Stories About Storytellers: Publishing Alice Munro, Robertson Davies, Alistair MacLeod, Pierre Trudeau, and Others

by Douglas Gibson

Spotlighting an extraordinary career, this autobiography reviews the author's accomplishments working--and playing--alongside some of Canada's greatest writers. These humorous chronicles relate the projects he brainstormed for writer Barry Broadfoot, how he convinced eventual Nobel Prize contender Alice Munro to keep writing short stories, his early morning phone call from a former Prime Minister, and his recollection of yanking a manuscript right out of Alistair MacLeod's own reluctant hands--which ultimately garnered MacLeod one of the world's most prestigious prizes for fiction. Insightful and entertaining, this collection of tales provides an inside view of Canadian politics and publishing that is rarely revealed, going behind the scenes and between the covers to divulge a treasure trove of literary adventures.

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing, Canada, Short Stories, Books About Books

392 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Douglas Gibson worked as an editor and publisher from 1968 until he retired from McClelland & Stewart in 2007. His Douglas Gibson Books was Canada’s first editorial imprint, and lives on. He published his first memoir, Stories About Storytellers, in 2011. He travels widely from his Toronto base, and this book will produce a new show.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Addendum: Tonight I was delighted to listen to Doug Gibson's stage show, Stories about Storytellers, a fundraiser in support of the Alice Munro Chair in Creativity, a newly created chair at University of Western Ontario.
If any of you Canadian Goodreaders get a chance to see this, do take it. It's a lovely funny tour of CanLit.
*******************

It turns out that the editor and publisher of one of Canada’s biggest publishing houses is a pretty good storyteller himself. Over his 40+ year career he has worked with our best and most famous authors and politicians. He was the one that promised Alice Munro that he would never pressure her to write novels, and that he would like to promote and publish her short stories as major fiction. He was the one that brought Mavis Gallant’s works home to Canada. She had long ago moved to Paris, and was well known in Europe and America, where she published numerous short stories in the New Yorker, but she wasn’t getting published in Canada until Doug Gibson stepped up. He describes with great delight and a bit of nostalgia his relationships — which frequently evolved into close friendships — with a wide range of authors such as prime ministers, athletes, radio celebrities and the cream of Canadian literary writers such as Hugh MacLennan, Morley Callaghan, WO Mitchell, Robertson Davies.

Although each chapter is titled by the name of one of the authors, that really only serves as the nidus for a particular collection of anecdotes, only some of which are about the named subject. Other writers, politicians, publishing industry people make their appearances too as part of the rippling pool of Gibson’s Canadiana lit. And Gibson also meshes in snippets of his own life. He is generous in his praise, kind to his subjects, and does his utmost to find the good and positive in his clients (he seems to genuinely like Brian Mulroney!). He seems to know everyone. I suspect one could randomly point to a spot on a map of Canada and he could come up with an anecdote about it.

It is a delightful read, highly recommended for anyone interested in Canadian literature.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a literary memoir of Douglas Gibson the dean of Canadian publishing. He was born is Scotland, educated at St Andrews, received a scholarship to Yale. After graduating from Yale he immigrated to Canada. His first publishing job was with Doubleday of Canada. He went on to MacMillan then to M&S a Canadian company. This book is stories about the author he edited and published. He did not include authors he published but was not the editor. It reads as the who's who of Canadian literature. Gibson is a great storyteller and when you finish this book you will feel as if you know each of these authors as well as their major books. He tells stories about such notables such as Nobel contender Alice Munro, as well as famous Canadian authors such as Stephen Leacock, W. O. Mitchell, Hugh MacLennan, Robertson Davies, Mavis Gallant, Morley Callaghan, Val Ross, James Houston and Alistair MacLeod. He also covers political authors such as Brian Mulroney and Pierre Trudeau. This list only a few, so I am sure, your favorite Canadian author may also be covered in the book. After reading this delightful book I feel comfortable with my knowledge of Canadian authors and have an insight into the ups and downs of Canadian publishing. I feel as if I have been on a tour of Canada. I also acquired a list of books I want to read and places I want to visit. If you are a reader I am sure you will also enjoy this book.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading Douglas Gibson's anecdotes and background information on the Canadian writers whom he came to know as their editor. When I came to Canada years ago, I was surprised and impressed at the quality of the Canadian writers. Gibson isn't so much surprised at the superlative quality of these writers, but he obviously remains impressed. Although he doesn't brag (he has Alice Munro's admonitions to warn him against that sin) it is clear that he has done a stellar job of bringing the work of these great writers to light and to acclaim. Bravo for that. It has been interesting for me to come to know these writers as people away from their fiction, to see their strong characters, idiosyncrasies and foibles. I would never have guessed. So I've been fascinated and I've been reading one story after another, though not in order, until I came upon this quote from Mavis Gallant. "Stories are not chapters of novels. They should not be read one after another, as if they were meant to follow along. Read one. Shut the book. Read something else. Come back later. Stories can wait." I promptly closed the book. I will think some more about these people. Let the previous stories digest. I will go back and read another Gibson story on another day. Better to wait.

