With all the Scottish celebrations I gave only one show in January. This was at Christie Gardens, the fine Seniors’ Home in Toronto graced by my 90-year-old mother-in-law, Louise Brenneman. To my delight 70 residents showed up after dinner to see my show, and all seemed to go well. Jane and I even sold 18 copies of the book.
February, however, is a busy month for the show, and March is taking me as far afield as Edmonton. And as for the summer . . .
— Douglas Gibson
One week in January I wrote fierce Letters to the Editor of two very different newspapers. My targets were on both ends of the political spectrum: Conrad Black and Rick Salutin. Surely this establishes some kind of record.
In the National Post on Saturday, January 21, Conrad Black assailed a book that I recently published under my imprint: Trudeau Transformed, by Max and Monique Nemni. He made the mistake of mentioning that he had not actually read the second volume of the series he dismissed as “hagiographies” and was relying on the excerpts that he had read.
My letter, which the National Post featured prominently, pointed out that he had broken “the basic law for book reviewers, that it is impossible to review fairly and honestly a book that you have not read.” The letter went on with equal vigour.
In his next column, on Saturday, January 28, Conrad Black began, “I regret offending my cordial acquaintance Douglas Gibson. And I salute him for coming to the defence of his authors, Max and Monique Nemni, biographers of Pierre Trudeau. I think I can set his mind at ease on some points.”
What follows strikes me as coming as close to an apology as Mr. Black can manage. Watch this space to see if he goes on to read and review the disputed book.
By way of contrast, in his Friday, January 21, column in the Toronto Star, Rick Salutin took aim at the respect shown for storytelling skills. His provocative headline “Enough with the Storytelling” was enough to rouse me, the author of a book entitled Stories About Storytellers, to protest in print. In my response, I praised the central role of storytelling, not only in our fiction, but in our non-fiction writers, too, including our politicians. I suggested that history shows that success – in elections, in courtrooms, in contract bids, and in book sales – goes to the person who tells the best story.
I would even go so far as to say that storytelling, like the opposable thumb, is a basic human characteristic. And stories, which allow us to get inside the heads and hearts of other people, are perhaps the original “social media.”
— Douglas Gibson
Enjoy another selection of Stories About Storytellers at the Canadian Encyclopedia blog. In this installment, we meet Robert Hunter — subversive newsman and Greenpeace founder. To read the excerpt, head over to the Canadian Encyclopedia.
(Have you missed the previous excerpts? You can still read the selections on Charles Ritchie, Val Ross, Jack Hodgins, Peter Gzowski, R.D. Symons, James Houston, Morley Callaghan, Paul Martin, Barry Broadfoot, Brian Mulroney, Mavis Gallant, Robertson Davies, Alistair MacLeod, Pierre Trudeau, Stephen Leacock and Alice Munro.)
After trekking back and forth across the country performing at lit festivals and private gatherings, now, in a rare one-afternoon stand, Doug Gibson will be performing his show in public in Toronto. On Sunday, February 26, at 3 p.m,, he will give two 45-minute sets at The Green Door Cabaret Winter Series, at the Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington Street (south of Dundas), Toronto.
The Lower Ossington Theatre is a licensed facility, with seating for 100. The ticket prices for this convivial two-hour show are $25.00 for general admission, and $20.00 for students.
Booking in advance is strongly recommended. Tickets (and information) are available by phone (416-915-6747), or through www.lowerossingtontheatre.com, or at the door.
Doug will be available after the performance for book signing and conversation.
January was a big Scottish month for me, but it was for the CBC, too, and I found myself as “a prominent Canadian Scot” playing two unexpected roles.
First, on Michael Enright’s excellent CBC radio show The Sunday Edition on Jan. 22 I was part of a discussion involving me, a Canadian born in Scotland, and Luke Skipper, a Canadian raised in Alice Munro country (Kincardine) who now works in London for the Scottish Government as they try to arrange a referendum on Scottish Independence. On a recent visit to Scotland I roamed around doing an informal survey of opinion on the matter and found a wide range of responses.
Our discussion was interesting, but I was so busy answering Michael’s last question (if Scottish expatriates were allowed to vote on this, how would you vote) by explaining that I was an outsider and had no fixed opinion, that I failed to make the general point that I do not believe that Canadians should vote in any foreign election.
I’m glad to be able to state that now.
Second, an email on Saturday, January 21 from George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight said that they needed someone to do a funny stand-up talk about Scottish words that might baffle a Canadian visitor.
These Strombo guys work fast! By Monday at 1 p.m. I was standing outside the CBC studio (wearing a tartan shirt . . . the man has no shame) talking into a camera, beginning with the words “Hi, George,” though I never saw him at any point. The two guys running the shoot, Fraser and Andrew, did a great job of spinning straw into gold, producing a passable clip that was apparently seen by every living Canadian between the ages of 20 and 40. You can find it on this blog.
Since Rabbie Burns Day falls on January 25, this is a big Scottish month. And since I grew up in Burns Country (Ayrshire) in Scotland, speaking the language, I’m kept pretty busy going around making speeches at Burns Suppers in Toronto, Hamilton, and Montreal (even once being re-imported to Scotland to do so). My Translation of “The Address to the Haggis” into modern Canadian has made me thousands of dollars, and over the years has become semi-official, so that it is featured at the annual event staged at home by Margaret Atwood and Graeme (no relation) Gibson.
This year I did my stuff at a Scottish Studies fundraiser at The Granite Club (scandalizing the audience by revealing a Burns link with the slave trade). On the day itself I marched around the Burns statue in Allan Gardens with 20 other kilted eccentrics (at the pub afterwards, a “warm up event” in the fullest sense) I concluded the “Toast to the Lassies” with the story of the lovestruck John Kenneth Galbraith, the farm girl who was the object of his affections, and the cow. It’s in my chapter on Robertson Davies, who loved the story.
Every two weeks we’re sharing tips for editors from the desk of Douglas Gibson. Good for those starting out or old hands who need a reminder, these reminders form an engaging guide for sharp-eyed wordsmiths.
Tip #11
(I think) While a manuscript is being discussed in detail, most contact between the author and the editor is likely to involve errors, perceived weaknesses, or suggested improvements. To avoid the role of nit-picking whiner, the editor must remember to sprinkle these criticisms with praise for a fine phrase (“Great!”) or a well-handled chapter. This will reduce the sense of tiresome nagging, and emphasize the editor’s role as enthusiastic assistant in an exciting project.
Missed the previous tips? Check out Tip #1, Tip #2, Tip #3, Tip #4, Tip #5, Tip #6, Tip #7, Tip #8, Tip #9, and Tip #10.
And indeed I did retire for the Christmas season, which was devoted to the usual family stuff, with the usual range of turkey and vegetarian dishes on offer, and kids pausing only occasionally to sit down at the table. They obviously had never studied any Norman Rockwell paintings.
One unique aspect of this Christmas is that friends and neighbours would show up at the door asking me to sign the books that they had bought as gifts (for especially lucky loved ones). I was always happy to do it. We even considered hanging a sign on the door . . . “Books Signed Here.”
Robert Currie is a well-known Saskatchewan retired professor and writer, who won a Governor General’s award for his biography of Somerset Maugham. He has kindly offered permission to quote from his email.
I expected the book to be entertaining — and I certainly was entertained. However, I was also impressed with how thorough it was in its quick studies of various authors, and how effectively you worked into most chapters digressions about other authors or various intriguing characters from the book trade. Your stories were forthright and honest, and some were also deeply moving. Quite frankly, I can’t imagine any lover of books not being enthralled by STORIES ABOUT STORYTELLERS with all its fascinating inside information about the publishing world. Congratulations on a fine book.
This was the last pre-Christmas show, and in several ways it was the biggest.
Ian Elliot at A Different Drummer Books had bravely booked the new Burlington Arts Centre (recently opened by Stephen Harper, and then filled in its main space by Sarah McLachlan). Even more bravely, he had asked me to do the full 90-minute version of the show.
The hall (the smaller of the two) was so new that the sound guys were still finding out which system worked. This delayed the start, meaning that the crowd was kept in the lobby, outside the closed theatre doors. I took the chance to go out and roam around, explaining that there was just a brief technical hitch, and we’d be starting soon. The best part was that I was able to meet lots of old friends and colleagues and to make some new ones, so when the show started I felt at home.
In the end 125 people showed up to fill the place, paying $10.00 for the privilege. Best of all, Ian reported that a staff usher on duty, who had been disgruntled at not being assigned the (very expensive) Sarah McLachlan show, felt compensated, at least partly.
People in the audience seemed to like it, with an enthusiastic minority giving me a standing ovation . . . or perhaps their legs were cramping after 90 minutes. I was delighted when Ian reported that one man told him, “I had no idea what to expect of the evening . . . but, God, he was good!” I’m going to retire now.
Douglas Gibson 