On paper, author and UVic professor Bill Gaston has lived a remarkable life. About 10 years ago, a salmon-smoking accident nearly burned down his house, which became the opening scene of a recent novel, The World. During his university career, he was also a diplomat of sorts.
Gaston visited Beijing in 1973 as part of the UBC Thunderbirds hockey team to play a series of exhibition matches, similar to NixonB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址減ing-pong diplomacy.B次元官网网址�
It was captured in a National Film Board of Canada (NFB) documentary called (free to view online), which shows players running along a nearly empty Great Wall and taking in the sights. They were among the first Westerners to visit China since the Cultural Revolution. At the time, there were no private cars and people dressed in the same muted tones.
B次元官网网址淎nybody under 25, anywhere we went, had never seen a Caucasian,B次元官网网址� said Gaston. B次元官网网址淲e were gawked at.B次元官网网址�
Gaston is 65 now, a winner of the Victoria/Butler Prize, the CBC Canadian Literary Award, and and a nominee for the Governor GeneralB次元官网网址檚 award and the Giller. He has lived in Toronto three times, taught writing in New Brunswick and played semi-pro hockey in France. He said his many notable experiences were just a function of age.
B次元官网网址淚f you count them off on your fingers, it kind of sounds that way, but not really,B次元官网网址� he said.
Gaston is reading from his latest short story collection, called A MarinerB次元官网网址檚 Guide to Self Sabotage, at the SHOAL Centre on March 23 alongside childrenB次元官网网址檚 author Margriet Ruurs. His publisher describes the bookB次元官网网址檚 characters as B次元官网网址渉olders of secrets, members of shadowy organizations, screw-ups, joyriders and runaways.B次元官网网址�
Gaston said the stories were not written with any unifying theme necessarily, or even as a collection to start with.
B次元官网网址淚 write stories and when I have enough of them together, they become a book,B次元官网网址� he said simply.
However, he said that such a summary is not necessarily incorrect. The book does feature characters who make bad choices, and B次元官网网址渢hey are their own barriers to happiness.B次元官网网址�
He said he has become more succinct as an older writer, which comes from reading his heroes (he cited Martin Amis, Jim Harrison, and George Saunders B次元官网网址� who is a current favourite of GastonB次元官网网址檚).
B次元官网网址淲hat you know of human nature comes from people you know,B次元官网网址� said Gaston, who said that necessarily influenced the characters in his books. Gaston has a memoir called Just Let Me Look At You, coming out in May, which is about his grandfather, his father, and himself. Not surprisingly, itB次元官网网址檚 about fatherhood.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 about dysfunctional, sometimes violent relationships,B次元官网网址� said Gaston. The book was prompted when he learned a secret about his deceased fatherB次元官网网址檚 upbringing.
B次元官网网址淥nce I found out what his background was like, letB次元官网网址檚 say I forgave him,B次元官网网址� said Gaston.
Gaston has done many readings over the decades, and looks forward to this one as well.
B次元官网网址淲hen IB次元官网网址檓 sitting at home and imagining people reading my books I have a very indirect experience of them connecting with the work,B次元官网网址� said Gaston.
B次元官网网址淏ut if IB次元官网网址檓 reading and somebody laughs or somebody smiles or falls asleep for that matter, itB次元官网网址檚 a very direct connection.B次元官网网址�
Bill Gaston and Margriet Ruurs will read at the SHOAL Centre Mar. 23 at 7 p.m. (doors at 6:30). Tickets are $10 at TannerB次元官网网址檚 Books or online at . Proceeds support the 2019 Sidney and Peninsula Literary Festival.
reporter@peninsulanewsreview.com
