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When editors Graeme Gibson, Wayne Grady, Dennis Lee, and Priscila Uppal first planned Uncommon Ground: A Celebration of Matt Cohen, they intended to honour a prominent colleague and winner of the Governor General's Award (for Elizabeth and After), but Cohen's unexpected death from lung cancer in December 1999 (and the subsequent publication of his memoir Typing) changed the nature of the homage.
What unites the authors of this collection is their reaction to Cohen's posthumous memoir, in which this reticent but apparently genial figure lashed out at the CanLit establishment and its intolerance of minority voices, revealing a totally unexpected degree of animosity. Piece after piece tries to construct a picture of this very private man while seeking an explanation for his outburst. As a result, what we end up with is a novel (albeit a postmodern one) about a fictitious character, the author Matt Cohen. This effect is only slightly diluted by the inclusion of a fragment of Cohen's last unfinished novel and Beatriz Hausner's annotated bibliography, which contains comments like "The book came out to rave reviews and by all accounts was a very felicitous experience for the author." The therapeutic bibliography is only one of a number of oddities in this work, which includes some striking personal reminiscences and analyses, such as those by Silvia Albertazzi and Stan Dragland, and suggests Canadian literature and criticism still hold some surprises. --Robyn Gillam
Review
"It has a wonderful, harmonic, jazz-like fluidity…. The whole book is greater than the sum of its parts and no soloist (no matter how outstanding) causes it to lose the beat. That said, there are some splendid individual efforts." -- The Globe and Mail
“The level is high. Dennis Lee’s superbly crafted funeral eulogy is a model of how to remember a writer’s life. Margaret Atwood’s analysis of Cohen as a fabulist…contains a wonderfully succinct sumary of Canadian literary fashions since the 1960s. Steven Hayward’s description of being mentored by Cohen is curiously affecting….. Anyone interested in Canadian writing should find this book absorbing.” -- The Kingston Whig-Standard
"These interviews, articles and remembrances, gathered in celebration of Cohen, argue Cohen’s distinctive contribution to Canadian literature…. Cohen left behing a wealth of brilliant writing, not as well known as it should be…. The dialogue and discussion bound together in Uncommon Ground comprise a complex and sophisticated discussion of Canadian writing, what it does and what it means. That in itself is a wonderful effect, generated by the quick, irreverent goad of Matt Cohen and his work." -- Edmonton Journal
“There is much sadness -- as well as joy -- in Uncommon Ground….When one book takes you gently by the hand to another, somehow, ever so slightly, that helps mute the feeling of loss.” -- Calgary Herald
“A wonderfully luminescent look into the legacy of the multifaceted and elusive Canadian writer Matt Cohen….The book is required reading for anyone who wants to get a handle on Cohen, whose reputation will likely grow in the years ahead.” -- Canadian Jewish News
“Uncommon Ground is a treasure trove for those already conversant with the celebrated writer who left a rich legacy of both brilliant prose and petulant complaint…. A handy companion to any revisiting of Cohen’s work.” -- Nancy Schiefer, The London Free Press
“The level is high. Dennis Lee’s superbly crafted funeral eulogy is a model of how to remember a writer’s life. Margaret Atwood’s analysis of Cohen as a fabulist…contains a wonderfully succinct sumary of Canadian literary fashions since the 1960s. Steven Hayward’s description of being mentored by Cohen is curiously affecting….. Anyone interested in Canadian writing should find this book absorbing.” -- The Kingston Whig-Standard
"These interviews, articles and remembrances, gathered in celebration of Cohen, argue Cohen’s distinctive contribution to Canadian literature…. Cohen left behing a wealth of brilliant writing, not as well known as it should be…. The dialogue and discussion bound together in Uncommon Ground comprise a complex and sophisticated discussion of Canadian writing, what it does and what it means. That in itself is a wonderful effect, generated by the quick, irreverent goad of Matt Cohen and his work." -- Edmonton Journal
“There is much sadness -- as well as joy -- in Uncommon Ground….When one book takes you gently by the hand to another, somehow, ever so slightly, that helps mute the feeling of loss.” -- Calgary Herald
“A wonderfully luminescent look into the legacy of the multifaceted and elusive Canadian writer Matt Cohen….The book is required reading for anyone who wants to get a handle on Cohen, whose reputation will likely grow in the years ahead.” -- Canadian Jewish News
“Uncommon Ground is a treasure trove for those already conversant with the celebrated writer who left a rich legacy of both brilliant prose and petulant complaint…. A handy companion to any revisiting of Cohen’s work.” -- Nancy Schiefer, The London Free Press
Book Description
In which a stellar group of writers from Canada and beyond discuss the impact of Matt Cohen’s legacy — with respect and affection, and always in the spirit of the festschrift.
