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Calgary through the Eyes of Writers
A literary journey around Calgary as seen through the eyes of writers, from its frontier beginnings to today's contemporary city.
Shaun Hunter tours readers and urban explorers through a city that has captivated writers since 1792. She has selected excerpts from over 150 novels, stories, poems and essays that sing the city's human and natural terrain, plumb its past, and question its prevailing mythologies.
Writers take us beyond the city's familiar stereotypes of cowboys and oil barons and reveal Calgary's multiple worlds and its interiors. They explore the city's perpetual motion of extreme, unpredictable weather and a boom-and-bust economy. Through writers' eyes, we travel into the inner sanctums of the oil patch, and see the layers of the world-famous Calgary Stampede. Coming-of-age stories show the way this place shapes identity; poems and prose tease meaning and metaphor from a city perched on the dynamic edge of prairie and foothills.
Alongside each excerpt, Hunter presents delightful and informative connections between place and story. A timeline anchors the passages and marks significant moments in its literary history. Maps and an index invite readers to find their own trails through a complex and storied city.
Shaun Hunter tours readers and urban explorers through a city that has captivated writers since 1792. She has selected excerpts from over 150 novels, stories, poems and essays that sing the city's human and natural terrain, plumb its past, and question its prevailing mythologies.
Writers take us beyond the city's familiar stereotypes of cowboys and oil barons and reveal Calgary's multiple worlds and its interiors. They explore the city's perpetual motion of extreme, unpredictable weather and a boom-and-bust economy. Through writers' eyes, we travel into the inner sanctums of the oil patch, and see the layers of the world-famous Calgary Stampede. Coming-of-age stories show the way this place shapes identity; poems and prose tease meaning and metaphor from a city perched on the dynamic edge of prairie and foothills.
Alongside each excerpt, Hunter presents delightful and informative connections between place and story. A timeline anchors the passages and marks significant moments in its literary history. Maps and an index invite readers to find their own trails through a complex and storied city.
- GenresCanada
210 pages, Hardcover
Published November 6, 2018
2 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 26, 2019
Calgary Through the Eyes of Writers by Shaun Hunter isn’t a book I’d typically read; it’s an anthology of writing about Calgary, so it’s not meant to be read all the way through, which is pretty much the ONLY WAY I read books. But, I did just that, read it all the way through, and for that reason, I think I enjoyed this book even more than I originally hoped for. The pieces are arranged by time; starting with a story that take place as early at 1792, and ending with writing about Calgary’s 2013 flood. So by reading this book start to finish over a few days, I was left with a clear picture of Calgary’s evolution: truly a wonderful way to view the city. Full disclosure: I want to let you know that Shaun Hunter is a friend of mine, although I wouldn’t be reviewing this book if I didn’t genuinely like it. And with the holidays just around the corner, I’d recommend this as a nice gift for your fellow Calgarian or history buff; it’s a beautiful coffee table book that (normal) readers will want to dip in and out of, depending on their mood.
Not surprisingly the earlier writing about Calgary is spotty, with decades in between perspectives. But as we move into the early 20th century, stories about Calgary begin to crop up regularly, painting a picture with many different brushes; people who have come to the city with nothing, people who have built up successful businesses and are enjoying their riches, people who pass through the city and simply hate it; Hunter includes a multitude of opinions, creating a well-rounded collection that offers a fair and balanced view of this city of contradictions. Fiction and non-fiction sit well beside each other, and at the end of each piece a brief biography is included of the writer as well as some brief context for the section of writing that was chosen. This effectively situates the reader, smoothing the way to the next writer, eliminating a sense of disruption that’s a common hazard in anthologies. Hunter also draws parallels between works in these end sections, referring to other parts of the book and offering additional authors that have written on similar topics or events. Clearly a wealth of research has gone into this literary anthology which any bookworm can appreciate, no matter your reading preference. But for those who live here, there’s a certain feeling of coziness that comes along with reading a story set among local landmarks- a sense of relevance and familiarity is imbued between the lines of every single piece in this book.
