The Burgess Shale : The Canadian Writing Landscape of the 1960s

The Burgess Shale is a geological formation discovered in the Canadian Rocky Mountains that contains the fossils of many weird and strange early life forms, different from but not unrelated to later and existing forms. Atwood has named her re-visitation of the Canadian writing landscape of the 1960s after it, somewhat whimsically: that period is already fossilized, in a manner of speaking, and it does contain many weird and strange life forms. The generation of the 1960s was instrumental in creating the writer-related institutions we see around us today, from unions and private grant programs and prizes to book tours and book festivals; they did it, not for fun, but out of perceived need. Indeed, today's Canadian writing landscape would be mostly unrecognizable to those writing in the 1960s. Fans of Margaret Atwood, Canadian Literature enthusiasts, readers, and writers will find this book informative and entertaining.