As always, the January/February issue is as much about the previous year as the new one. The fall season brings a downpour of books, some of which are honoured with major literary prizes. Accordingly, we attempt to let our readers know what the fuss is about, bumping reviews of some other excellent fiction to the following year in the process. The Governor General Literary Award winners are announced late in the season, and therefore, a roundup of the winning books, given BiC's publishing schedule, is only possible in the new year. We hope the convenience of seeing reviews of these books together in one issue (note, we've reprinted Todd Swift's review of David Gilmour's A Perfect Night to go to China from April, 05) makes up for their belated appearance.
There's a great deal in this edition besides, including reviews of J.M. Coetzee's latest novel, Slow Man, Kildare Dobbs's memoir, Running the Rapids, Elaine Feinstein's biography of Anna Akhmatova, and an interview with the celebrated Simon Winchester. Michael Harris reviews our very Canadian Thomas King's A Short History of Indians in Canada, and Matthew Fox offers a moving examination of newer Canadian Goran Simic's collection of stories, Yesterday's People. It's all about our writers, their stories, and the world.
OS