I'm looking for the Author and Title of a Short Story I read in the
New Yorker Magazine in the 60's, 70's or 80's, most likely the 70's.
All I have is my
recollection of a paragraph and the theme:
theme: Canadian woman leaves marriage, moves, goes on
recollection: "I am concerned with what people do. What they think
[in their minds?] is their own damned business, and sometimes it is
better not to ask. I once asked my husband [what he thought?] and it
took him three days to tell me, at the end of which I prevailed on him
to buy me a ticket [from Toronto? to ? - definitely two Canadian
Cities]"
Of course memory is vague, so the real paragraph could be a ways from
this reconstruction.
My own first guess was Alice Munro. I have read "the Beggar Maid",
"The Moons of Jupiter", and "The Progress of Love" without finding my
paragraph.
Mwgardner --
Quite a task here. The New Yorker is indexed on-line since 1980 by
Infotrac, a fee-based service that many public libraries have
available. There are 17 Alice Munro stories published between
1980-1990 (and another 20 since 1990). The best that I could do is
provide this list of 17. I'm not sure if the Reader's Guide to
Periodical Literature will list stories by author pre-1980 but another
researcher may know.
Best regards,
Omnivorous-GA
As the first two comments have pointed out, this is a difficult
question - that's why I'm here. I already have a list of Munro
stories published in the New Yorker in the timeframe. I guess I'm
looking for someone who reads enough Canadian Literature to recognize
the quote - I'd be astounded if a researcher could just pluck an
answer from Lexus, a New Yorker index, etc.
Dear Mwgardner,
I know this question has long ago expired, but for some reason it
stuck in my mind, and I mentioned it to a friend the other day. She
immediately thought it sounded familiar, and suggested that this may
be the book which the excerpt was from:
"The Book of Eve". Beresford-Howe, Constance.
McCelland & Stewart, 1973
Here is my friend's summary of the book:
"It was very, very popular at the time and is the story of a woman
locked into a marriage that she can't leave because she has no
independent income. When her first pension cheque arrives, she takes
the train to Montreal where she finds a room of her own and proceeds
to flower. Eventually, she falls in love with an artist. I don't
remember how it turned out but it was a delightful and
thought-provoking book for women at the time - especially those in
middle age during the late 60's andd 70's."
Here is a link to the amazon listing:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0771011040/qid=1049040176/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/002-3672521-6643214?v=glance&s=books
And the Amazon editorial description:
"First published in 1973, The Book of Eve has become a classic. When
Eva Carroll walks out on her husband of 40 years, it is an unplanned,
completely spontaneous gesture. Yet Eva feels neither guilt nor
remorse. Instead, she feels rejuvenated and blissfully free. As she
builds a new life for herself in a boarding house on the “wrong” side
of Montreal, she finds happiness and independence – and, when she
least expects it, love."
I am very curious to know if this is the book. Let me know if it
rings a bell!
Cheers,
Torq
Well, this has been fun. I haven't identified the story, but I have
had -- thanks to you researchers -- an email exchange with Elisabeth
Harvor. She was quite certain that she and Alice Munro where the only
Canadian women who published in the New Yorker in the timeframe.
the most recent comment suggests
"The Book of Eve". Beresford-Howe, Constance. Although the theme is
similar, there are two critical differences: mine is a short story,
not a novel, and my heroine does not so much walk out as is dismissed.
Well, although I haven't gotten an answer to my question, I have read
Elisabeth Harvor's stories - fine work -- and now I have another new
author to try.
Do you think it might be this?
Elisabeth Harvor 1982 "Heart Trouble," The Penguin Book of Modern
Canadian Short Stories, published by Penguin, Markham,
Ontario; first appeared in The New Yorker on March 12, 1979.
This is, of course, just a shot in the dark on my part.
Good luck with your search!
Dear mwgardner,
I surely hope you can provide more info on this.
I've tried to look for the short stories in the New Yorker website but
apparently the site need a subscription to be able to gain full access
throught its website.
http://www.newyorker.com/
And since you noted about Alice Munro, I've found the Directory
listing of webpages related to her. I hope you can take your time
browsing through the website, since I've a very slow connection. You
can find many links on reviews of her work there.
http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Literature/World_Literature/Canadian/Authors/Short_Story/Munro,_Alice/?tc=1
Sincerely,
Ephi :)
Mwgardner --
You might also want to consider Melissa Hardy, who, though born in the
U.S., has worked at the University of Toronto and written a number of
short stories about Ontario and Canada.
Best regards,
Omnivorous-GA
 I could use some help again...
 Lost Licences |
Identify a short story published in the New Yorker 1960-1990 from a quote