The more-than-thirty contributions to this volume range from accounts of significant moments spent with Matt Cohen to thoughtful commentary on his writing, and include pieces by Margaret Atwood, George Bowering, Stan Dragland, Greg Hollingshead, John Irving, Janet Lunn, Don McKay, Alice Munro, and Monique Proulx.
Matt Cohen’s thoughtful reserve combined with charm and a dazzling, absurdist sense of humour made him a rather paradoxical personality. That he felt both sun and shade in his career as a writer was apparent. He told Monique Proulx that “When a novel starts to come into my mind, it’s like music...and my purpose in entering into writing it—which will be years, it’s always years—is to hear it more perfectly.” Yet he also told her how he sees his place in Canadian literature: “There’s a room in which people are handing each other out the parts they could play, but I’m not even in the room.”
While he often felt he stood outside Canadian literary fashion, Cohen spent his life creating works of a classic but deeply personal quality — from the depth of feeling in the Salem novels through the multi-century Jewish triptych that followed, to the high achievement of his last two novels, Last Seen and Elizabeth and After, and his candid, posthumous memoir, Typing: A Life in Twenty-Six Keys. He also made an extraordinary contribution to children’s literature under the closely guarded pseudonym Teddy Jam. And as a translator he was a powerful force bringing the French and English writers of Canada into a better understanding of their common ground.
The more-than-thirty contributions to this volume range from accounts of significant moments spent with Matt Cohen to thoughtful commentary on his writing, and include pieces by Margaret Atwood, George Bowering, Stan Dragland, Greg Hollingshead, John Irving, Janet Lunn, Don McKay, Alice Munro, and Monique Proulx.
Matt Cohen’s thoughtful reserve combined with charm and a dazzling, absurdist sense of humour made him a rather paradoxical personality. That he felt both sun and shade in his career as a writer was apparent. He told Monique Proulx that “When a novel starts to come into my mind, it’s like music...and my purpose in entering into writing it—which will be years, it’s always years—is to hear it more perfectly.” Yet he also told her how he sees his place in Canadian literature: “There’s a room in which people are handing each other out the parts they could play, but I’m not even in the room.”
While he often felt he stood outside Canadian literary fashion, Cohen spent his life creating works of a classic but deeply personal quality — from the depth of feeling in the Salem novels through the multi-century Jewish triptych that followed, to the high achievement of his last two novels, Last Seen and Elizabeth and After, and his candid, posthumous memoir, Typing: A Life in Twenty-Six Keys. He also made an extraordinary contribution to children’s literature under the closely guarded pseudonym Teddy Jam. And as a translator he was a powerful force bringing the French and English writers of Canada into a better understanding of their common ground.