[Chuck Erion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I devoured Doug Gibson’s Stories About Storytellers (ECW Press $32.95) last month. He’s the
recently retired editor whose stable of authors at MacMillan, McClelland & Stewart, and under
his own eponymous imprint, cover many of the best Canadian authors of the past half-century.
My own career as a bookseller tips in around Chapter 7 with W.O.Mitchell and Robertson
Davies and continued with Peter Gzowski, Alistair MacLeod, Peter Newman and of course Alice
Munro. But even his authors that I had not met, like James Houston, Charles Ritchie and Harold
Horwood, I’m now inspired to read. Gibson shares a lifetime of his stories (and the chapter
headings are but the tip of his literary contacts), mostly comical, many insightful.

[Mat C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve recently made the decision to read more Canadian Lit, which has always been a bit of a blind spot for me. I must have had the silly opinion when I was younger that Canadian fiction was too small or limiting, not as ambitious as the great novels in the United States and abroad.

After reading Alistair MacLeod, Alice Munro, Marian Engel, and Robertson Davies, I can confirm that was a silly opinion. I confused unambition and modesty with clarity and brevity.

Douglas Gibson has a strong claim to being the most influential person in Canada’s (still young) literary history. If you don’t believe me, believe Alistair MacLeod—his No Great Mischief might be the best novel ever set in Nova Scotia and, reading between the lines, the single book Gibson is most proud to have published—who said, “no one has done more for Canadian literature than this man.” Gibson has edited and published a Nobel Laureate (Munro), nearly every major Canadian author of the 20th century, and three Prime Ministers.

In Stories About Storytellers: Publishing Alice Munro, Robertson Davies, Alistair MacLeod, Pierre Trudeau, and Others Gibson recounts his career and the many authors he has worked with. It’s an easy read, a little gossipy in parts but not the mean kind.

This is not a book I would typically award 5 Stars to, but I try to judge every book on how successful I think it was in trying to achieve its goal. I think Gibson’s goal here was to make the case for Canadian Lit. He’s done that brilliantly because after finishing this book I visited two local used bookstores and picked up books by Mavis Gallant, Morley Callaghan, Hugh MacLennan, Noah Richler, Terry Fallis, Stephen Leacock, and Peter C Newman. Gibson’s book has cost me a lot of money already.

A Note About Eyebrows

The chapter on Peter C Newman goes in a few odd but funny directions. In addition to his skills as a writer and his long history running MacLeans Magazine, Newman gets a lot of credit for being a legendary lothario. Gibson even argues “the fact that bushy eyebrows are a little-known sexual magnet for certain women.” Who knew? Gibson wasn’t kidding about Newman’s bushy eyebrows; this is what they look like on the cover of his memoir Here Be Dragons



My God. It looks like he accidentally put a toupée on his left eyebrow. I sent this photo to my family and asked them to promise to tell me if my eyebrows ever get this bad. I learned from my sister that “eyebrows are supposed to be sisters, not twins.”

If that’s true, Peter C Newman’s right eyebrow looks like it learned about the left eyebrow on a 23 and Me test.

[Debbie Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I enjoyed Douglas Gibson's live show "Stories About Storytellers" back in 2011, his book (with the same name) sat on my book shelf for over 10 years before I recently picked it up to read. My expectations were too high. This was a difficult book to rate!

For me, it felt dated! History buffs would enjoy all the name-dropping and attention to details but I could only sip the contents slowly. Many of the 21 featured authors had passed away, so the contents came across as a combined tribute/memoir focusing on priviledged white men or those who had achieved greatness in the publishing world. (Maybe that's a bit too harsh.) This was a 380-page portrait of a particular era in the publishing industry. Three of the featured authors were former prime ministers. Several others were journalists. Only three were women; one of whom died of brain cancer.

But I do give Gibson credit for shedding light on the publishing industry and preserving little known facts. After all, he was the president and publisher of McClelland & Stewart so he had many stories to share. Some of the chapters introduced me to older books that I will add to my 'want to read' list. Yes, I would call this tome a great marketing tool to promote Gibson's favourite author friends and books.

