Night: A Literary Companion

by Merilyn Simonds (Editor)

Night, for most of human history, has been feared and maligned. Daytime’s dark, secret sister is a time for staying in and saying prayers to ward off whatever evils lurk in its sunless corridors. And yet, darkness is revered as the almost universal murk from which life arose. Night brings together an international roster of writers who explore the many faces of its myths, its flora and fauna, its human side, too. Galileo ruminates on the moon over Florence, following its path through one of the first telescopes. In the desert, Annie Dillard seeks a total eclipse of the sun. Gretel Ehrlich writes from Greenland, contemplating the months-long Arctic night, while Tim O'Brien makes his way through the deadly nightlife of Vietnam. Bats and fireflies, a writhing confluence of alligators, the shape of a garden in the dark — this anthology reflects both the terrors and the inimitable beauties of the night.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published May 5, 2009

About the author

Merilyn Simonds is the author of 18 books, including the novel The Holding, a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, and the Canadian classic nonfiction novel, The Convict Lover, a finalist for the Governor General's Award. In 2017, Project Bookmark Canada unveiled a plaque to honour the place of The Convict Lover in Canada’s literary landscape.

Simonds’ short fiction is anthologized internationally and her books are published in the UK, Europe, Asia, Canada, and the United States. In 2012 she published The Paradise Project, a collection of flash fiction hand-printed on an antique press with endpapers made from plants in her garden. The experience of producing the collection in both a digital and book-arts edition is the subject of Gutenberg’s Fingerprint: Paper, Pixels, and the Lasting Impression of Books. Her most recent publication is Refuge, a novel set in Mexico City, New York, and eastern Ontario.

Simonds writes a blog—Books Unpacked—on her website merilynsimonds.com. She shares her life with writer Wayne Grady. They divide their time between Mexico and Canada.

Reviews

[Ashton Ostrander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Takes you on a journey of the Night through the eyes of incredible authors and/or events throughout history. I have gained new perspectives on the night and, after all, isn't that the whole point of reading?
5/5