Natashia H. began her presentation on Elie Wiesel by showing the things that had to be left behind when he and his family were deported. These are the symbols of his culture and religion.
Elie Wiesel was born in Romania in 1928. By 1944, Wiesel and his family believed they had escaped being captured by the Nazis. But, they were not so lucky. They were deported first to Auschwitz then to Buchenwald. Wiesel was fifteen. By the time he was released, he had lost his family and all connections to his religion.
After a time spent in an orphanage in France, learning French, learning table manners, and learning how to interact with people, he wanted to regain his Jewish identity. He wanted to learn about Jewish mysticism, the essence of divinity, and understand the wisdom of God.
As an intellectual and a journalist, Wiesel became a political activist, a strong defender of human rights, and an advocate for justice. He wanted to confront hatred, write about dignity, and spread wisdom.
Wiesel asked the essential questions of our human existence: What do we do when we encounter chaos? Do we confront it or do we hide from it? How can you make a change within your sphere of influence? How can you make a difference? And, perhaps the most important question of all, how do we fight indifference?
Natashia encouraged us to perform acts of kindness, as well as acts of critical thinking. As we do at our weekly CWLC meetings, we talk to each other, we listen, we talk about ideas, and we ask questions.
Chaos is darkness. We have the opportunity to be the light.
Through a psychological lens, Joan B. delivered her inaugural presentation on the life and works of New Zealand-born writer Janet Frame. Joan’s well-researched and engaging talk clearly reflects her thirty-three years of experience as a junior and senior high school teacher.
Frame was a new discovery for Joan, and she quickly learned that books are not easily found in local bookstores or libraries. Nevertheless, Joan was successful in purchasing six titles online. Joan provided thoughtful overviews of The Lagoon and Other Stories (1951), Owls Do Cry (1957), Scented Gardens for the Blind (1963), To the Is-Land (1982), An Angel at My Table (1984), and The Envoy from Mirror City (1985). The last three books make up a three-volume autobiography, with Angel at My Table being Joan’s favourite and adapted for film by Jane Campion. Whether fiction or non-fiction, much of Frame’s writing retells her own life as a child and of her experiences in and out of psychiatric hospitals.
Frame was born in Dunedin, New Zealand and is believed—through her Scottish ancestry—to be a descendent of William of Orange. Her father was a railway worker and her mother worked as a housemaid. The Frame family moved between railway towns finding it difficult to make ends meet.
Due to stress and anxiety, Frame attempted to take her own life while training to be a teacher. She was subsequently institutionalized for a total of eight years in various psychiatric hospitals, where she was incorrectly diagnosed with schizophrenia. During her confinement, Frame wrote and published her first book, The Lagoon and Other Stories. Just days before a scheduled lobotomy, her book won one of New Zealand’s most prestigious literary awards, leading to her discharge. Reflecting on this time, Frame writes, “It is little wonder that I value writing as a way of life when it actually saved my life.”
In the following years, Frame wrote prolifically with her first novel, Owls Do Cry, lauded as “New Zealand’s first great novel” and a “modernist masterpiece.”
Following her mother’s passion for poetry, Frame found great joy in writing verse. She states, “Poetry is attendance upon the world.” Joan read two of Frame’s moving poems: “Child” and “Birch Trees.”
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in Janet Frame and her works. In celebration of her centennial birthday in August 2024, the “Janet Frame Bookshelf” exhibition in Dunedin was curated to showcase the esteemed writers literary and personal papers. Additionally, “100 Days of Janet Frame” was a radio program that broadcast one poem every day for 100 days.
Congratulations, Joan, on delivering such an insightful and enjoyable first presentation!
After a long summer break, CWLC members were eager to attend Doloris D.’s presentation on Margaret Atwood—one of Canada’s most renowned writers and icon of Canadian culture. Doloris’s presentation was a spectacular start to the 2025-2026 session and to the new theme of “Nominees for the Nobel Prize in Literature Who Never Won.”
Doloris reminded members that she previously presented on Atwood in 2012. With the club’s new theme, Doloris seized the opportunity to further her research and provide another in-depth presentation on one of her most-loved Canadian authors.
Instead of concentrating on specific works by Atwood, Doloris chronicled the author’s upbringing and how it shapes her writing, and how her writing influences how she is perceived by the literary world—by fans, critics, and academics.
