Heart of a stranger [Hardcover]

Margaret Laurence (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1976

Travel was closely connected to Margaret Laurence’s creativity. Laurence realized that her travels, especially to Africa, provided her with new perspectives on Canada. Heart of a Stranger, originally published in 1976, is a fascinating travelogue chronicling Laurence's geographical journeys to many lands and historic places. She notes "I saw, somewhat to my surprise, that they are all, in one way or another, travel articles. And by travel, I mean both those voyages which are outer and those voyages which are inner." Laurence writes about her travels to Egypt in "Good Morning to the Grandson of Ramesses the Second," to Scotland in "Road from the Isles," and to Greece in "Sayonara, Agamemnon." In "The Very Best Intentions" Laurence sees herself as a "stranger in a strange land" in Ghana. She reflects on the many places she lived in "Put Out One or Two More Flags," "Down East," "The Shack" and "Where the World Began." Professor Nora Foster Stovel’s new introduction "Heart of a Traveller" explores how Laurence’s experiences in other lands influenced and shaped her writing. She contends that "Heart of a Stranger constitutes a concealed autobiography, for, in chronicling her literal life journey, Laurence also reveals her spiritual odyssey."

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Travel was closely connected to Margaret Laurence’s creativity. Laurence realized that her travels, especially to Africa, provided her with new perspectives on Canada. Heart of a Stranger, originally published in 1976, is a fascinating travelogue chronicling Laurence's geographical journeys to many lands and historic places. She notes "I saw, somewhat to my surprise, that they are all, in one way or another, travel articles. And by travel, I mean both those voyages which are outer and those voyages which are inner." Laurence writes about her travels to Egypt in "Good Morning to the Grandson of Ramesses the Second," to Scotland in "Road from the Isles," and to Greece in "Sayonara, Agamemnon." In "The Very Best Intentions" Laurence sees herself as a "stranger in a strange land" in Ghana. She reflects on the many places she lived in "Put Out One or Two More Flags," "Down East," "The Shack" and "Where the World Began." Professor Nora Foster Stovel’s new introduction "Heart of a Traveller" explores how Laurence’s experiences in other lands influenced and shaped her writing. She contends that "Heart of a Stranger constitutes a concealed autobiography, for, in chronicling her literal life journey, Laurence also reveals her spiritual odyssey." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Margaret Laurence, best known for her five Manawaka novels, also published five African texts, as well as children’s books, literary criticism and collections of essays and short stories.

Nora Foster Stovel is Professor of English at the University of Alberta, and author of Divining Margaret Laurence: A Study of Her Complete Writings.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 221 pages
• Publisher: McClelland and Stewart; First Edition edition (1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 077104710X
• ISBN-13: 978-0771047107
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,494,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A world spanning travel adventure, November 15, 2003

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heart of a Stranger (Currents in Canadian Literature) (Paperback)

Edited and with an Introduction by Nora Foster Stovel for this University of Albert Press edition, Heart Of A Stranger was originally published in 1976, and is an absorbing travelogue of Margaret Laurence's one-woman global journey, a world spanning travel adventure which brought her new perspectives both on faraway lands such as Africa as well as her cherished home of Canada. Containing threads of autobiography and life journey, as well as fascinating views of diverse cultures, Heart Of A Stranger is a most memorable and enjoyable read which is especially recommended to the attention of travelogue enthusiasts.