Culture October 16, 2002 BOOR REVIEW Sarah Gignac OP Contributor To get Vancouver's literary enthusiasts ready for the Vancouver International Writers Festival, the Arts Club Revue Stage held an evening of Avant-Garde readings. It was based on House of Ananai Press recent release Ground Works: Avant-Garde for Thee, an anthology of Canadian experimental liter- ature written between 1965-1985. The reading was hosted by Christian Bok, the book’s compiler, and featured eight readers, some reading their own pieces, some reading on behalf of pre-disposed authors. Ground Works was inspired by Margaret Atwood, who pushed House of Ananai Press to publish such a book in fear that “the young [would be left] with the impression that there was nothing unorthodox in this country before folks started getting their tongues pierced.” It’s true that early Canadian literature (i.e., pre 1980) is perceived as dry, boring, and long long long. Yet, at a time when people were just. starting to believe Canadian’s could-be writers, there were authors who were pushing the boundaries: of our country’s only acceptable form of literature, the okay Canadian novel: Which raises the question, what is avant-garde literature? To paraphrase Atwood, it’s experimental writing in which the: author has: created a-certain set of rules that differ from the conventional rules of the’ mainstream fiction of its time. An example? Well.. Take John Riddell’s Pope Leo ‘El Elope (A tragedy i ii Bout Letters). It is a series of sketches and words that, as the title's “suggests; uses only the letters P O LE. The pictures depict two religious figures that are arguing, and even- tually stab each other in front of a congfegation. The alphabetical limita- tions of the dialogue reduce all speech to nonsensical chanting. Riddell’s works often defy the conventional literary form (a book), instead taking the Ground Works: Avant- Garde for Thee Arts Club Revue Stage, Granville Island October 6th Christian Bok shape of cigarette packs, dartboards, and various others. Reading his books usually requires reader participation (re-gluing pages, etc) and some even require readers to add their own accessories, so the outcome of the book relies on what readers put into it. Poet bp Nichol won a three-day novel writing contest in 1983 with a piece later published as Still. The Ground Works exerpt, is a seven page description of an old farmhouse on a cliff by a river. It takes the reader through every possible detail-description of outside: how it is seen from different angles, how different seasons affect its appearance, what moods people feel towards it. He then takes you through each room in great detail. It is like you are a ghost, drifting through a house in use, but seeing none of the occupants. There are no characters, or if there are people in the house the narrator does not notice them. Inside, he focuses on describing as much as possible about his surrounding environment. Only in the last paragraph does the narrator finally notice two people sitting on the balcony, and just as they begin to speak, he leaves us. Nichol’s story is missing several key elements most fic- P uf g ry ‘tion needs. It has no characters, no plot. No conflict, no resolution. Just pages and pages of setting. Not surprising for a writer obsessed with form, not content. These examples are just a snippet of what literary oddities are found between the covers of Ground Works. From the more obscure writers, to some Canadian icons such as Michael Ondaatje and Leonard Cohen, the collection covers an exciting range of writing that doesn’t normally receive attention in Canada. Hopefully this is the first, not the only, book that pays homage to Canada’s under-appreciated talents. Paparazzi: Caught on Campus Every week in the Culture Section, we will be featuring a photo and brief bio of one male and one female. If you’ve got style or know someone who does, please feel free to visit us in the office (rm 1020), or call us at 604-525-3542. Name: Jennifer Age: 19 Status: Attached Program of Study: Theatre, 2nd year What are you wearing?: Dress and sweater from Jacob; shoes from Aldo. What do you want to be when you grow up? An actress Name: Frank Age: Undisclosed Status: Single Program of Study: Arts, 2nd year What are you wearing? Shoes from Transit, everything else from the States What do you want to be when you grow up? Planning on going to law school to be a lawyer © page 14 the other press