On
      January
      28,
      2003,
      I
      had
      the
     
     
      pleasure
      of
      attending
      a
      reading
      by
     
     
      Canadian
      author
      and
      screenwriter
      Fred
     
     
      Stenson.
      Prior
      to
      the
      notices
      going
      up
      that
     
     
      advertised
      the
      event,
      I
      had
      never
      even
     
     
      heard
      of
      Stenson
      or
      his
      work.
      However,
     
     
      being
      an
      avid
      fan
      of
      literature
      and
      a
     
     
      wanna-be
      writer,
      I
      decided
      that
      an
      opportu:
     
     
      nity
      to
      hear
      a
      Canadian
      writer
      share
      his
     
     
      work
      and
      thoughts
      in
      person
      was
      too
      good
     
     
      to
      miss.
      I
      was
      both
      impressed
      and
      enter-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tained,
      and
      as
      a
      bonus
      gained
      the
      start
      of
      a
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      new
      appreciation
      for
      Canadian
      literature.
     
     
      I
      have
      always
      liked
      reading,
      par-
     
     
      ticularly
      fiction
      but
      I
      must
      admit
      that
      my
     
     
      tastes
      have
      been
      mostly
      in
      the
      spheres
      of
     
     
      "escapist"
      fiction
      -
      that
      of
      science
      fiction,
     
     
      fantasy,
      and
      horror.
      Aside
      from
      the
      occa-
     
     
      sional
      dip
      into
      what
      I
      personally,
      and
      per-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      haps
      naively,
      considered
      "mainstream"
      (i.e.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      firmly
      rooted
      in
      reality),
      my
      exposure
      to
     
     
      the
      varied
      world
      of
      Canadian
      fiction
      has
     
     
      been
      limited.
     
    

    
     
      Most
      of
      what
      I
      was
      familiar
      with
     
     
      has
      come
      from
      the
      few
      times
      I
      have
      lis-
     
     
      tened
      to
      CBC
      radio
      programs
      such
      as
     
     
      "Between
      the
      Covers."
      I
      had
      all
      but
      decid-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "Fictional"
      Revelations
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ed
      that
      mainstream
      Canadian
      fiction
      was
     
     
      for
      the
      most
      part
      about
      a
      protagonist's
     
     
      involvement
      with
      his
      or
      her
      dysfunctional
     
     
      family,
      a
      subject
      that
      I
      found
      quite
      boring.
     
     
      After
      hearing
      Stenson
      read
      from
      his
      pub-
     
     
      lished
      novel
      "The
      Trade,"
      and
      his
      work-in-
     
     
      progress,
      "Lightning",
      my
      opinion
      has
     
     
      changed
      for
      what
      I
      assume
      will
      be
      the
      bet-
     
     
      ter.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Good
      fiction
      can
      always
      be
     
     
      escapism
      of
      a
      sort,
      regardless
      of
      the
      genre.
     
     
      The
      author
      can
      take
      you
      from
      your
      reality
     
     
      and
      drop
      you
      into
      a
      fictional
      one,
      whether
     
     
      it
      be
      based
      in
      our
      world
      or
      an
      entirely
     
     
      imaginary
      one.
      This
      fictional
      reality
      can
      be
     
     
      one
      that
      is
      more
      idealized
      than
      your
      own,
     
     
      or
      it
      may
      not
      be.
      Regardless,
      you
      are
      only
     
     
      being
      asked
      to
      visit,
      not
      to
      stay
      permanent-
     
     
      ly.
     
    

    
     
      Some
      fictional
      worlds
      you
      will
     
    
   
   
    
     
      want
      to
      visit
      repeatedly,
      others
      you
      would-
     
     
      n't
      mind
      never
      hearing
      of
      again.
      Some
     
     
      characters
      you
      might
      like
      to
      know
      in
      real
     
     
      life;
      others
      you
      wouldn't
      want
      to
      associate
     
     
      with
      even
      within
      the
      confines
      of
      the
      book's
     
     
      pages.
      Either
      way,
      has
      the
      book
      not
     
     
      accomplished
      one
      of
      its
      purposes
      -
      to
      get
     
     
      you
      involved?
     
