Michael Crummey

There are almost no admirable characters in the book which contains some of the vilest scenes imaginable; yet, it is a good read. Abe Strapp, is the spoiled son of a successful merchant who is about to marry a young girl who will bring more financial security, but the marriage is ruined by his competitor who we find is also his sister, Widow Caines.

Life is hard on his coastline. There is violence, sexual and otherwise. The character of Abe is cruel, unfeeling, as well as stupid and a poor businessman who is only held together by the Beadle (a kind of church/government leader who is the godfather of Abe). Widow Caines is only slightly more humane. A young boy, Solemn and his sister, Bride, work for her. Indentured servants arrive from England on their way to Australia who stay including a young boy branded as a thief, who becomes friends with Solemn and Bride. Strange story, not for everyone's taste, but well-written, believable in spite of the terrible things that are considered ordinary in this society. Times were hard, people were cruel!… (meer)

Twenty years after the publication of his debut, Little New and Selected Poems brings together selections from Michael Crummey’s first four books of poetry with a significant offering of new work. In this collection, Crummey emerges not only as the master storyteller we know him to be, but also as one of our great poets of connection. Whether reporting from a solitary room or a shared bed, recalling the barbed delirium of adolescence, the subtler negotiations of mature love, or the generational echoes between fathers and sons, these poems are deeply engaged in the business of living with others. Of living with the absence of those who have shaped and sometimes scarred us. Unafraid of confronting the darker corners of desire or of digging into the past to make sense of the present, Crummey has already given us a tremendous body of work. Little Dogs showcases the evolution of one the most distinct and celebrated Canadian writers of his generation.… (meer)

Kurze Inhaltsangabe
Der elfjährige Evered und seine zwei Jahre jüngere Schwester Ada wachsen unter kargen Bedingungen auf. Sie sind die Kinder von Fischern, die allein inmitten der kanadischen Wildnis leben.
Als ihre Eltern sterben, sind die Geschwister auf sich allein gestellt; sie wissen nur das von der Welt, was sie von Mutter und Vater gelernt haben. Also führen sie deren hartes Leben nach Kräften weiter. Bis die Loyalität der Geschwister auf die Probe gestellt wird und sie für ihre Zukunft kämpfen müssen.… (meer)