From the Canadian Short Story Library, twelve stories from Desmond Pacey, a major figure in Canadian Literature and criticism. The twelve stories are typical of Pacey's story-telling technique and what emerges from them is a distinctive, even powerful optimism, charity, tolerance and deep understanding of human nature. The sombre side of life is honestly portrayed and juxtaposed against the importance of love as a unifying force. These stories, presented in a simple straightforward manner, reveal man as he is: fragile, vulnerable, capable of crude, selfish and irrational behaviour, subject to defeat and despair; but also, heroic, enlightened, capable of strength, wisdom, hope and joy.

Desmond Pacey (1917-1975) is a major figure in Canadian Literature and criticism. Member of the Royal Society of Canada, he was an outstanding scholar, leader in University education, and a significant creative artist. His works Frederick Phillip Grove (1945), Creative Writing in Canada: A Short History of English-Canadian Literature (1952), and Ten Canadian Poets (1957), to mention only a few, have had leadership impact on Canadian Scholarship. He won the Lorne Pierce Medal in 1972.

Desmond Pacey's profile page

Frank M. Tierney's profile page