Margaret Atwood was born in 1939 in Ottawa. She was born into a close, intelligent, and active family who surrounded themselves in nature, learning, and literature. Atwood’s father, an entomologist, had a passion for the woods; therefore, the family split their time living in the northern Quebec wilderness and in the city. An early introduction to the Grimms’ Fairy Tales fed Atwood’s fascination with myth and how it relates to life. As a voracious reader, she was exposed to subjects including Canadian culture (what there was at the time) and colonialism. Pervasive gender stereotyping sparked her concern for female identity, which is addressed in many of her works. Atwood studied literature at the University of Toronto and Harvard, and her professors included Northrop Frye (literary critic) and Jay Macpherson (poet).
Due to her public persona, her large and diverse oeuvre, and her stance on important and often controversial issues, Atwood has received labels such as “Mousy,” “Feminist,” “Man Hater,” “Dragon,” and “Sage.”
Doloris shared that in addition to Atwood’s literary works, she is drawn to Atwood for her conservationism, dedication to helping writers, her numerous library projects, and her involvement with PEN International.
At eighty-five, Atwood has been considered a leading contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature on—perhaps—ten or more different occasions. Because nominees are not revealed for fifty years after the prize is awarded, there is no certainty if a writer has been nominated (unless they win). However, according to literary critics and various media sources, Atwood has been a “Nobel Favourite” for decades. Although Atwood has not received the Nobel Prize, she has been awarded numerous prizes including the Governor General’s Award, Giller Prize, and Booker Prize.
The prolific, masterful, edgy, and humorous Margaret Atwood will be a guest speaker at Wordfest this December in Calgary.
CWLC members received the exciting news of the 2025-2026 program theme at the winter Holiday Party, and it’s time to announce the theme to all.
The topic of “Nobel Prize Winning Authors” has been chosen a number of times throughout our history. When I was compiling the complete list of programs, I wanted to include the year that the author won the prize, and that’s when I discovered authors we assume had won had not done so. Some of these authors include HG Wells, Aldous Huxley, Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekov, James Joyce, Henrik Ibsen, and Marcel Proust. As a result, an interesting topic presented itself: “Nominees for the Nobel Prize in Literature Who Never Won.”
The Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded annually since 1901, is not without controversy. While nominators are kept secret for fifty years–presumably to avoid controversy and biases–rumours often circulate about who has been nominated. The awarding institution, the Swedish Academy, has four times awarded the prize to its own members. The committee is often criticized for being white, male, Euro-centric, and being prejudice against writers whose political views are in direct opposition to theirs. Three writers have declined the prize. In 2018, three members of the committee resigned in response to a sexual misconduct investigation involving two board members, and no laureate was chosen.
Despite the controversy, the Nobel Prize in Literature is still regarded as an important achievement in an author’s life and a recognition of the significance of a full body of work. We look forward to hearing from our members about their chosen authors.
To view the 2025-2026 Program schedule, please go to the PROGRAM section of the website.
Library of Trinity College – Photo by ClickerHappy on Pexels.com
What a lively and informative program the CWLC and its members provided over the 2024-2025 year. The theme, Irish Authors, opened literary doors to a rich group of both celebrated and lesser-known writers. Our presenters selected writers and their works that were historical and fact driven, steeped in Irish culture, humorous, spooky, autobiographical, fearless, profanity laden, and often bleak and depressing.
On Tuesday, April 22, Margaret S. wrapped up our program with her candid presentation on Anne Enright. Margaret began by stating that while she appreciates Enright’s skillful writing, she does not enjoy the gloomy, melancholic narratives of Enright’s novels. Dysfunctional families, tragedy, trauma, and the complexity of relationships and identity are reoccurring themes. Within her discussion of these dark topics, Margaret sensitively found ways to make her audience laugh.
Margaret discussed four novels beginning with the 2007 Booker Prize winner, The Gathering (2007), a story that deals with family, suicide, secrets, and redemption. Margaret praised The Green Road (2015) and The Pleasure of Eliza Lynch (2002) for Enright’s shining prose. “Startling and amusing” is how Margaret cooly described some of the graphic and sexually explicit scenes in The Pleasure of Eliza Lynch. Margaret’s favourite of the four novels is Actress (2020). The vivid portrayals of the Irish theatre companies during the 1930s and 40s were of great interest to Margaret. As the narrative moves back and forth in time, the novel often takes place during The Troubles (1968-1998). Margaret lived in nearby Scotland during this time of conflict and violence and recalled her concerns for her own safety while working as a young secretary.
