University of Calgary Press

About the Book

Thoughtfully selected and carefully considered, this anthology provides a multi-generational view of Alberta writing, exploring what writers past and present can tell us about what it means to be Albertan—and Canadian.

The first multi-genre historical anthology of Alberta writing since 1979, The Wild Rose Anthology of Alberta Prose collects twentieth-century short fiction, excerpts from novels, and non-fiction. This anthology explores what writers—past and present—can tell us about what it means to be Albertan . . . and Canadian.

Each piece is preceded by an introduction with a literary biography and critical discussion of the selection that situates the piece within the author’s overall repertoire.

About the Editors

George Melnyk is a cultural historian who teaches Canadian Studies at the University of Calgary. He is also author of the two-volume Literary History of Alberta.

Tamara Palmer Seiler is an interdisciplinary scholar who teaches Canadian Studies at the University of Calgary. She has written widely on the impact of immigration and ethnic diversity on Canadian culture and, in particular, on Canadian literature. She has co-authored two books on the history of Alberta.

With Contributions By:  Geroge Melnyk, Tamara Palmer Seiler, Ninoxkyaio, Mary Schaffer, Fred Stenson, Monica Hopkins, Georges Bugnet, Illia Kiriak, Christine van der Mark, Kerry Wood, Henry Kreisel, George Ryga, W.P. Kinsella, Andy Russell, Howard O’Hagan, Sheila Watson, Sid Marty, Thomas Wharton, Rudy Wiebe, Katherine Govier, Cheryl Foggo, Sam Selvon, Joy Kogawa, Robert Kroetsch, Aritha van Herk, Myrnal Kostash,  Hiromi Goto, Hugh Dempsy, W.O. Mitchell, Emma Lee Warrior, and Thomas King 

Praise for The Wild Rose Anthology of Alberta Prose

[The editors make] thoughtful choices about what to include and exclude from the selection, and give readers a clear, sensible explanation of their editorial methodologies . . . all readers, regardless of their level of familiarity with Alberta literature, will find treasures in The Wild Rose Anthology of Alberta Prose.

—Lisa Grekul, Canadian Ethnic Studies Journal

Table of Contents

 

Introduction

Beginnings

Origins of the Buffalo
Ninoxkyaio

Old Indian Tails
Mary Schaffer

The Trade
Fred Stenson

Pioneering Narratives

Letters from a Lady Rancher
Monica Hopkins

The Forest
George Bugnet

Sons of the Soil
Illia Kiriak

Prairie Gothic

In Due Season
Christine van der Mark

Willowdale
Kerry Wood

The Broken Globe
Henry Kreisel

Hungry Hills
George Ryga

The Winter Helen Dropped By
W.P. Kinsella

Kleo
Andy Russell

The Women Who Got on at Jasper Station
Howard O’Hagan

And the Four Animals
Sheila Watson

Men for Mountains
Sid Marty

Icefields
Thomas Wharton

Urban Landscapes

Did Jesus Ever Laugh?
Rudy Wiebe

Between Men
Katherine Govier

Pourin’ Down Rain
Cheryl Foggo

Ralphie at the Raches
Sam Selvon

Voices of Resistance

Obasan
Joy Kogawa

Alibi
Robert Kroetsch

Bail Skippers and Bacchants
Aritha van Herk

Bloodlines
Myrna Kostash

Aboriginality

Deerfoot and Friends
Hugh Dempsey

Since Daisy Creek
W.O. Mitchell

Compatriots
Emma Lee Warrior

Green Grass, Running Water
Thomas King

Awards