    

    
     
      In
      a
      society
      in
      which
      television
     
     
      and
      film
      do
      most
      of
      the
      work
      that
      our
     
     
      imaginations
      used
      to,
      there
      is
      still
      room
     
     
      and
      still
      a
      necessity
      for
      the
      form
      of
     
     
      escapism
      that
      only
      a
      good
      work
      of
      fiction
     
     
      can
      provide.
      Television,
      in
      its
      simplest
     
     
      form,
      tells
      us
      what
      is
      funny,
      tells
      us
      what
     
     
      is
      dramatic,
      tells
      us
      what
      we
      need
      to
      think
     
     
      and
      feel
      at
      a
      certain
      moment.
      We,
      the
     
     
      viewers,
      accept
      this
      as
      part
      of
      the
      medium
     
     
      and
      usually
      don't
      even
      think
      about
      it.
      A
     
     
      book
      can
      do
      all
      television
      does
      and
      more,
     
     
      if
      only
      one
      makes
      the
      effort
      to
      read
      it.
     
     
      Usually
      a
      book
      can
      provide
      a
      much
      more
     
     
      individual
      and
      rich
      experience.
      This
      is
      one
     
     
      reason
      why
      movies
      based
      on
      books
      are
     
     
      never
      usually
      as
      good
      as
      their
      sources.
     
    

    
     
      Stenson's
      work
      took
      us,
      the
      audi-
     
     
      ence,
      to
      the
      Alberta
      of
      the
      1800s,
      and
     
     
      introduced
      us
      to
      protagonists
      who
      are
      quite
     
     
      different,
      yet
      likable
      in
      their
      own
      ways.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      prose
      didn't
      overload
      us
      with
      details
     
     
      concerning
      the
      historical
      period,
      and
      it
      cer-
     
     
      tainly
      didn't
      need
      to.
      I
      felt
      I
      could,
      in
      some
     
     
      way
      or
      another,
      identify
      with
      the
      charac-
     
     
      ters,
      and
      that
      alone
      kept
      me
      interested
      in
     
     
      what
      was
      happening.
      The
      world
      may
      have
     
     
      been
      based
      in
      our
      historic
      past,
      but
      the
     
     
      work
      itself
      still
      allowed
      me
      to
      "escape"
     
     
      into
      the
      lives
      of
      fictional
      people
      and
      be
     
     
      entertained
      at
      the
      same
      time.
     
    

    
     
      That
      is
      what
      I
      consider
      to
      be
      a
     
     
      major
      part
      of
      fiction,
      regardless
      of
      genre.
     
     
      If
      a
      book
      can
      entertain
      you,
      that
      in
      itself
      is
     
     
      good,
      but
      if
      a
      book
      can
      challenge
      you,
     
     
      make
      you
      react,
      as
      well
      as
      entertain
      you,
     
     
      then
      that
      is
      even
      better.
     
    

    
     
      Not
      only
      did
      Fred
      Stenson's
      read-
     
     
      ing
      introduce
      me
      to
      the
      work
      of
      a
      fine
     
     
      author,
      it
      also
      helped
      me
      see
      past
      self-
     
     
      imposed
      stereotypes
      about
      mainstream
      or
     
     
      "non-escapist"
      literature,
      particularly
     
     
      Canadian.
     
    

    
     
      One
      of
      the
      most
      interesting
      bits
      of
     
     
      advice
      on
      writing
      I've
      seen
      is
      to
      read
     
     
      everything,
      no
      matter
      the
      genre.
      I'd
      like
      to
     
     
      think
      that
      I
      had
      been
      following
      this
      advice,
     
     
      but
      now
      I
      see
      that
      I
      have
      a
      long
      way
      to
      go.
     
     
      Perhaps
      last
      Tuesday
      evening
      will
      be
      a
     
     
      good
      start
      to
      traveling
      that
      road.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      »
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
          
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
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