Q: You have said that in the 1960s all of CanLit could have fit into a taxi, but now we’d need a Canada Council minibus.
A: I think the Canada Council is a pretty good thing – certainly they gave me some very valuable help when I was a young writer. The Canada Council is like betting: you give so many young writers a couple of grants and maybe one out of 10 hacks it after a while. But I’ve been on those committees and I do object to people who send a bucket down that well year after year. I find that distasteful. If you’ve written three or four novels and are stil looking for a grant, there’s something wrong.
Q: At some point writers should support themselves through their work?
A: Or get a job.
(I freely acknowledge semi-intentionally plagiarizing this exchange in one of my comments over at the 'ninja.)
5 comments:
A couple of years ago I heard a terrible yet tittilating story about M. Richler. But I shan't go further. Because that's the kind of nice lady I am. Nathan? How mad I am at you that you already have a girlfriend/wife.
I'm really quite vexed.
Sorry, I would never shack up with anyone with a name like "anonymous," especially if they spelled it with a lower-case A.
(Who would have guessed that impotent rants against Canadian literary culture would be such a draw?)
Ooooo Nathan, you're so sexy!
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Back to reality...
There's no reason (except maybe lack of talent and ability!) that more writers in Canada shouldn't be able to at least supplement their incomes with freelance. Grants are contributing to a culture of lazy dilettantism.
As a lazy dilettante, I resent that remark! There's plenty of opportunity to be a dilettante, work a dayjob, AND get grants. Why limit yourself?
Just remembered this older essay from Goodreports:
http://www.goodreports.net/essays/necessarilylimited.htm
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