I especially loved the humorous 'epilogue' entitled "What Happened After My Book Is Published?" This is where Gibson's writing shone. When it comes to helping authors, he certainly knows his stuff.

[Tom Axworthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For lovers of Canadian literature, this is the book to read.Douglas Gibson is one of the best known publishers in Canada and this book describes , often in rollicking good humour, the authors he has known:both the famous- Hugh Maclennan, W.O. Mitchell, Alice Munro, Robertson Davies- and the lesser known such as Harold Horwood, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia author and R.D.Symons from the Prairies. Gibson's Appendix ,containing a memo to authors on what they should expect while on book tours, made me almost fall down laughing, having experienced myself the pitfalls of book signings. Insightful and funny, educational and uplifting, Gibson loves books and the people who write, publish, and critique them and this book is more than worthy of the great authors he relishes.

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Douglas Gibson is a well-known Canadian editor and publisher who over a forty year career has edited more than a hundred authors and published over a thousand books. In creating this anthology, he chose only writers he had edited except for Stephen Leacock who is included in the introduction. He then moves on to share what it was like working with these famous people.

The editor/writer relationship puts people in a particular framework, a working relationship that can be both stressful as well as fulfilling. Gibson knows these people in a different way than most because of the past they have shared. They have discussed creative ideas, commiserated over missed deadlines and negotiated diametrically opposed ideas about wording and sentence structure. They have endured times when they were either scorched by the critics or praised to the heavens, seeing each other at both the best and the worse of times. What Gibson wants to share with readers is what these respected writers are like during these periods of transition and chose twenty-one authors as his examples. Some are better known than others, but Gibson explains why he has selected each one, including a short biography of each before telling us about his experiences.

Here are some brief observations on a few of his chosen writers:

Hugh Maclellan: a brilliant man who had an uncanny ability to predict future trends and an innate sense of the political themes that would mark their future conversations.

Barry Broadfoot: a man he applauds for his different approach to recording history using the anonymous interview technique he perfected in describing the Depression Years.

Morley Callaghan: a man with a reputation for being combative and prickly, yet Gibson found him surprisingly easy to work with.

W.O. Mitchell: a real mischief maker who had a huge ego, valued hard work and was a good judge of talent. He was not the type of writer who liked the private, quiet life of a writer. He wrote so he could go on the tours he loved, where his interviews and readings became wonderful legendary performances.

Robertson Davies: a man who looked like Jehovah and spoke with an impressive voice. He was never ill prepared for a speech, an interview or a reading, and although he was always jittery and nervous before he spoke, he marched on stage with the greatest of confidence. Despite all his achievements, he always saw himself as a failure, unable to accomplish his great ambition to become an internationally known man of the theater.

Pierre Trudeau: a consummate professional always ready with his work at the agreed upon time and pleasantly ready to make suggested changes if the person making the suggestions could survive his aggressive grilling.

Mavis Gallant: a formidable intimidating presence, who terrified people and often refused to answer interviewers’ questions. She was never shy to show her impatience with questions she did not like or interviewers she did not appreciate.

Peter Newman: a mischievous fellow, hooked on fame, intrigued by power and a “praise addict” who never played by the rules. He did incredible research and knew how to write entertainingly about things people were interested in. This chapter includes interesting details on the famed Mulroney tapes and the Mulroney/Newman debacle that followed.

Brian Mulroney: one of the few men who wrote his own memoirs. A charming man who was good at making instant connections with people and getting them to do what he wanted. Gibson applauds him for the honesty with which he wrote about his drinking and also shares his views on why Mulroney accepted money from Karlheinz Schreiber.

Alistair MacLeod: a modest man who wrote slowly and carefully, “like a sculptor inscribing every word with loving care”.

Paul Martin: an intellectual, a man who enjoyed ideas and actually listened to others. He was a decent, devoted family man and the Prime Minister we probably never got to know.

Peter Gzowski: a popular radio man turned author who probably knew more about Canada than anyone and showed us how to make successful books from a radio program. His show created an audience for Canadian books and writers and had an enormous impact on book sales. He was never easy to work with, often grumpy and sulked when he didn’t get his way. He never liked to lose whether it was at golf or bridge. He seemed a man torn between being a public figure wanting privacy and a private person wanting publicity.

Alice Munroe: an author he always had to convince she had enough material for a new book and one he always had difficulty getting to stop rewriting. Remarkably, in the scrappy world of writing, she had no enemies. No one ever had anything bad to say about her.

