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Synopsis
The title of artist, writer, and rebel Emily Carr's first book means "Laughing One," the nickname given her by the Native people of Canada's west coast. She returned the favor with Klee Wyck, a collection of 21 "word portraits" of their lives and ways. The memoir describes in witty, vivid detail Carr's visits and travels as she painted their totem poles and villages and got to know a people whose "quiet strength healed my heart." The book is reissued here with restored text and features the original introduction by Ira Dilworth and a new introduction by Carr scholar Kathryn Bridge.
Library Journal
One of Canada's most talented artists, Emily Carr (1872-1945) painted her country's native people and the magnificent totem poles they built before civilization completely changed their way of life. To do so, she traveled the rugged coastal islands of British Columbia. Sometimes she explored abandoned villages; other times she found warm hospitality in so-called hostile villages. Always she lamented the mistreatment of natives by the Canadian government and by misguided missionaries, a controversial viewpoint at that time. In her sixties, when her doctor forbade her to paint owing to ill health, she turned to writing, using old journals as material for a series of new sketches. This collection of 21 stories, first published in 1941, re-creates her past adventures and accords the natives the dignity they deserve. Carr writes with an unpretentious, economical clarity, much in the way she painted. Klee Wyck means "Laughing One," a name the natives gave to Carr when she painted among them as a young woman. Enthusiastically recommended for public and academic libraries.-Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.