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A Peter Gzowski Reader
The man who affected the reading habits of millions of Canadians gives us the work of a lifetime
Long before he became a radio voice Peter Gzowski was a writer. This book is an anthology of his best writing over a career spanning more than 50 years, starting with pieces from his time writing for The Varsity, and his early days as a young reporter caught in a forest fire.
Each entry forms a new chapter and typically begins with an introduction from Peter Gzowski today, setting it in context. When he was a young writer at Maclean’s in 1959, he did a piece on Gordie Howe which still stands up today. In the same period, he wrote articles on racism in Saskatchewan (“This Is Our Alabama”), and, in 1961, a profile of an interesting young man named Trudeau.
Later, we follow him into the world of his books, with choice excerpts from his best work. From his book on the Edmonton Oilers, The Game of Our Lives, for example, there’s his famous piece on skating, and another much-quoted passage on Wayne Gretzky. Look for choice pieces from The Morningside Papers (1984–95) and three pieces from his autobiography The Private Voice, and many pieces from here and there including “Song for Canada,” which he wrote with Ian Tyson.
Above all, look for exciting new work never before collected in book form, including a thrilling account of sailing in Antigua in seas so high that the boat is dismasted, at the mercy of the waves. And there is a lovely piece about his earliest boyhood days growing up in what was then Galt, and by contrast, a look at Canada today.
This is a cornucopia of Gzowski, selected by Peter himself, that is a tasty blend of the personal and the objective, and always good reading.
Long before he became a radio voice Peter Gzowski was a writer. This book is an anthology of his best writing over a career spanning more than 50 years, starting with pieces from his time writing for The Varsity, and his early days as a young reporter caught in a forest fire.
Each entry forms a new chapter and typically begins with an introduction from Peter Gzowski today, setting it in context. When he was a young writer at Maclean’s in 1959, he did a piece on Gordie Howe which still stands up today. In the same period, he wrote articles on racism in Saskatchewan (“This Is Our Alabama”), and, in 1961, a profile of an interesting young man named Trudeau.
Later, we follow him into the world of his books, with choice excerpts from his best work. From his book on the Edmonton Oilers, The Game of Our Lives, for example, there’s his famous piece on skating, and another much-quoted passage on Wayne Gretzky. Look for choice pieces from The Morningside Papers (1984–95) and three pieces from his autobiography The Private Voice, and many pieces from here and there including “Song for Canada,” which he wrote with Ian Tyson.
Above all, look for exciting new work never before collected in book form, including a thrilling account of sailing in Antigua in seas so high that the boat is dismasted, at the mercy of the waves. And there is a lovely piece about his earliest boyhood days growing up in what was then Galt, and by contrast, a look at Canada today.
This is a cornucopia of Gzowski, selected by Peter himself, that is a tasty blend of the personal and the objective, and always good reading.
- GenresCanada
288 pages, Hardcover
First published October 30, 2001
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 1, 2023
Collection of short story memories by Peter. Some quite interesting, some not so.
Not as entertaining as the first Gzowski book, The Morningside Papers, that I read last month.
Not as entertaining as the first Gzowski book, The Morningside Papers, that I read last month.
February 11, 2022
Most Canadians came to know Peter Gzowski as a radio personality, the host of the ever-popular Morningside radio program he hosted on CBC from 1982 to 1997. Thousands of listeners tuned in and got to know his gruff friendly voice, honed by years of smoking and enjoyed his casual conversational manner as he talked to Canadians about their big, wide country, hoping they would come to appreciate and love it as much as he did. As a proud countryman, he wanted to share what he believed made Canada unique, with its numerous hidden corners in its vast landscape and the wide variety of people who called it home. He used his show as a platform to interview guests who shared their humourous and often touching experiences living in Canada, introduced listeners to both new and experienced Canadian writers and shared regional recipes.
Many people do not realize that before Gzowski was on radio or later a TV host and philanthropist, he was a writer. That is how he identified himself and how he wanted to be remembered. He often made that point by referring to himself as “a writer who worked on the radio”.
In this collection of his writing, Gzowski has chosen some of his favourite pieces. They have all appeared previously in various magazine or newspapers and cover a broad range of subjects and a lifetime of work. All except for one piece that is new, a piece about a harrowing sailing trip in Antigua that almost cost him his life.
His mood is melancholy and reflective as he precludes each chapter with a small introduction, placing the piece in some sort of context. The pieces provide a nice mix, everything from one about growing up as a young boy in Galt Ontario, about Canadian winters with fun in the snow sledding, making snow angels and staying out so long his fingers and toes hurt, the pain only blissfully drawn away by a warm fire afterwards. There is a piece on hockey player Gordie Howe which first appeared in MacLeans magazine, one on the October Crisis in Quebec in 1970 and another on Pierre Trudeau and one on The Great One Wayne Gretzky. He writes about his unlikely status as “a Canadian sex symbol”, approached by women on the street he does not know who tell him how much their mothers adore him. In one of his most humourous pieces, he admits to his rather lazy approach to his appearance, a fact so well-known, it has become an accepted part of everyone’s description of him. He often appears unkempt and wrinkled, wearing shirts with ink and coffee stains and missing buttons. His pants often droop, sport a “fly at half-mast’ and worn cuffs. If he wears a sweater, it too looks like it had fallen out of the give-away bin at a local charity shop with more stains and loose yarn hanging in bits and pieces.