From the Back Cover
"It has a wonderful, harmonic, jazz-like fluidity…. The whole book is greater than the sum of its parts and no soloist (no matter how outstanding) causes it to lose the beat. That said, there are some splendid individual efforts." -- The Globe and Mail
“The level is high. Dennis Lee’s superbly crafted funeral eulogy is a model of how to remember a writer’s life. Margaret Atwood’s analysis of Cohen as a fabulist…contains a wonderfully succinct sumary of Canadian literary fashions since the 1960s. Steven Hayward’s description of being mentored by Cohen is curiously affecting….. Anyone interested in Canadian writing should find this book absorbing.” -- The Kingston Whig-Standard
"These interviews, articles and remembrances, gathered in celebration of Cohen, argue Cohen’s distinctive contribution to Canadian literature…. Cohen left behing a wealth of brilliant writing, not as well known as it should be…. The dialogue and discussion bound together in Uncommon Ground comprise a complex and sophisticated discussion of Canadian writing, what it does and what it means. That in itself is a wonderful effect, generated by the quick, irreverent goad of Matt Cohen and his work." -- Edmonton Journal
“There is much sadness -- as well as joy -- in Uncommon Ground….When one book takes you gently by the hand to another, somehow, ever so slightly, that helps mute the feeling of loss.” -- Calgary Herald
“A wonderfully luminescent look into the legacy of the multifaceted and elusive Canadian writer Matt Cohen….The book is required reading for anyone who wants to get a handle on Cohen, whose reputation will likely grow in the years ahead.” -- Canadian Jewish News
“Uncommon Ground is a treasure trove for those already conversant with the celebrated writer who left a rich legacy of both brilliant prose and petulant complaint…. A handy companion to any revisiting of Cohen’s work.” -- Nancy Schiefer, The London Free Press
“The level is high. Dennis Lee’s superbly crafted funeral eulogy is a model of how to remember a writer’s life. Margaret Atwood’s analysis of Cohen as a fabulist…contains a wonderfully succinct sumary of Canadian literary fashions since the 1960s. Steven Hayward’s description of being mentored by Cohen is curiously affecting….. Anyone interested in Canadian writing should find this book absorbing.” -- The Kingston Whig-Standard
"These interviews, articles and remembrances, gathered in celebration of Cohen, argue Cohen’s distinctive contribution to Canadian literature…. Cohen left behing a wealth of brilliant writing, not as well known as it should be…. The dialogue and discussion bound together in Uncommon Ground comprise a complex and sophisticated discussion of Canadian writing, what it does and what it means. That in itself is a wonderful effect, generated by the quick, irreverent goad of Matt Cohen and his work." -- Edmonton Journal
“There is much sadness -- as well as joy -- in Uncommon Ground….When one book takes you gently by the hand to another, somehow, ever so slightly, that helps mute the feeling of loss.” -- Calgary Herald
“A wonderfully luminescent look into the legacy of the multifaceted and elusive Canadian writer Matt Cohen….The book is required reading for anyone who wants to get a handle on Cohen, whose reputation will likely grow in the years ahead.” -- Canadian Jewish News
“Uncommon Ground is a treasure trove for those already conversant with the celebrated writer who left a rich legacy of both brilliant prose and petulant complaint…. A handy companion to any revisiting of Cohen’s work.” -- Nancy Schiefer, The London Free Press
About the Author
Wayne Grady is the author most recently of The Bone Museum: Travels in the Lost Worlds of Dinosaurs and Birds. He lives near Kingston, Ontario. Graeme Gibson’s most recent novel is Gentleman Death. Dennis Lee is the Poet Laureate of Toronto, whose latest book is The Cat and the Wizard. Priscila Uppal is a poet and the author of The Divine Economy of Salvation, a novel. The latter three live in Toronto.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Preface
Matt Cohen’s death in December 1999 marked the end of a literary career that spanned three decades, and was an integral part of the so-called renaissance of English-Canadian writing which began in the late 1960s. His first novel, Korsoniloff, appeared in 1969 as part of Anansi’s “Spiderline” series; two years later McClelland & Stewart published Johnny Crackle Sings. Then in 1972, Too Bad Galahad was published by Coach House Press, and Columbus and the Fat Lady by Anansi. In other words, within three years Matt had established himself at Canada’s major publishing house, as well as with two of its most vibrant and influential small literary presses.
It’s worth noting that Matt was one of a very few writers who managed to bridge the sometimes jagged gap between the rival establishments at Anansi and Coach House. He was a truly independent spirit from the outset. This juggling of publishing houses, his refusal to settle, was something he continued throughout his career: a rough count of his books shows at least ten publishers in Canada alone.