As someone who moved to Calgary only ten years ago, I’m still on the verge of considering this place ‘home’, but I’ve been lucky enough to be welcomed by the people of this city since the first day I arrived. My first few months here, I was greeted with offers of friendship and future hang-outs, everyone seemingly overjoyed to welcome a new citizen to the mix. That’s one of the main reasons I love this city, it proves time and time again that Western Hospitality is a real thing, which is why I settled in so easily to my life in the West. Although a cliche, I’ve always thought of Calgary as a city of opportunity, its ‘newness’ a boon to those looking to build a reputation from scratch, and this sentiment is widely evident in Calgary Through the Eyes of Writers. While Canada seems so polarized over politics and the general reputation of Alberta as a whole, this book is a much-needed reminder of everything we have in common, bringing people together, literally onto the same page. Rather than dividing us based on opinion, the history of this once-small and rugged town places everyone on the same plain (pun intended), forcing us all to reckon with the highs and lows of living in the ‘wild west’.
Writers such as Aritha van Herk, Marina Endicott, Nancy Jo Cullen, Jackie Flanagan, John Ballem, W.O. Mitchell, Michael Davie, Taylor Lambert, and countless others are all names that were familiar to me before I read this book, but reading their Calgary-specific pieces was such a distinct pleasure, as it filled in the gaps of my local bookish knowledge. In fact, some of the most recent works referenced a time that I was already in Calgary and working at Wordfest (which gets mentioned a few times itself) so I felt a sense of ‘being in the know’ by the time I was done reading it. Inclusive probably isn’t a word that’s used to describe this part of Canada very often, but it’s the first adjective that comes to mind when I want to describe the literary landscape of Calgary, and this anthology really drives home the point that our city is different things to different people, and yet there are so many touch points that we all relate to. The ugliness of the Calgary Tower, the sweet and invigorating relief of a Chinook wind, the stunning beauty of mountain views available in various parts of the city; these shared experiences mentioned in this anthology all come together to create a Calgary that we can be proud of, a welcome balm to the unfortunate return of western alienation. This book should be required reading for all Albertans because it highlights how far we’ve come, and all we can accomplish when we work together.
To read the rest of my reviews, please visit my blog:
https://ivereadthis.com/
Or follow me on twitter:
https://twitter.com/ivereadthisblog
Not surprisingly the earlier writing about Calgary is spotty, with decades in between perspectives. But as we move into the early 20th century, stories about Calgary begin to crop up regularly, painting a picture with many different brushes; people who have come to the city with nothing, people who have built up successful businesses and are enjoying their riches, people who pass through the city and simply hate it; Hunter includes a multitude of opinions, creating a well-rounded collection that offers a fair and balanced view of this city of contradictions. Fiction and non-fiction sit well beside each other, and at the end of each piece a brief biography is included of the writer as well as some brief context for the section of writing that was chosen. This effectively situates the reader, smoothing the way to the next writer, eliminating a sense of disruption that’s a common hazard in anthologies. Hunter also draws parallels between works in these end sections, referring to other parts of the book and offering additional authors that have written on similar topics or events. Clearly a wealth of research has gone into this literary anthology which any bookworm can appreciate, no matter your reading preference. But for those who live here, there’s a certain feeling of coziness that comes along with reading a story set among local landmarks- a sense of relevance and familiarity is imbued between the lines of every single piece in this book.
As someone who moved to Calgary only ten years ago, I’m still on the verge of considering this place ‘home’, but I’ve been lucky enough to be welcomed by the people of this city since the first day I arrived. My first few months here, I was greeted with offers of friendship and future hang-outs, everyone seemingly overjoyed to welcome a new citizen to the mix. That’s one of the main reasons I love this city, it proves time and time again that Western Hospitality is a real thing, which is why I settled in so easily to my life in the West. Although a cliche, I’ve always thought of Calgary as a city of opportunity, its ‘newness’ a boon to those looking to build a reputation from scratch, and this sentiment is widely evident in Calgary Through the Eyes of Writers. While Canada seems so polarized over politics and the general reputation of Alberta as a whole, this book is a much-needed reminder of everything we have in common, bringing people together, literally onto the same page. Rather than dividing us based on opinion, the history of this once-small and rugged town places everyone on the same plain (pun intended), forcing us all to reckon with the highs and lows of living in the ‘wild west’.
Writers such as Aritha van Herk, Marina Endicott, Nancy Jo Cullen, Jackie Flanagan, John Ballem, W.O. Mitchell, Michael Davie, Taylor Lambert, and countless others are all names that were familiar to me before I read this book, but reading their Calgary-specific pieces was such a distinct pleasure, as it filled in the gaps of my local bookish knowledge. In fact, some of the most recent works referenced a time that I was already in Calgary and working at Wordfest (which gets mentioned a few times itself) so I felt a sense of ‘being in the know’ by the time I was done reading it. Inclusive probably isn’t a word that’s used to describe this part of Canada very often, but it’s the first adjective that comes to mind when I want to describe the literary landscape of Calgary, and this anthology really drives home the point that our city is different things to different people, and yet there are so many touch points that we all relate to. The ugliness of the Calgary Tower, the sweet and invigorating relief of a Chinook wind, the stunning beauty of mountain views available in various parts of the city; these shared experiences mentioned in this anthology all come together to create a Calgary that we can be proud of, a welcome balm to the unfortunate return of western alienation. This book should be required reading for all Albertans because it highlights how far we’ve come, and all we can accomplish when we work together.