Enright was born in Dublin in 1963. After studying in Victoria, B.C. on a two-year scholarship she continued her studies at Trinity College Dublin then received an M.A. in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. Enright worked a brief time as a television producer then began her writing in earnest in 1993. Enright has received numerous awards and nominations primarily in Ireland and in the UK. In October 2024, Enright was a guest speaker at Wordfest in Calgary. She was joined by Irish writer Roddy Doyle and interviewed by Marina Endicott. Several CWLC members were in attendance.
With great resolve and continued reading, Margaret moved beyond her dislike of Enright’s gloomy narratives and shared with her audience an informative and engaging presentation on this bestselling, award-winning Irish author. Whether giving a presentation or actively listening to a presentation, the CWLC emboldens independent thinking and encourages members to explore and move within and beyond their reading comfort.
Please watch the “Program” section of the CWLC website to learn about the theme for our upcoming 2025 -2026 program beginning on October 7, 2025.
On Tuesday, April 15th, Anita M. gave an engaging presentation on Irish writer Edna O’Brien. While Anita has a soft voice and a gentle manner, she doesn’t hesitate to tackle writers who have difficult, weighty, and often controversial stories to tell. Anita has presented on writers Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Susan Brownmiller, Rex Murphy, George Jonas, among others.
Edna O’Brien was born in 1930 and spent many of her adolescent years educated in an Irish boarding school run by Catholic sisters. O’Brien received no formal education in writing; however, she read and observed the style of “great writers,” such as Tolstoy and Thackeray. She was greatly influenced by James Joyce: both the writer and his works. In 1959, O’Brien moved to London with her husband. By this time, she had already developed a writing style “with wide variations adapted for various venues and topics.”
O’Brien’s six decades of writing produced twenty novels, non-fiction books, short-story collections, dramas, and children’s stories. She wrote mostly while living in London; yet, her ties and literary focus remained mainly in Ireland. In her later years, O’Brien kept her focus on women and girls though expanded to different parts of the world, such as in her final novel, Girl, which tells the story of the abducted schoolgirls in Nigeria. Anita states, “Injustices in Ireland and abroad are highlighted with writing sometimes considered too honest, too raw and too emotional. She wrote passionately about the plight of abused and compromised women and girls, female sexuality and redemption.”
The autobiographical novel The Country Girls (1960) is a frank portrayal of the stifled and silenced female experience in Ireland in the 1950s onward. While the story is published as a single book, it is also part of The Country Girls Trilogy that contains three novels and an epilogue: The Country Girls, The Lonely Girl (1962), and Girls in Their Married Bliss (1964). The novels centre on two Irish schoolgirls, Cait and Baba, who spend their teenage years in a convent school then leave for Dublin as young women. All three novels were banned by the Irish Censorship Board and purportedly burned for their sexually explicit content and their commentary on the Catholic Church and Irish society.
Anita also discussed James Joyce (1999), Country Girl: A Memoir (2012), The Little Red Chairs (2015), and Girl (2019). Anita read compelling excerpts from the novels, and Anna Q. joined Anita to read a passage from the biography James Joyce. From the chapter “Once Upon a Time,” O’Brien pokes fun at her literary inspiration calling him a “lecher” and a “Joyce of all trades.” While she has fun with the “bullock-befriending bard,” O’Brien’s biography illustrates her lifelong admiration and deep connection to the much-celebrated, Irish writer.
Upon Dame Edna O’Brien’s passing in 2024, Irish President Michael Higgins expressed his great sorrow at the passing of “one of the outstanding writers in modern time.”
On Tuesday, April 8th, Anne-Marie D. gave a wonderful presentation on well-known Irish writer Maeve Binchy. Anne-Marie’s use of a video, readings, and the Q&A period illuminated Binchy’s great sense of humour and her literary significance.
Binchy wrote about regular people, relationships, and social issues, and her style is playful, sympathetic, and humorous. Her stories, which are set primarily in small-town Ireland, are meticulously planned and give a strong sense of place. A prolific writer, Binchy wrote seventeen novels, numerous short-story collections, non-fiction, and plays. She sold more than forty million books, and her works have been translated into thirty-seven languages.
In a video entitled “Maeve Binchy: Philosophy of Life,” Binchy states “happiness is making the best of the hand you are dealt.” Binchy was born in Dublin in 1940 and passed in 2012. She was educated at University College Dublin and became a teacher then a journalist for the Irish Times. About writing, Binchy adds, “I always enjoyed writing once I understood it was like talking, and I love talking.”
