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Hugh Garner was a hard-drinking, opinionated tough guy who fought with editors, publishers and everyone else he considered part of the Establishment. Yet beneath this brash, angry exterior, Garner was a writer of sensitive short stories and a novel, Cabbagetown, that has become a Canadian classic. Garner's stories were drawn from his own rough, adventurous life, a life portrayed in all its wildness and pathos in The Storms Below. From an impoverished childhood in Toronto's working-class Cabbagetown to his time riding the rails in the Depression, from the Spanish Civil War to the Royal Canadian Navy, from youthful radicalism to cantakerous, middle-aged conservatism, Paul Stuewe chronicles the many passages of Garner's controversial career. A definitive biography of a unique Canadian writer, drawing on extensive interviews with Garner's family, friends and colleagues, The Storms Below has the excitement and emotional impacy of a good novel.
The constellation of Hollywood stars burned brightly in the 1950s, even as the industry fell on hard economic times. Major artists of the 1940s--James Stewart, Jerry Lewis, and Gregory Peck--continued to exert a magical appeal but the younger generation of moviegoers was soon enthralled by an emerging cast, led by James Dean and Marlon Brando. They, among others, ushered in a provocative acting style, "the Method," bringing hard-edged, realistic performances to the screen. Adult-oriented small-budget dramas were ideal showcases for Method actors, startlingly realized when Brando seized the screen in On the Waterfront. But, with competition from television looming, Hollywood also featured film-making of epic proportion--Ben-Hur and other cinema wonders rode onto the screen with amazing spectacle, making stars of physically impressive performers such as Charlton Heston. Larger Than Life offers a comprehensive view of the star system in 1950s Hollywood and also in-depth discussions of the decade's major stars, including Montgomery Clift, Judy Holliday, Jerry Lewis, James Mason, Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, Jayne Mansfield, and Audrey Hepburn.
A biography of Dr. Elinor Black (1905-1982), the first Canadian woman to gain membership in the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in London.
No treaties were made with indigenous nations residing in those territories where now there is a Canadian province called British Columbia. Instead, a breathtaking policy of criminalization, assimilation and land rights and sovereignty extinguishment has been vigorously carried out against them. Present day governments continue that approach, now 150 years old, in processes which have recently been re-named and cosmetically improved but remain unconstitutional and are prohibited by the 1948 Genocide Convention, which terms as genocide, inter alia, deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part. Neither Britain no...
John Weinzweig (1913–2006) was the pre-eminent Canadian composer of his generation. Influenced by European modernists such as Stravinsky, Berg, and Webern, he was the first Canadian composer to employ serialism, thereby bringing a spirit of innovation to mid-twentieth-century Canadian music. A forceful advocate for modern Canadian composition, Weinzweig played a key role in the founding of the Canadian League of Composers and the Canadian Music Centre during a buoyant and expansive period for the arts in Canada. He was an influential force as a teacher of composition, first with the Royal Conservatory of Music and later with the University of Toronto’s music faculty. This first comprehen...
What are "snow worms"? Are there more moose than people in the Yukon? What is the meaning of the word "Niagara"? Where will you find the world's largest perogy? Does Elvis have a street in Ottawa named after him? What was Pierre Elliott Trudeau's favourite snack food? Which province was the last to shift traffic from the left-hand side of the road to the right? These are some of the questions that are asked - and answered - in 1000 Questions About Canada. Every reader with an ounce (or a gram) of curiosity will find these intriguing questions and thoughtful answers fascinating to read and ponder. This book is for people who love curious lore and who want to know more about the country in which they live.
A collection of interviews in which Walt Disney discusses his career, his vision, and his favorite projects.
This book pays tribute to 14 women who donated millions of dollars to causes close to their hearts. Iris Nowell is the author of five books. Writing her 1996 book, Women Who Give Away Millions, has given her a solid foundation of philanthropy, the not-for-profit sector, and the wealthy. She has also written a memoir of Canadian artist Harold Town, and a biography of artist, filmmaker, and impassioned feminist, Joyce Wieland.
The use of endorsements and testimonials to sell anything imaginable is a modern development, though the technique is centuries old. Before World War I, endorsement ads were tied to patent medicine, and were left with a bad reputation when that industry was exposed as quackery. The reputation was well earned: claims of a product's curative powers sometimes ran opposite the endorser's obituary, and Lillian Russell once testified that a certain compound had made her "feel like a new man." Distrusted by the public, banished from mainstream publications, endorsements languished until around 1920, but returned with a vengeance with the growth of consumerism and modern media. Despite its questiona...
Victor Feldbrill is an account of the life and cultural contribution of one of Canada's most talented conductors. Born in 1924, he made his Toronto Symphony conducting debut at 18. He went on to become the artistic director of the Winnipeg Symphony, a conductor with the Toronto Symphony, and a guest conductor of virtually every major symphony orchestra in Canada. Feldbrill was also the first conductor-in-residence at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music from 1968 to 1982. However, what really set Feldbrill apart was his limitless enthusiasm and support of Canadian music and young musicians, as well as his insistence on playing the music of Canadian composers despite the reluctance of some orchestral managers and the initial opposition of audiences at the time. In doing so he reached out to young people and trained many to take their places as members of Canadian orchestras from coast to coast.