In several chapters, Gibson takes a quiet step away from the author he is highlighting to describe some interesting facet of publishing such as the popularity of book events for hockey players, who did not usually write their books or even read them! He also uses these diversions to share how he learned more about Canada by watching a salmon run on a secluded river and banding hummingbirds at dawn in Victoria.

Gibson is not shy about taking credit when good things happened and shares private notes and letters, book inscriptions and gifts that have come his way from thankful clients. He closes with a funny but truthful epilogue titled: “What Happens After My Book Is Published”, which gives good advice to every writer.

This book provided a peek at what happens behind the scenes in publishing and proved to be an interesting read.

[Stuart Shiffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A joyful and entertaining collection of the author’s interaction with writers. I cannot recall what drew me to this book but I discovered it was about Canadian writers and as someone who was born in the US but made with Canadian parts I wanted to gain some additional insight on Canadian writers.

I learned quite a bit and as often happens found a few new authors and books to read. This book was well worth reading and concluded with the narrative of a Nobel Prize ceremony and some insights into reviews.

The author won’t read my review but I hope someone mentions to him how much I enjoyed his writing.

[Katrina Sark · Rating 3 out of 5]

p.vii – One of my favourite things to read is a tightly packed and punchy piece of biography, or, as you might call it, biographical observation. Finding out about people who seem to have become somewhat special – it’s addictive. Maybe we think it will become instructive. I don’t know. I do enjoy it.

p.12 – “Humour and disillusionment are twin sisters.” (Stephen Leacock)

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful writing

So many of my favorite authors were present in this volume I had to read it. And now I have another author I would like to know (and read more of his work). The tales felt spot on, wonderfully told vignettes (each chapter a different author he published). What a service he provided to literature! Thank you.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

You really have to be into Canadiana to enjoy this book.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. Doug Gibson writes about many of the authors he worked with as editor and publisher over a long career. It reads so smoothly that you think you are just being delivered hundreds of insightful and often hilarious anecdotes. But you are also getting fascinating mini-biographies of 21 Canadian authors at the same time. And toss in many stories of other famous Canadians, and an inside view of Canadian publishing. You get a lot, and it's all entertaining. Gibson has a gift for telling tales, only a bit surprising for Canada's top book editor of the last generation.
The book is also memoir, so you have Gibson's working life, a pretty good idea of what he did as editor, and some of his history.
Most of these people Gibson knew very well, as book editor, and often as friend. So who are the authors? Munro, Gallant, Davies, MacLeod, Trudeau, Mulroney, Martin, Dryden, Gzowski, Broadfoot, and more you would know. The lesser known, or those out of the spotlight for many years now are just as interesting. Some of these folks lived heroic, crazy lives, and Gibson has the stories.
What I got was a history lesson, a unique perspective, and a hell of a good time. I don't give 5 stars cheaply, and this book earns them by being one of the best books I've read in a long time. If it doesn't move you towards reading some of the books he talks about, check your pulse.

[Scotchneat · Rating 4 out of 5]

For an editor, Gibson is a pretty good storyteller. Who happens to have edited some of the biggest names in Canadian literature. He also seems to be a good dinner companion, as he has spent a lot of time with his authors at their cottages.

Each "chapter" is a vignette of their relationship with Gibson, and with writing. Woven in the stories is a history of Canadian Publishing too. Absurdly populated by a bushel of Scots, by the way.

As an English major, it's almost shameful to admit there were one or two authors that I did not know - James Houston, for one. Gibson's fond recollections of Davies, MacLeod and Munro inspired me to want to go back to read them again.

He even managed to reveal a somewhat admirable side of Mulroney, which is saying a lot.

I'd recommend this book 2 ways: if you're a fan of Canadian fiction (especially our mid-20th Century authors), or if you don't know much about Canadian fiction, because Gibson does such a great job of introducing some amazing "characters".

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book, based on the author's personal adventures in publishing and editing Canadian authors. The back cover quotes Quill & Quire, "The ultimate CanLit cocktail party book". It certainly covers a vast slice of CanLit since his arrival in Canada around the late 1960s. While Mr. Gibson might suffer a wrenched shoulder from patting himself on the back occasionally, he deserves it for his contributions. He also tends to wander from author-to-author within chapters nominally devoted to individual authors, but in a great story-telling fashion, almost like listening to someone recount stories at a dinner party.

I met him at a book selling event at Western last October; he is a very nice, avuncular sort, and gave an absorbing discourse highlighting portions of the 22 stories of (more than) 22 famous and not-so-famous Canadian authors. If you get the chance to see him in person, it is well-worth it.