Anne-Marie shared five of Binchy’s novels: Light a Penny Candle (1982), Circle of Friends (1990), Tara Road (1998), Nights of Rain and Stars (2004), and A Week in Winter (2012). Binchy’s debut novel, Light a Penny Candle, earned a prepublication advance of £52 000: the largest sum ever paid for a British first novel. Anne-Marie’s favourite novel is Nights of Rain and Stars, which takes place in a Greek seaside village among four strangers who witness a boating accident. A Week in Winter is Binchy’s last book and was published posthumously.
Binchy’s readers are from far and wide. In the United States, Binchy sustained great popularity and her novels earned spots on the New York Times Best Sellers list (Circle of Friends, Tara Road, and A Week in Winter) and in Oprah’s Book Club (Tara Road).
Much discussion was had during Q&A period about Binchy’s genre—popular or realistic fiction—and its significance in literature. While Binchy’s writing is not highbrow literature, Binchy has garnered an enormous international readership, who feels the much-loved author is writing about themselves. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “Binchy makes you laugh, cry, and care. Her warmth and sympathy render the daily struggles of ordinary people heroic and turn storytelling into art.”
Who knew that Bram Stoker was Irish, that his first name was “Abraham,” that he wrote many works in addition to Dracula, and that the novel Dracula can be both a fun and eerie read? One thing CWLC members knew for certain was that Katja W. would give a fantastic presentation on her Irish writer, Bram Stoker.
Abraham Stoker was born in 1847 in Clontarf, Ireland. He studied mathematics at Trinity College then turned his focus to theatre after watching awe-inspiring performances by Sir Henry Irving. Stoker became a theatre critic, manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, and Irving’s friend and international tour manager. Stoker had a penchant and talent for writing: his early publications were printed in periodicals, and he later grew in popularity to become one of the best-selling English writers of the Victorian era.
Stoker published numerous short-stories and short-story collections, novels, and non-fiction. Katja introduced five of Stoker’s works to the club: Under the Sunset (1881), Gibbet Hill (1890), Dracula (1897), Snowbound: The Record of a Theatrical Touring Company (1908), and The Lair of the White Worm (1911).
Dracula is Stoker’s magnum opus and it remains one of the most popular works in English literature. The novel centres on a young British solicitor who travels to Romania in hopes of finalizing a real estate deal with a charismatic nobleman named Count Dracula. Unlike other clients, Dracula happens to be a vampire: he lives in a menacing castle, is centuries old, only makes his appearance at night, and sucks the blood of unsuspecting victims.
Stoker’s gothic horror is epistolary in form, consisting of letters, diary entries, and newspaper clippings from different narrators. This form offers readers various perspectives, enhanced realism, and a sense of suspense. Stoker’s use of anxiety-filled cliff hangers also maintain a suspenseful narrative and have his audiences wanting to read more. Katja explained the “Dracula Formula,” which Stoker successfully used for his novel: “The narrator is an educated skeptic—rational and grounded—confronted with something he cannot explain. The story is anchored in historical reality, there’s a foreign, supernatural presence and the landscape itself is more than just setting. It acts almost like a character, full of memory, tension, and atmosphere.” Dracula easily falls into the horror subgenre known as “Slow Burn Horror,” which is characterized by a gradual build-up of psychological tension that focuses on atmosphere and character development.
Dracula and Stoker’s vampire prototype have been the inspiration for many adaptions in literature, film, television, comic books, and games. Perhaps Stoker’s vampire wasn’t the first of its kind, as described in Shawna M.’s presentation on Sheridan Le Fanu, but it is Stoker who has made this undead character remain alive.
Katja shared an amusing story as to why she chose Bram Stoker for her Irish writer. Katja’s mother worked in the town of Bistritz, located in Northern Romania (Transylvania). It is in this small town that Dracula‘s protagonist, Jonathan Barker, begins his journey to find Count Dracula. While visiting her mother in Transylvania, Katja and her family hoped to explore Dracula’s Bran Castle. Unfortunately, numerous tourists had the same intention, so Katja and her family opted to read the famous novel instead.