To read the rest of my reviews, please visit my blog:
https://ivereadthis.com/
Or follow me on twitter:
https://twitter.com/ivereadthisblog
November 23, 2020
Hunter, looking for evidence of Calgary in the literary imagination, set out to read everything she could find set in Calgary, thinking it would only take her a few months. Instead, it was a multiyear journey that resulted in a selection of the writing about Calgary. It's mostly fiction, with some sprinklings of essay, poetry and memoir thrown in.
I enjoyed reading this, but I'm not sure I would recommend it to anyone from outside the region. Like, I'm not even sure an Edmontonian would really enjoy this! I feel like I know the city differently after reading this, but I'm not sure I know it better, if that makes sense. So a cool idea, and an enjoyable outcome, but unless you live in Calgary, I wouldn't rush out and buy this.
I enjoyed reading this, but I'm not sure I would recommend it to anyone from outside the region. Like, I'm not even sure an Edmontonian would really enjoy this! I feel like I know the city differently after reading this, but I'm not sure I know it better, if that makes sense. So a cool idea, and an enjoyable outcome, but unless you live in Calgary, I wouldn't rush out and buy this.
July 21, 2021
I don't really get what the point of this book was. Does Calgary really have that much of an inferiority complex that it needs validation from people to confirm it's existence?
The book is comprised of a number of short snippets from books, poems, and other sources that are about Calgary. A number of them are fiction (which would imply they are not aiming for accuracy) and a number are from people who were just passing through Calgary. Overall, the only common theme is that Calgary was mentioned and there was no common flow or consistent voice, rather this book was the equivalent of a literary babble.
I finally gave up and just read the short biographies of the writers to see if there was anyone I was interested in reading their full book.
I think Calgary is what people make of it based on their personal lives and experiences and these vary from moment to moment. You could love Calgary while walking through a park and hate it while stuck in rush hour traffic. While this was an interesting anthology of books containing references to the city, I would not base my opinion of Calgary's value on anything contained within its covers.
The book is comprised of a number of short snippets from books, poems, and other sources that are about Calgary. A number of them are fiction (which would imply they are not aiming for accuracy) and a number are from people who were just passing through Calgary. Overall, the only common theme is that Calgary was mentioned and there was no common flow or consistent voice, rather this book was the equivalent of a literary babble.
I finally gave up and just read the short biographies of the writers to see if there was anyone I was interested in reading their full book.
I think Calgary is what people make of it based on their personal lives and experiences and these vary from moment to moment. You could love Calgary while walking through a park and hate it while stuck in rush hour traffic. While this was an interesting anthology of books containing references to the city, I would not base my opinion of Calgary's value on anything contained within its covers.
April 12, 2021
A wonderful read for those newcomers to Calgary. I've been here over 15 years but most of these stories I've never heard. I enjoyed learning more about the history of Calgary through the eyes of writers.
December 22, 2022
Incredibly researched and organized. The timeline of Calgary from a word viewpoint at the back of the book was also interesting.
May 23, 2025
This book was a revelation. I lived in Calgary twice, and always thought of it as a 'new' city, filled with 'young' people. The stories about discovering Calgary first as a fort. When people arrived via train, or on horseback or wagon, were a lesson in Western Canadian history. The themes of the vastness of the land. The beauty and majesty of the Rocky Mountains and the chinooks! That's what people talked about when they mentioned Calgary via letter or card to a friend, and that's what they talk about to this day. As the book went on-the chronology was a great navigation tool-other themes relating to Calgary came to the fore. Whether the Stampede diminished us as a city, or was simply as bit of cowboy fun? The frenzy around building a city from nothing, and the discomfort felt by paving over the past. The theme that resonated with me the most-and something I touch on in my memoir, was the idea of loneliness. Especially of the women, who in the past, and at times today, followed their men to the land of opportunity, and were left to raise children while seeking Community as the men worked, and worked, and worked. It made me think about my mother.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews