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Literature at War

© Paula E. Kirman

With all that is happening in our world right now, literature may seem like a trivial way to spend one's time, when images of bomb blasts and hourly news report fill the airwaves. Why read a book when you can read a newspaper, or, even better, watch CNN or browse news sites on the Internet all day?

Well, besides the obvious reason of using literature as an escape from the every day realities of life - which can include global conflicts, when we have them - novels, poetry, drama, literary non-fiction, and other literary forms can be a creative way of expressing the horrors of armed conflict. Many books have been written about those who experienced life in war-torn countries, including first-person accounts, or fiction that integrates historical fiction.

Many Canadian books that involve war that I have read recently are Holocaust survivor stories. It is indeed true that we are a peace-loving country and that we try to cling to diplomacy and away from armed conflict, and our literature reflects that as well. With a few notable exceptions like the classic drama Billy Bishop Goes to War, there are few Canadian classics that deal directly with the subject - at least from a Canadian perspective (in other words, Canadian characters in Canadian armies taking part in conflicts in which Canada was directly involved).

Perhaps the most famous Canadian novel that deals with war, although a bit indirectly is Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient. Some of the late A. M. Klein's poetry dealt with the Hitler regime during World War II - albeit it was widely criticized on the basis of both style and content. Rhyming couplets just doesn't do the subject justice.

Of course, there is no lack of Canadian literature that deals directly with social criticism and commentary - just look at the non-fiction essays of the late Mordecai Richler, or even many of his novels. Irving Layton's poetry about anti-Semitism are at once witty, serious, and in some cases, hilarious.

We have no way of knowing how long the war against Iraq will go on, or what Canada's role will be in the long run. It will indeed be interesting to see what Canada's many scribes will have to say through their art, be it in verse or prose. For now, my suspicion is that many people's televisions will be working overtime. At least the CBC has decent news coverage while trying to keep a Canadian perspective.