Alistair MacLeod (1936–2014)

Alistair MacLeod entered my life one day in 2007 via a read recommended by a young colleague, who I thought was but a child.

The book proved almost to change my life. I don't know why MacLeod moves me, but he does.

I grew up simple, in a small New England town, not quite as remote or parochial as the times and places that MacLeod scribes.

But it was as if suddenly reading a book by an elder, a distant sibling, or a mystic, someone who got how I experienced the world and how I viewed it.

If I could write a story half as good as 'IN THE FALL,' I would consider my life complete.

My current efforts are nowhere near that beautiful short, but I strive.… (more)

These beautiful, but sad stories, mostly set in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia seem almost Gaelic ballads in prose. A lot of the stories are written in the first person singular, which makes the reader feel immediately connected to the action. Add to that the detailed lyrical description of nature, people, their homes and animals and you can see it all happening before you. The text is interspersed by Gaelic expressions and and lyrics of songs. Despite the gloominess of the stories I very much enjoyed reading this book.… (more)