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In the Field
In The Field, Sadiqa de Meijer’s follow up to the Governor General’s Award winning alfabet/alphabet, brings us essays that move searchingly through their central questions. What meaning does a birthplace hold? What drives us to make contact with a work of art? How do we honour the remains of the dead? This writing constitutes a form of fieldwork grounded in intimate observation. In The Field is an extraordinary book, one that invites readers to bring renewed attention to their own lives and to embrace the subjectivity in the experiences of others.
Praise for Sadiqa de Meijer
“De Meijer has now clearly established herself as powerful essayist and memoirist.”—Canadian Journal of Netherlandic Studies
Praise for Sadiqa de Meijer
“De Meijer has now clearly established herself as powerful essayist and memoirist.”—Canadian Journal of Netherlandic Studies
250 pages, Paperback
Published October 15, 2025
2 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Sadiqa de Meijer
8 books17 followersSadiqa de Meijer is a Canadian poet. Her debut collection, Leaving Howe Island, was a nominee for the Governor General's Award for English-language poetry at the 2014 Governor General's Awards and for the 2014 Pat Lowther Award, and her poem "Great Aunt Unmarried" won the CBC's Canada Writes award for poetry in 2012.
She has also published short stories and essays in anthologies and literary magazines.
Born in Amsterdam and raised in Canada, she currently resides in Kingston, Ontario.
She has also published short stories and essays in anthologies and literary magazines.
Born in Amsterdam and raised in Canada, she currently resides in Kingston, Ontario.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 10, 2025
I received this review copy from River Street Writing in exchange for a fair review.
An interesting and thoughtful collection of small memoir-esque essays, In The Field is a clever title as almost all the essays revolve around "fields" in the literal, professional, or artistic sense.
I have not read the author's previous work, but I didn’t need to in order to understand this collection. It features nine short pieces, all of which are deep dives into the author’s (I’m presuming, given it’s a non-fiction) real-life experiences, but in a way that brings you in rather than tells you something. Some non-fiction is more about imparting information or worldview, and there are some, like this one, which use anecdotal experiences as a way to encourage thought.
I found all these essays interesting, though some grabbed me more than others. There is one about her job as a doctor while wasn’t really to my interest - I’m just not into medical stuff - or the one about Amsterdam, as I’ve never been there so a lot of it was like “whoosh over my head” but all the others, which I could relate to a more personal level at least in some aspects, I found really entrancing. And it’s not like the couple that weren’t to my interest were poorly written or something - it’s just a matter of subject matter taste.
The author has a lovely narrative voice that makes the collection easy to follow, and her points or questions asked to be raised in a way that is easy to understand.
What’s interesting is that she might be raising points that I wasn’t entirely on board with, but it felt more like a discussion than anything, in that while my opinion still stood, I understood her viewpoint. It’s like having an actual conversation with someone and not just arguing online or tuning one another out. For example, we share different opinions on reinternment, but it was interesting to read someone else’s perspective on it that didn't feel judgmental.
My favourite sections were Found, In the Field, and After Etty, though the last one was less “favourite” in terms of enjoyment and more an absolutely devastating piece that was incredibly heartbreaking to read.
This was a wonderful collection.
An interesting and thoughtful collection of small memoir-esque essays, In The Field is a clever title as almost all the essays revolve around "fields" in the literal, professional, or artistic sense.
I have not read the author's previous work, but I didn’t need to in order to understand this collection. It features nine short pieces, all of which are deep dives into the author’s (I’m presuming, given it’s a non-fiction) real-life experiences, but in a way that brings you in rather than tells you something. Some non-fiction is more about imparting information or worldview, and there are some, like this one, which use anecdotal experiences as a way to encourage thought.
I found all these essays interesting, though some grabbed me more than others. There is one about her job as a doctor while wasn’t really to my interest - I’m just not into medical stuff - or the one about Amsterdam, as I’ve never been there so a lot of it was like “whoosh over my head” but all the others, which I could relate to a more personal level at least in some aspects, I found really entrancing. And it’s not like the couple that weren’t to my interest were poorly written or something - it’s just a matter of subject matter taste.
The author has a lovely narrative voice that makes the collection easy to follow, and her points or questions asked to be raised in a way that is easy to understand.
What’s interesting is that she might be raising points that I wasn’t entirely on board with, but it felt more like a discussion than anything, in that while my opinion still stood, I understood her viewpoint. It’s like having an actual conversation with someone and not just arguing online or tuning one another out. For example, we share different opinions on reinternment, but it was interesting to read someone else’s perspective on it that didn't feel judgmental.
My favourite sections were Found, In the Field, and After Etty, though the last one was less “favourite” in terms of enjoyment and more an absolutely devastating piece that was incredibly heartbreaking to read.
This was a wonderful collection.
Displaying 1 of 1 review