Description
“[Metcalf’s] talent is generous, hectoring, huge, and remarkable.”—Washington Post
For more than five decades, John Metcalf has worked tirelessly as editor, anthologist, writer, critic, and teacher to help shape our understanding of Canadian literature and imagine its potential. A long-time editor of the Best Canadian Stories anthology; fiction editor at some of the preeminent literary presses in the country for more than forty years; and past editor of Canadian Notes and Queries, Canada’s longest-running independent journal of literary criticism, Metcalf has worked tirelessly to support generations of our best writers. In Temerity & Gall, Metcalf looks back on a lifetime spent in letters; surveys, with no punches pulled, the current state of CanLit; and offers a passionate defense of the promise and potential of Canadian writing.
Praise for John Metcalf
“John Metcalf has written some of the very best stories ever published in this country.” —Alice Munro
“[Metcalf’s] talent is generous, hectoring, huge, and remarkable.” —Washington Post
“In the past few decades, Canada has won a reputation as a prolific producer of high-quality short stories. Alice Munro, Mavis Gallant and John Metcalf are among those who have proven themselves masters of the difficult form.” —Maclean’s
“Hilarious, touching and delightful … brilliant concision and understated humor.” —Los Angeles Times
“A master stylist confidently at work in his favoured form.” —Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature: Second Edition
“Masterful … Harsh reality, hope, and caricature mingle in this tour de force. As Metcalf says in his previous book, “Writing is very hard work but at the same time it is delightful play.” An exceptional collection.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
