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The Burgess Shale
The Burgess Shale: The Canadian Writing Landscape of the 1960s | Margaret Atwood
4 posts | 2 read
“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.
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rabbitprincess
Pickpick

An excellent and short read about the Canlit scene in the 1960s. Fun to read aloud, because it is a lecture 🙂

LeahBergen I've always been fascinated by the Burgess Shale. 7y
rabbitprincess @LeahBergen I've never read anything about it before but might have to soon! 7y
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review
xicanti
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Pickpick

A brief look at how the Canadian literature scene changed throughout the 1960s, with some small emphasis on the business side of publishing and how it influenced Canadian writers' approaches.

Moving away from that concern, I found it interesting to see which books people used to consider touchstones of CanLit. In many cases, I'd never heard of them. Publishing is so fickle (or I'm so poorly-read). #canada150

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xicanti
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The literary landscape, she does change.

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rabbitprincess
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This picture of Margaret is from when The Circle Game won the Governor General's Award in 1967. So she would have been about 28. I am feeling massively unaccomplished 😜

On a more shallow note, I need to keep this photo and bring it to my hairdresser as a reference. I have similar hair 😊