Nor is his body of work any less varied. Cohen was one of the most prolific writers of his generation, and his writing covers almost every genre except the theatre. As the essays in this volume attest, he wrote short stories, novels, poetry and kids’ books, reviews and magazine journalism. He also edited anthologies, translated writers from Quebec and ghosted memoirs for passing celebrities. It is melancholy to speculate on what he might have gone on to write, but we’ve included a tantalizing clue in the excerpt from an unfinished novel about the German writer Joseph Roth, which he’d been thinking about and tinkering with for years. There is every indication that it would have been one of his strongest books.
We initially planned this volume while Matt was alive as a celebration of the man we knew (or thought we knew) and of his writing life. At the same time, we wanted to include some longer, more analytic pieces. Although Matt was a thoroughly professional writer who published more than forty books, serious critical attention to his work is in lamentably short supply. Obviously it is the culture as a whole that suffers from the absence of such criticism and evaluation. We’re happy to partially rectify the situation in Matt’s case. And in the process, we hope to encourage others to do the same for significant writers before they’re dead.
When we first called for submissions, the response was immediate and enthusiastic. We suggested three categories: critical essays on some aspect of Cohen’s writing; less formal encounters with his work by other writers, responding as fellow practitioners; and vignettes and memoirs that evoke some aspect of his life. The response was even richer and more varied than we had anticipated; we welcomed the diversity of approach and length, and trust that readers will too. At the same time, with that blessing came regret that we could not include everything we would have liked to.
Constrained as we were by space, our first and easiest decision was to select only original pieces. So little has been published about Matt and his work that we saw no need to reprint what already exists. We made an exception in the case of the interviews, because they convey such a sense of Matt’s quicksilver irony, his restless humour and often peculiar visionary angles. Which is to say, they carry an echo of his voice. Or perhaps his voices, for Matt Cohen was not an easy man, or an easy writer, to pin down.
One of the intriguing things about this collection is the feeling that many contributors have, even those who were close friends, that perhaps they didn’t know Matt as well as they’d thought. The fierce and largely unexpected voice that informs Typing, the remarkable memoir Matt wrote during the last few months of his life, contributes to that. But there’s more to it. None of us is simple, and it appears that Matt Cohen was less simple than most. Many aspects of his life and work that emerge in these essays will strike even those who knew both as fresh and vividly insightful, often in unexpected ways. Those of us who knew him in Canada will have surprising encounters with him in France and England and Italy. Those who thought they understood the Salem quintet or the Jewish diaspora novels will find here new and penetrating material upon which to form a more comprehensive appreciation of Matt’s breadth and depth as a writer.
So we hope this collection will serve as a persuasive introduction to a writer whose career warrants a good deal more study and informed criticism. And to those who already know Matt’s work, we hope it will provide a spur for rereading and further appreciation. Among many subjects on which these pieces invite further thought, two come to mind. The first is Matt’s imaginative relationship, both as a Jew and as a Canadian, with Europe, especially with Paris. A second, probably related subject is his singularly complex relationship with the political philosopher George Grant, the man and his ideas. Matt explored this relationship to some extent in Typing, but left much unsaid.
We mourn the loss of a fine writer, and a mercurial and dynamic friend. We wrote above that December 1999 marked the end of his literary career, but of course that isn’t true. His collection of short stories, Getting Lucky, appeared after his death, as did his memoir, Typing; and the unfinished Roth novel exists to elicit intrigue and speculation. More than that, the works he published during his lifetime will continue to be read and discussed and taught and loved. We hope this collection of thoughts and tributes will enrich that process.
G.G., W.G.
Matt Cohen’s death in December 1999 marked the end of a literary career that spanned three decades, and was an integral part of the so-called renaissance of English-Canadian writing which began in the late 1960s. His first novel, Korsoniloff, appeared in 1969 as part of Anansi’s “Spiderline” series; two years later McClelland & Stewart published Johnny Crackle Sings. Then in 1972, Too Bad Galahad was published by Coach House Press, and Columbus and the Fat Lady by Anansi. In other words, within three years Matt had established himself at Canada’s major publishing house, as well as with two of its most vibrant and influential small literary presses.
