It Is Solved by Walking

by Catherine Banks

When Margaret learns of her ex-husband's death, she begins a journey through her past. Told through the lens of Wallace Stevens’ poem �Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,” the subject of her uncompleted thesis, Margaret evokes beautiful, ordinary and painful memories. An intimate portrait of a writer making her way back to poetry one step at a time.

Genres: Plays

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Acclaimed Canadian playwright Catherine Banks has been twice awarded the Governor General's Literary Award for drama. Her work is poetic, darkly humorous, courageous, and beautifully theatrical. Widely produced in Canada, her plays have also been translated and toured internationally.

Reviews

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I got to the end of this play, I just wanted more of it.

[Methuselah · Rating 1 out of 5]

A failed poet/narcissistic boomer widow has a platonic affair with a ghostly Wallace Stevens. The word sex appears at least ten million times in the play. Fans of Wallace Stevens might find this strange play intriguing. The sheer hedonistic egotism of the protagonist (whose greatest failures in life appear to have been in not attaining tenure at a university while writing dull poetry) makes this a difficult read. It wreaks of self-interested boomer energy. The misery is real. No normal person can relate to this. Written chiefly for academic-types.