Since the chapters are fairly discrete, like short stories, one can read it over time without losing the thread.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Micro-review
I sat on a panel about grammar with Doug Gibson, many years ago: he represented the publishing establishment, while I represented the Editors' Association of Canada. He was charming, witty, and full of anecdotes about this writer or that. I really wanted to work for him.

Stories About Storytellers makes me wish I had. This collection of Doug's memories of working with various Canadian literary luminaries makes a great read for anyone interested in publishing, writers, Canadian luminaries of various wattages, or Canadian literature. In writing, as in person, Doug is charming, witty, and overflowing with great stories. Sometimes he's a bit too aware of his own legendary status, but I suspect it would be difficult to go through that career and not be.

[Dan Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting stories, and essential reading for anyone with a particular interest in Canadian literature. From the title I was expecting more of a focus on the various authors that Gibson has interacted with and perhaps less on Gibson himself....in some ways in seemed like a sneaky way to boost sales of an autobiography that might otherwise have had a really small niche market. Gibson seemed to have, how to describe it, a healthy sense of self-worth about his life and accomplishments? To my Canadian ears it was a bit much at times, like when he was describing his exploits in between wives. Worth the read for the anecdotes if you're willing to forgive the rest.

[Adrian]

Douglas Gibson's very entertaining tour through his career publishing major Canadian authors. Which means practically all of them. Each chapter is on a different author but he frequently digresses and a goodly part is taken up with tooting his own horn, which isn't to say it's not accurate. Lots of terrific stories and anecdotes. I learned a lot and got titles of books to try. Despite Gibson's plea that publishers not be blamed for every fault in a book- I'll blame ECW Press for this the book should have an index.

[Stacey Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

How cool is it to read about what happened behind the scenes between an editor and his prestigious clientele. The book comprises short stories that narrate the relationship between the editor, Douglas Gibson, and some very well-known Canadian authors and even a prime minister! I found the book rather fascinating--not only in the eloquence of the writing, but also in learning about how books were written, edited, and published before we relied so heavily on computers and social media, which is not that long ago.

[Doriana Bisegna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so happy to have bought and read this book. Initially, I wasn't too sure I would be interested in Douglas Gibson's stories about having worked with Canada's most popular and very talented writers but the complete opposite occurred. I couldn't get enough of Douglas Gibson's fine writing, his ability to tell a story and he does divulge just enough "gossip" to make it funny and interesting. A wonderful book, full of literary history ...great fun!

[HadiDee · Rating 5 out of 5]

** Received as a First Reads Giveaway.

A wonderful book if you enjoy reading, writing and writers, especially Canadian writer's. Douglas Gibson worked with some of the best Canadian writer's in the last several decades and this is a collection of essays and anecdotes. Not a book to be read at one sitting but lovely to dip into. Highly recommended.

[Djdee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this look at Canadian Authers and publishing. Very entertaining insight. Quite humerous by times.Highly recommend. I have not read morst of these others which is a shame. I would have liked the author to include a suggested reading list of where to start with each author to get a true taste of their best work in his opinion!

[René · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really is several short biographies on major Canadian writers and public figures of the XXth century. It begins slowly but becomes more and more interesting, sometimes funny, as you read on. Gives the desire to read more Canadian novels, short stories and full biographies from these same writers.

[F.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read about what seems now to be the golden era in publishing, by one of Canada's foremost editors. Particularly enjoyed the epilogue, "What Happens After My Book is Published?" that Doug Gibson gave to his new authors under the heading "Awful Warnings."

[Jerry Haigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sort of book that I will not give away. I will reccomend it to my local library and return to it often. It opened up a whole new list of authors for me. Although I put "date I finished" as March 7 I have not really finished it.

[Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insider stories about author/editor relationships. I had to keep stopping and reading short stories referenced. Good to revisit old friends--Peter Gzowski and Alice Munro; also to get new perspective of Brian Mulroney & Paul Martin. Going back again to read Alistair McLeod and Mavis Gallant.

[Mary Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well done, interesting look into a renowned editor's relations with his writers. I enjoyed the parts that I read, but this sort of thing does not hold me the way a great novel does, even considering Gibson's genial narrative voice.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dip into any of these stories about (mainly) Canadian storytellers and you'll find yourself laughing and delighting at the inside scoop on these revered writers. Douglas Gibson draws on forty years of friendships with some of the greatest Canadian writers to deliver sly, witty and touching stories.

[Anh Hoang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book for a person who loves reading about biographies of authors. This book may be useful for someone that researches about psychoanalysis of those authors to find out which may impact to their creations.

[Hugh Egener · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is going to be an interesting read of the who's-who of Canadian literature.