Arrival: The Story of CanLit [Paperback]

In the mid-twentieth century, Canadian literature transformed from a largely ignored trickle of books into an enormous cultural phenomenon that produced Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro, Michael Ondaatje, Mordecai Richler, and so many others. InArrival, acclaimed writer and critic Nick Mount answers the question: What caused the CanLit Boom?

Written with wit and panache,Arrivaltells the story of a literary awakening. Interwoven with Mounts vivid tale are enlightening mini-biographies of the people who made it happen, from superstars Leonard Cohen and Marie-Claire Blais to lesser-known lights like the troubled and impassioned Harold Sonny Ladoo. The full range of Canadas literary boom is here: the underground exploits of theblew ointmentandTishgangs; revolutionary critical forays by highbrow academics; the blunt-force trauma of our plain-spoken backwoods poetry; and the urgent political writing that erupted from the turmoil in Quebec.

AN INSTANT CLASSIC:

• Arrival is truly one of a kind; on publication it became the book on CanLit. There is nothing else like it in the marketplace. Moreover, many of the authors featured in the book do not have standalone biographies, so readers interested in the genesis of those authors will continue to pick it up for years to come.

BEAUTIFUL PACKAGE:

• We received many compliments on the beautiful cover design and endpapers in the hardcover edition, and our paperback will be equally stunning!

RESPECTED AUTHOR:

• Nick Mount is a hugely popular and well-connected figure in both literary and media circles. He will continue to be integral in promoting this book.

IMPECCABLY RESEARCHED:

• Arrival is written with true wit and panache  this is not a dry history of CanLit  as evidenced by the strong reviews, which often highlighted Mounts accessible writl)