CWLC presenters offer a unique perspective on their selected author and on the session’s theme. We were very fortunate to have our Ireland-born member, Anna Q., give her presentation on Paul Lynch and provide her perspective on Irish literature. Anna is a talented presenter, writer, and curler: her team won their curling league championship only hours before giving her presentation!
Anna’s presentation is entitled: “Paul Lynch, A Study of the Resilience of Human Nature: Tales of Oppression, Emotional Repression, Guilt, Fascism, Famine, Escape, Survival, and Pastoral and Maritime Journeys.” Effortlessly, Anna covers all these elements as she discusses five of Lynch’s novels.
Red Sky in Morning (2013), Lynch’s debut novel, explores the brutal exploitation of the Irish peasantry by the English gentry in the 1800s. Based on historical events, the language of this Hemingwayesque book is poetic, sparce, and melodic.
The Black Snow (2014) is set in 1945 in Donegal, Ireland. It tells the story of an Irish emigrant who returns to Ireland after working in New York. Superstition is pervasive, and Anna found the story very engaging and one that kept her guessing. This book is described as raw, savage, and tender.
Grace (2017) is Anna’s favourite Lynch novel—a beautifully written story that incorporates lyrical and inventive language. Readers learn of a young girl’s relentless fight for survival during Ireland’s Great Famine, and it can be compared to books and television shows including The Road, The Handmaid’s Tale, and “The Last of Us.”
Beyond the Sea (2019) is a highly philosophical novel that questions the meaning of life. Unlike Lynch’s other novels, which take place in Ireland, this maritime journey takes place in South America. This story of isolation is described as stark and mesmerizing.
Prophet Song (2023) is Lynch’s most well-known book and winner of the 2023 Man Booker Prize. This gripping dystopian story is inspired by the Syrian civil war; although, it takes place in the Republic of Ireland, which has fallen into totalitarianism. Mimicking the story’s severity, Lynch’s writing and structure are unconventional, consisting of irregular punctuation and a relentless pace.
Anna chose Lynch for her presentation as his writing is thought-provoking and poetical, he writes about universal themes, and he is a skilled storyteller. Paul Lynch is an internationally acclaimed Irish author who began writing fiction after a career in journalism.
On Tuesday, March 18th, Betty S. gave an impressive presentation on award-winning, Dublin-born writer Sebastian Barry. This was Betty’s fifth CWLC presentation and her experience as a presenter and close reader certainly showed. Betty’s research and selected readings brought Barry’s stories to life and had her listeners wanting to hear more.
Sebastian Barry’s novels Days Without End, A Thousand Moons, and The Secret Scripture have garnered great acclaim and have been translated into almost forty languages. Barry credits some of his childhood experiences and family members for influencing his works. From Sligo, Ireland to western United States, Barry’s stories traverse time and place with “detailed descriptions of violence and revenge, unforgettable characters, acts of selflessness, and charming bits of humour.”
In Days without End (2016), seventeen-year-old Thomas McNulty flees the horrors of the Great Famine in Ireland to find himself in the center of the violence and turmoil of the Indian Wars and American Civil War. Warmth and humour make their way into the novel when McNulty meets John Cole, a brother-in-arms and a fellow “saloon girl” dancing for female-deprived miners. The men’s friendship grows into a romantic relationship and then marriage. Barry introduces the orphaned Sioux girl, Winona, who is taken in by McNulty and Cole to create an unusual though loving family. Days Without End is described as brutal, folksy, unsettled, and “a great American novel which happens to have been written by an Irishman.” In addition to other awards, this novel received the celebrated Costa Book Award in 2016.
A Thousand Moons (2020) is a sequel to Days Without End and takes place in Tennessee in the aftermath of the American Civil War. Winona, the novel’s seventeen-year-old narrator and protagonist, tells her story of racism, post-civil war tensions, violence, and young love.
The Secret Scripture (2008) is a prequel to the McNulty and Cole novels. The story is based on a childhood memory of the author with the protagonist, Roseanne McNulty, residing in a mental institution in Sligo, Ireland. The novel was produced into a movie in 2016; however, according to Betty, it falls shy of resembling Barry’s story. Barry received his first Costa Book Award in 2008 for The Secret Scripture.
Barry’s novels On Canaan’s Side, The Temporary Gentleman, and Old God’s Time were briefly discussed. Betty warns that Old God’s Time is a “terribly dark” novel that centers on child abuse within the Catholic church.
Betty’s favourite books are the three discussed in detail, which embrace themes of love and relationships of all sorts and the passage of time.
