Final Countdown

When I was in my senior year of high school, I remember how irritated I was by people's constant inquiries into my college plans. The Big Question would slip out from the lips of teachers, friends, parents of friends, and the creepy men who struck up conversations with me on public transit. I learned to avoid the icky-deep-in-my-chest feeling that The Big Question gave me by robotically listing off all the schools I had applied to while trying not to freak out about my own sense of uncertainty about the future.

Tomorrow morning, I start my last. exam. period. EVER. (In case you were wondering why I'm blogging)

And WHAT I wouldn't give to be thinking of answers to The Big Question that plagued me three and a half years ago instead of the one that does now.

I don't know if people realize how confrontational they sound when they pose The Big Question 2.0, but my answers should clue them in.

"Oh, what are you studying?"
"English Lit."
"Oh. Huh. Like reading? (dramatic pause) Well, what are you planning on doing with that?"
"Uhhhhhhhhnnnnng."

Anybody who has been in the final semester of their arts degree should recognize that grunt as the sound of homicidal fury. I have nearly perfected it, but unfortunately, it doesn't bring me any closer to an idea of what the fuck I am going to do with my degree/life.

If you're looking for me any time in the next three weeks, I'll likely be hiding under the covers.

Canada Reads

Am I the only one who finds the list of contenders for CBC Canada Reads 2010 particularly uninspired?

I was pretty jazzed this morning when I was not only awake, but also semi-conscious as Jian Ghomeshi introduced this year's novels and their defenders. For those who may be unfamiliar with the contest, here's the jist: Five Canadian personalities of relative degrees of notariety pick the novel they think every Canadian should read, and debate head-to head until a winner is crowned. The novel that outlasts all others is the Canada reads winner, and is rewarded with a shiney pink sticker on its cover and a sudden spike in sales.

Now, I'm not debating the fact that the novels selected this year are good. In fact, some of them are downright amazing. But as I was listening to Jian introduce the competition this morning, I noticed that he kept mentioning how the competition in the past has served to bolster the popularity of the novel, causing unprecendented pickups in sales. For some reason, the fact that he was emphasizing this aspect of the competition made me think there would be a focus on new talent this year.

I was wrong.

I think the only nomination that is the least bit unexpected is Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner, as defended by Michel Vezina. The CBC usually likes to leave the franco stuff to Radio Canada, so the inclusion of a French-Canadian work in translation this year is refreshing.

The rest of the list reads like a Can Lit 101 syllabus.

Okay, that might be an overstatement. A Can Lit 101 syllabus would probably be too stuffed full of the usual Atwood/Munro/Ondatje/Ricci that was nominated for last years (and every years) Giller and Governor Generals. The Canada Reads 2010 list is more like the syllabus for a Can Lit 101 class taught by an overeager grad student during the summer semester. Except, wait! Marina Endicott has been nominated for the Giller before.

I'm not gonna lie: I've read a lot of Douglas Coupland. I've even seen him read live, and he was pretty entertaining. But Generation X was published NINETEEN years ago, and shows its age. Cadence Weapon is going to have to fight an uphill battle.

Anne Marie MacDonald's Fall on Your Knees was published in 1996. Not only has it been a Giller nominee, it Was an OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB SELECTION for God's sake.

And I don't know about Jian Ghomeshi, but anybody who went to high school in BC has had their fill of Wayson Choy.

My point is this: if Canada hasn't already read these books, they've had their chance. There are no first time novelists on this list, so how is the competition supposed to be even a little bit exciting? There's no point of even pretending that its about promoting Canadian fiction when clearly, its just reinforcing the value of the canon.