It’s worth noting that Matt was one of a very few writers who managed to bridge the sometimes jagged gap between the rival establishments at Anansi and Coach House. He was a truly independent spirit from the outset. This juggling of publishing houses, his refusal to settle, was something he continued throughout his career: a rough count of his books shows at least ten publishers in Canada alone.
Nor is his body of work any less varied. Cohen was one of the most prolific writers of his generation, and his writing covers almost every genre except the theatre. As the essays in this volume attest, he wrote short stories, novels, poetry and kids’ books, reviews and magazine journalism. He also edited anthologies, translated writers from Quebec and ghosted memoirs for passing celebrities. It is melancholy to speculate on what he might have gone on to write, but we’ve included a tantalizing clue in the excerpt from an unfinished novel about the German writer Joseph Roth, which he’d been thinking about and tinkering with for years. There is every indication that it would have been one of his strongest books.
We initially planned this volume while Matt was alive as a celebration of the man we knew (or thought we knew) and of his writing life. At the same time, we wanted to include some longer, more analytic pieces. Although Matt was a thoroughly professional writer who published more than forty books, serious critical attention to his work is in lamentably short supply. Obviously it is the culture as a whole that suffers from the absence of such criticism and evaluation. We’re happy to partially rectify the situation in Matt’s case. And in the process, we hope to encourage others to do the same for significant writers before they’re dead.
When we first called for submissions, the response was immediate and enthusiastic. We suggested three categories: critical essays on some aspect of Cohen’s writing; less formal encounters with his work by other writers, responding as fellow practitioners; and vignettes and memoirs that evoke some aspect of his life. The response was even richer and more varied than we had anticipated; we welcomed the diversity of approach and length, and trust that readers will too. At the same time, with that blessing came regret that we could not include everything we would have liked to.
Constrained as we were by space, our first and easiest decision was to select only original pieces. So little has been published about Matt and his work that we saw no need to reprint what already exists. We made an exception in the case of the interviews, because they convey such a sense of Matt’s quicksilver irony, his restless humour and often peculiar visionary angles. Which is to say, they carry an echo of his voice. Or perhaps his voices, for Matt Cohen was not an easy man, or an easy writer, to pin down.
One of the intriguing things about this collection is the feeling that many contributors have, even those who were close friends, that perhaps they didn’t know Matt as well as they’d thought. The fierce and largely unexpected voice that informs Typing, the remarkable memoir Matt wrote during the last few months of his life, contributes to that. But there’s more to it. None of us is simple, and it appears that Matt Cohen was less simple than most. Many aspects of his life and work that emerge in these essays will strike even those who knew both as fresh and vividly insightful, often in unexpected ways. Those of us who knew him in Canada will have surprising encounters with him in France and England and Italy. Those who thought they understood the Salem quintet or the Jewish diaspora novels will find here new and penetrating material upon which to form a more comprehensive appreciation of Matt’s breadth and depth as a writer.
So we hope this collection will serve as a persuasive introduction to a writer whose career warrants a good deal more study and informed criticism. And to those who already know Matt’s work, we hope it will provide a spur for rereading and further appreciation. Among many subjects on which these pieces invite further thought, two come to mind. The first is Matt’s imaginative relationship, both as a Jew and as a Canadian, with Europe, especially with Paris. A second, probably related subject is his singularly complex relationship with the political philosopher George Grant, the man and his ideas. Matt explored this relationship to some extent in Typing, but left much unsaid.
We mourn the loss of a fine writer, and a mercurial and dynamic friend. We wrote above that December 1999 marked the end of his literary career, but of course that isn’t true. His collection of short stories, Getting Lucky, appeared after his death, as did his memoir, Typing; and the unfinished Roth novel exists to elicit intrigue and speculation. More than that, the works he published during his lifetime will continue to be read and discussed and taught and loved. We hope this collection of thoughts and tributes will enrich that process.
G.G., W.G.
