Atlantic Books Today No. 93 - Spring 2021

Editor’s message

I’m not sure how our writers feel about it, but Deadline Day is my favourite part of editing a magazine. I love opening the inbox the Monday after writers submit and reading, page by page, of their experiences with new books.

How did they respond to an author’s style? Were they moved by a particular character? Were they delighted by an unexpected word combination? Did their assignments spark new ideas, angles on life they had never before considered?

I’ve often said that each book is a world. The decision to crack the spine is like taking the red pill, i.e. deciding to change your perception of reality. Books shape how we see ourselves and the world around us.

In this issue, our writers explored a fascinating diversity of books, including a couple that delved into new takes on Anne of Green Gables. That 113-year-old novel has become the google search term that brings more traffic to our website than any other. It is arguably the most commercially successful piece of Atlantic literature in history.

But this isn’t a strictly Green Gables issue. It is rather a look at the worlds in our books, how they are influenced by the wider world, and how we in turn use our stories to define ourselves and project that image abroad.

We are living in an increasingly globalized and complex world. Our identities (plural) are becoming ever-more important, psychologically but also economically, in determining how we live together in this place. We depend on each other.

The books in this issue show an increasing tendency of our publishing industry to create content reflective of the diverse histories and contemporary realities of peoples in our region, and to connect those realities internationally. This should not be seen as a threat to anyone’s traditions, but rather a more fulsome exploration of who we really are, and the often-harsh realities from which we come. I think that shift is to be celebrated, as are the wide array of books being produced and sold.

ON THE COVER Our cover model, Fumi Yamada, is a student at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan, and studied at Saint Mary's University in the student exchange program. “For me,” she says, “Anne of Green Gables is what has opened up the door to the world, brought me to Atlantic Canada, and connected me with all the wonderful people I met there.” The photograph was taken by Mike Grainger.