Rudy Wiebe
Autor/a de A discovery of strangers
Sobre l'autor
A firm belief in the redemptive possibilities of history dominates Rudy Wiebe's fiction. His characters search for community, for a spiritual collective informed and strengthened by historical consciousness. This attempt to unite the present and the past stems from Wiebe's Mennonite religious mostra'n més background. Central to the Mennonite belief is the rejection of loyalty to contemporary and worldly government; personal commitment belongs, instead, to the religious community, with its hard-earned historical heritage as a nonconformist movement. Wiebe was born in a northern Saskatchewan farming community; in 1947 the family moved to Alberta, and he completed his education at the University of Alberta, where he teaches. Wiebe's first novel, Peace Shall Destroy Many (1962), addresses pacifism, a belief central to Mennonites. The novel's hero faces a moral quandary when forced to choose between religious convictions and Canadian nationalistic fervor during World War II. While The Blue Mountains of China (1970) records Mennonite history, The Temptations of Big Bear (1973) examines the destruction of Indian culture in white Canada, and The Scorched-Wood People (1977) takes up the plight of the Metis---those with mixed blood; all three novels focus on minorities who must struggle to maintain their sense of community. Ideas repugnant to the Mennonite sensibility, violence and self-destruction, figure in The Mad Trapper (1980), which recounts the hunt for a man whose isolation has driven him into madness. In 1980 Wiebe's short stories were collected in The Angel of the Tar Sands and Other Stories. Stylistically, Wiebe gives little ground to the reader, for his fiction is characterized by difficult dialects, a web of details, and a dense style. (Bowker Author Biography) Rudy Wiebe is the author of several short story collections and essays. He is also the author of eight novels, including A Discovery of Strangers and The Temptations of Big Bear, both winners of the Governor General's Award for Fiction. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta. (Publisher Provided) mostra'n menys
Obres de Rudy Wiebe
The Mennonite church in Taiwan 1 exemplars
in the late, gnat light 1 exemplars
Wiebe-liedjes 1 exemplars
Obres associades
Lost Classics: Writers on Books Loved and Lost, Overlooked, Under-read, Unavailable, Stolen, Extinct, or Otherwise Out… (2000) — Col·laborador — 295 exemplars
Etiquetat
Coneixement comú
- Nom oficial
- Wiebe, Rudy Henry
- Data de naixement
- 1934-10-04
- Gènere
- male
- Nacionalitat
- Canada
- Lloc de naixement
- Speedwell, Saskatchewan, Canada
- Llocs de residència
- Fairholme, Saskatchewan, Canada
Coaldale, Alberta, Canada
Goshen, Indiana, USA
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada - Educació
- University of Alberta
University of Tubingen
Mennonite Brethren Bible College - Professions
- Professor
author - Organitzacions
- University of Alberta
- Premis i honors
- Lorne Pierce Medal (1986)
Order of Canada (2000)
Western Literature Association's Distinguished Achievement Award (1998)
Membres
Ressenyes
The temptations of Big Bear de Rudy Wiebe
As much as I wanted to keep up with Big Bear I just couldn't handle Wiebe's bizarre array of form, perspectives, and format. I got bogged down, confused with the details, and frankly the moments of lyrical beauty were not worth the work, which started to feel like a trudge. I will never forget the scene where BB's son makes a horse come, even if I wanted to, which I do.
This novel tells the story of Adam Wiebe, born in the 1930s in Western Canada. Adam is interested in his family history, and interspersed with his present-day story are stories of his ancestors, going back to the 1500s. I enjoyed both the modern story and the historical ones. My problem with the book, though, is that the two don't come together very well. The historical stories are disjointed and I had trouble keeping track of names of characters and was mostly unclear as to how they linked together. Overall, I feel I've read a novella (about Adam) and a series of short stories tenuously linked to it. At least the writing was good!… (més)
didn't quite get the purpose of this book. boring as could be.
I found this to be a very powerful book. The trials and tribulations the people in the book faced are far outside of my experience but they spoke to me somehow. I guess maybe the quest for meaning in life is universal. I also learned a great deal about Mennonites. Living in Manitoba one encounters people from the Mennonite background almost daily so it will be interesting to discuss this book with them.
Yes, sometimes the story is a little hard to follow but it wraps up very nicely at the end.
This is my Canadian classic read for May and I enjoyed it much more than my choice for April which was Leonard Cohen's "Beautiful Losers". Interestingly, Beautiful Losers is discussed in the last part of the book and it is obvious Wiebe did not like it either.
I have Peace Shall Destroy Many by Wiebe in my TBR file and after reading this I will certainly get to it soon. I'm also going to suggest to my book club that we read this book next year. It should generate lots of good discussion.… (més)
Yes, sometimes the story is a little hard to follow but it wraps up very nicely at the end.
This is my Canadian classic read for May and I enjoyed it much more than my choice for April which was Leonard Cohen's "Beautiful Losers". Interestingly, Beautiful Losers is discussed in the last part of the book and it is obvious Wiebe did not like it either.
I have Peace Shall Destroy Many by Wiebe in my TBR file and after reading this I will certainly get to it soon. I'm also going to suggest to my book club that we read this book next year. It should generate lots of good discussion.… (més)
Llistes
Premis
Potser també t'agrada
Autors associats
Estadístiques
- Obres
- 38
- També de
- 6
- Membres
- 1,117
- Popularitat
- #22,994
- Valoració
- 3.8
- Ressenyes
- 24
- ISBN
- 97
- Llengües
- 3
- Preferit
- 1
- Pedres de toc
- 44