Winter

by Rupert Matthews, Andre Gallant (Photographer)

Canadians, Pierre Berton writes, are not only a winter people but are also, by reputation, a wintry people, 'frosty of mien, cool of temperament, chilly of countenance. . .not given to public displays of hot emotion' - except at the hockey rink, when players bash each other and the crowd calls for blood. And that, he says, is just part of the paradox of our most fascinating season.

In this highly personal evocation of winter, Berton insists that Canadians hate out longest season and will do anything to escape from it - burrowing underground in pedestrian malls, joining buildings together with glassed-in walkways, banishing the February "blahs" with carnivals and snow fests, fleeing to Hawaii or Florida to elude subarctic gales. But, says Berton, there's one thing we hate even more, and that's the outsider's image of Canada as a stark and frozen wasteland. When pushed, Canadians will admit to a relationship with winter that is in fact of a love/hate nature: we respect it, and can easily find beauty within its icy demeanour.

André Gallant's stunning photographs support these themes, showing winter in it's infinite variety, from the twilight blue of a Dawson City noon hour to the mauve sunsets of Victoria in March, from the brilliant kaleidoscope of the Quebec Winter Carnival to the coruscating icebergs of Baffin Island. Here, too, are rare archival photographs of Old Tyme Winter in the days when imaginative photographers escaped the wintry blasts by lining their heated studios with fake snow to simulate the outdoors.

Genres: Nonfiction, Canada, History, Photography

239 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1994

Reviews

[Paul Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Now soon, ah, soon, I know/ The trumpets of the north will blow/And the great winds will come to bring wild riders of the snow."- Bliss Carman. The 1996 book, Winter by Pierre Berton is a lavish and, dare I say it, warm depiction of the season most commonly associated with Canada. Mr. Berton's book is part coffee table book and exploration of the winter season. The photographs are both revealing and touching. Many of them were expertly taken by André Gallant. It reveals a poetic, almost symbiotic, relationship between the elements and Canadians. "We Canadians are a winter people--a wintry people, some would say--frosty of mien, cool of temperament, chilly of countenance," writes Berton. The text, provided by Mr. Berton, serves as a guide to how winter is part of Canada's history, its DNA and its ongoing influence. The photos deliver proof of his assertions. Mr. Berton can speak of such passion for the cold season having experienced many cold winters from his childhood in Dawson City, Yukon. His book explores all facets of winter: its beauty, the isolation, the extreme weather conditions, winter festivities like the Quebec winter carnival, hockey ,some people's reticence toward the season and why winter matters. Mr. Berton is one of this country's great storytellers. He loved his country and everything about it. This book is proof of that great love affair. I highly recommend this book. Regardless of the season you choose to read this book, Winter by Pierre Berton will remind you of that first chill, the nip in the air and that first touch of snowfall.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Touching reminiscence of the True North Strong and Free.