‘MEMBERING: A CELEBRATION OF AUSTIN CLARKE with George Elliott Clarke, Lawrence Hill, Dane Swan and others, at the Brigantine Room, November 1, noon. $15-$18, students/under 25 free. ifoa.org.
Onstage at Word On The Street in Toronto last month, literary titan Austin Clarke appeared decidedly frail. Yet his recent memoir, ‘Membering, covering decades of his life, suggests his creative powers are very much intact.
The International Festival Of Authors plans to honour the legacy and talent of the 80-year-old Barbados-born, Ontario-raised novelist, winner of the Giller Prize for The Polished Hoe.
“No other Canadian fiction writer has so assiduously addressed the impact of class and social rank on his characters,” says Toronto poet laureate George Elliott Clarke (no relation), one of the literary guests at the tribute who will testify to Austin Clarke’s influence. Others are novelist Lawrence Hill and poet Dane Swan.
The new memoir tracks the author’s Barbados roots, his years in Kirkland Lake as a reporter for Thomson newspapers and his growing interest in writing novels and short stories.
“I appreciate Clarke’s introduction,” says George Elliot Clarke, “and his savvy observation that it’s not racism alone that marginalizes his protagonists, but, rather, the attitude of the white settler class that they were the first to steal Canada’s wealth and should not have to share the bounty with ‘coloured newcomers.’ It’s a sharp argument that is not made often enough.”
Swan, who also performs spoken word in the GTA, has admired Clarke’s success in both the Caribbean and Canada.
“There’s a glass ceiling that many writers of colour struggle to break through, but he at least made it possible for us to see that it is possible,” Swan explains.
Clarke’s CV and dedication to his craft continue to amaze Swan. “His most important book might be his next. That says a lot about him.”
And what would George Elliott Clarke rate among Austin Clarke’s finest work? We all know about the oft-cited Polished Hoe and More, but the B-sides can also showcase the writer’s deft pen.
“The story you should re-read over and over is When He Was Free And Young And He Used to Wear Silks,” he says. “Every sentence sings brilliantly. No, each line scat-sings brilliantly.”
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