Down the Long Table

by Earle Birney

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Genres: Fiction

312 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Earle Alfred Birney was a distinguished Canadian poet and novelist, who twice won the Governor General's Award, Canada's top literary honor, for his poetry.

Reviews

[Paul Gaya Ochieng Simeon Juma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great novel! Not popular but very informative. So many virtues to learn from it. The authror, through his main character has taught us some very important lessons. The main one being that virtue does not derive from self-sacrifice demanded by some party, or state, or from the church of some ludicrous god. It does not proceed from the people. In exchange for our reason and freedom they may give us a certificate of virtue, even some power, but this is worthless. It is less than worthless-it is bondage. The author taught me that when my power comes from others, on approval, I am their slave.

He taught me to never sacrifice myself-never! Whoever urges me to self-sacrifice is worse than a common murderer, who at least cuts my throat himself, without persuading me to do it. We must, therefore revere ourselves. To revere ourselves is to live truly. And as we know only too well, to live truly is to live at war. At war- with the people and the party and the guilt-peddling Jesus industry.