Major Themes - Fabulous Western Canada: Capture the Excitement of the Great West! - page 269

Literature

David Thompson authored one of
the earliest pieces of literature from
the Canadian West, David Thompson's
Narrative of his Explorations in Western
North American 1784-1812 . Earle
Birney was born in Alberta in 1904,
and was brought up there and in British
Columbia. His belief that geography

links people to their history is evident
in his poetry and its attempts to defi ne
the signifi cance of place and time.

Born in 1920 in the Yukon, which was
overrun by gold-diggers in the 19th
century, to a father who participated in
the Klondike gold rush, Pierre Berton
lived in Vancouver for many years.
He has written many accounts of the
high points of Canadian history, includ-
ing The Last Spike , which recounts the
construction of the pan-Canadian rail-
way across the Rockies all the way to
Vancouver.

Renowned for her powerful paintings
of Canada's Pacifi c coast, Emily Carr
completed her fi rst book at the age of
70, just a few years before her death.
The few topics she wrote are autobio-
graphical works, which vividly portray
the atmosphere of British Columbia
and exhibit her extensive knowledge
of the customs and beliefs of the First
Nations.

Robert Kroetch and Rudy Wiebe are
two of Alberta's most well-respected
writers. Kroetch is a storyteller above
all, and his Out West trilogy offers an in-
depth look at Alberta over four decades.
Alberta is part travel guide, part won-
derful collection of stories and essays,
and captures the essence of the land
and people of Alberta. Seed Catalogue
is another of his excellent works. Rudy
Wiebe was born in Saskatchewan in
1934, but has spent most of his life in
Alberta. He was raised as a Mennonite,
and the moral vision instilled in him by
his religious background is the most
important feature of his writing. The