like a moonscape and hockey players compared to gladiators had much tongue in cheek humour. The author's rich story telling extended to her new book "Mortal Distractions" (2004). One could vividly watch a scene when listening with closed eyes. Holdstock set the novel's tone, reading from prologue of sixteenth century Italy about a hanging. Holdstock intermingled beauty and terror to a universal theme of life. The vivid descriptions of calm numbness of the criminal’s final thoughts walking through driving rain in the stone square and the jeering crowd "gathered together in an unholy communion" were compassionately written. Despite the book not being Canadian content, Holdstock thinks that stories should "transcend national borders and time." Reading about her characters, a rogue of a sculptor and his beautiful painter lover despite her father's disapproval, they take lives of their own. She likes to "mangle and mould my characters from real people." The most interesting part of the lecture was as Holdstock fielded audience questions, mostly from writers looking for insight from her talent. To get published, be prepared to submit your work to countless literary magazines to gain creditability and wait by the mailbox every day hoping not to receive another rejection. She recounted long walks to live as her characters developed in an extended daydream. "Walk around the subject. Let them [characters] tell your story and come to life." Her chaotic flow approach to writing a cohesive story included taking a sheet of wallpaper to map a time-line so events didn't interfere with one another. As a writer, Holdstock takes responsibility as an "artist's only duty to tell the truth." Listening to her read, the enduring truths sparkle through.1

By Phil Rushton2