Gzwoski loved writing about the things he enjoyed most: hockey, the cold and broadcasting, but this compilation shows his ability to write on a wide variety of subjects with equal enthusiasm. All his pieces reflect his breezy conversational style, his enthusiasm, his curiosity about life and is ability to connect with readers.
He closes with a chapter on his life, remembering one filled with wonderful experiences. He has had opportunities to meet royalty, a host of politicians, performers and writers. He clearly realizes he is coming to the end of his life and you can almost feel it in these nostalgic but thankful comments on the final pages.
I have read most of Gzwoski’s books, but this is one of my favourites. It is nice to have his writing collected all in one place even though most of the pieces have appeared elsewhere, scattered in other books or magazines he wrote at various times in his life. Here they remain the focus of the readers’ attention, as he wants them to be, not tucked into one of his many books about his radio program which includes pieces from so many others.
If you choose to read only a few books about Gzowski, this should be one of them. It is I believe, one of his best.
Many people do not realize that before Gzowski was on radio or later a TV host and philanthropist, he was a writer. That is how he identified himself and how he wanted to be remembered. He often made that point by referring to himself as “a writer who worked on the radio”.
In this collection of his writing, Gzowski has chosen some of his favourite pieces. They have all appeared previously in various magazine or newspapers and cover a broad range of subjects and a lifetime of work. All except for one piece that is new, a piece about a harrowing sailing trip in Antigua that almost cost him his life.
His mood is melancholy and reflective as he precludes each chapter with a small introduction, placing the piece in some sort of context. The pieces provide a nice mix, everything from one about growing up as a young boy in Galt Ontario, about Canadian winters with fun in the snow sledding, making snow angels and staying out so long his fingers and toes hurt, the pain only blissfully drawn away by a warm fire afterwards. There is a piece on hockey player Gordie Howe which first appeared in MacLeans magazine, one on the October Crisis in Quebec in 1970 and another on Pierre Trudeau and one on The Great One Wayne Gretzky. He writes about his unlikely status as “a Canadian sex symbol”, approached by women on the street he does not know who tell him how much their mothers adore him. In one of his most humourous pieces, he admits to his rather lazy approach to his appearance, a fact so well-known, it has become an accepted part of everyone’s description of him. He often appears unkempt and wrinkled, wearing shirts with ink and coffee stains and missing buttons. His pants often droop, sport a “fly at half-mast’ and worn cuffs. If he wears a sweater, it too looks like it had fallen out of the give-away bin at a local charity shop with more stains and loose yarn hanging in bits and pieces.
Gzwoski loved writing about the things he enjoyed most: hockey, the cold and broadcasting, but this compilation shows his ability to write on a wide variety of subjects with equal enthusiasm. All his pieces reflect his breezy conversational style, his enthusiasm, his curiosity about life and is ability to connect with readers.
He closes with a chapter on his life, remembering one filled with wonderful experiences. He has had opportunities to meet royalty, a host of politicians, performers and writers. He clearly realizes he is coming to the end of his life and you can almost feel it in these nostalgic but thankful comments on the final pages.
I have read most of Gzwoski’s books, but this is one of my favourites. It is nice to have his writing collected all in one place even though most of the pieces have appeared elsewhere, scattered in other books or magazines he wrote at various times in his life. Here they remain the focus of the readers’ attention, as he wants them to be, not tucked into one of his many books about his radio program which includes pieces from so many others.
If you choose to read only a few books about Gzowski, this should be one of them. It is I believe, one of his best.
April 20, 2017
A memorable, somewhat bittersweet collection of essays and work from a journalist who passed away far too soon.
Reading through the afterword on 2001's A Peter Gzowski Reader, you get the sense that he was very wistful and melancholy about everything he accomplished in life. While he's quick to point out all the things he's done in life, he seems to have been somewhat saddened that he won't be able to do more.
He needn't have worried. This collection of essays, articles from Maclean's and reflections are an entertaining set of stories that do a great job of delving more into the world of writing, journalism and the many memorable encounters with politicians, sports players and other people he met in the past. Among the standouts are "Gordie" (a reprint of a 1963 profile spotlighting Gordie Howe from the Red Wings), "A Hockey Writer's Last Stand at Maclean's" (where Gzowski goes to bat for an editor who had recently been thrown into an unfamiliar position at the magazine, while reflecting on his own experiences) and "The October We'll Never Forget", where he reminisces about the 1970 October Crisis and Pierre Trudeau's response to it.
This is a fine collection of stories and a must-read for any Gzowski fan. It really gives you a better understanding of the man, even if you've never seen Morningside. Well worth a read.
Reading through the afterword on 2001's A Peter Gzowski Reader, you get the sense that he was very wistful and melancholy about everything he accomplished in life. While he's quick to point out all the things he's done in life, he seems to have been somewhat saddened that he won't be able to do more.
He needn't have worried. This collection of essays, articles from Maclean's and reflections are an entertaining set of stories that do a great job of delving more into the world of writing, journalism and the many memorable encounters with politicians, sports players and other people he met in the past. Among the standouts are "Gordie" (a reprint of a 1963 profile spotlighting Gordie Howe from the Red Wings), "A Hockey Writer's Last Stand at Maclean's" (where Gzowski goes to bat for an editor who had recently been thrown into an unfamiliar position at the magazine, while reflecting on his own experiences) and "The October We'll Never Forget", where he reminisces about the 1970 October Crisis and Pierre Trudeau's response to it.
This is a fine collection of stories and a must-read for any Gzowski fan. It really gives you a better understanding of the man, even if you've never seen Morningside. Well worth a read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews