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�The outburst of cultural energy that took place in the 1960s was in part a product of the two decades that came before. It�s always difficult for young people to see their own time in perspective: when you�re in your teens, a decade earlier feels like ancient history and the present moment seems normal: what exists now is surely what has always existed.� Margaret Atwood compares the Canadian literary landscape of the 1960s to the Burgess Shale, a geological formation that contains the fossils of many strange prehistoric life forms. The Burgess Shale is not entirely about writing itself, however: Atwood also provides some insight into the meagre writing infrastructure of that time, taking a lighthearted look at the early days of the institutions we take for granted today�from writers� organizations, prizes, and grant programs to book tours and festivals. (less)

�The outburst of cultural energy that took place in the 1960s was in part a product of the two decades that came before. It�s always difficult for young people to see their own time in perspective: when you�re in your teens, a decade (…more)