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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant...and Yes Funny Too, December 15, 2007
This review is from: The Incomparable Atuk (New Canadian Library) (Mass Market Paperback)
What a fabulous short novella! As a point of reference, I have read all of Richler's major works and a few of his early novellas. This was written near the beginning of his career and it is a masterful and brilliant satire on modern urban life. Atuk, a native or Eskimo as described in the book, is used as a metaphor for life in the materialistic urban world. Atuk takes advantage of his native culture to develop a commercial career exploiting the gullible. What has changed in four decades since Richler wrote this devastatingly funny book? I like Richler's work, but from my reading of his novels it is clear that Richler went through a number of writing phases. If anything his middle books have too much sex or are even obsessed with sex, while some of his later books such as Solomon Gursky are a bit too ambitious or overly complicated. The present work is from the early years and does not have his St. Urbain theme. Modecai Richler (1931 to 2001) grew up in Montreal and that city is the setting for many of his stories - but not all. Many of his novels are about Jews living in Canada and Britain post WWII. He is best known for his tales of life in and around St. Urbain Street. That is an area of three story buildings or walk up row houses located just east of the mountain in Montreal, and north of the commercial center of the city. At one time this was the center of Jewish immigrant life in Montreal. His break out novel wa Duddy Kravitz which is still a great read whether you have seen the movie or not. Still, I like his last book, Barney's Vision, which is his best written piece of work. The novel lacks the edge and drama of Duddy Kravitz but has things that make it better. This present short novel was written early in his career and it is brilliant. Without giving away the plot, it is about a native living on Baffin Island near the Artic who learns English, writes poems, and then is "discovered" and moves to Toronto, the financial and media center of Canada. Richler liked to attack Quebec "nationalism" and other pet topics of Canadians. Here he takes on "the Canadian identity" which he lampoons very successfully using Atuk and his fictional story. Underneath it all is a very universal story that applies to modern life on the planet. This is a great book.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Canada wake up...", December 29, 2007
This review is from: The Incomparable Atuk (New Canadian Library) (Mass Market Paperback)
Biting satire and black humour characterize this short novella about an Inuit poet who leaves his remote community for a visit to the big city, Toronto. Having been discovered by a fur trader, his poem had reached such popularity among the city folks that they wanted to see the "Eskimo" from Baffin Bay in person. Atuk, however, finds urban life so rich, in many different ways, that he decides to stay. Initially he may come across as an innocent fool, easily exploited and controlled by his "benefactors", but he is a fast learner and soon joins the games and schemes successfully to his own advantage. Until... Published in 1963 when Richler was living in England, having left Canada in the 1950s, the story benefits from the author's physical and intellectual distance from his country. It thrives on the caricature of a set of Canadians and their machinations. There are, among others, the Uber-Canadian tycoon, the undercover police officer searching for a American colonel who disappeared on Baffin Island while spying, and the investigative journalist who discovers truths mainly about herself. The powerful TV chat show host meddles in controversy and the nice professor has his own secrets. The storyline cannot be revealed without giving too much away. Suffice to say, that it is deliberately farcical and outlandish, yet fast moving and at times confusing enough to keep the reader intrigued. With Atuk Richler brings out the different political and social stereotypes of the day and, above all, takes Canadians to task over their self image and their national identity, their latent or conspicuous racism and bigotry, their consumerism, greed and tendency to admire all that is American. While written more than 40 years ago, his book has meaning beyond the historical. In addition is a fun read! [Friederike Knabe][
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW, November 14, 2002
This review is from: The Incomparable Atuk (New Canadian Library) (Mass Market Paperback)
i just finished reading this book, and it amazing. It jumps back and forth between characters and situations, leaving you wondering what the heck is going on the whole time. SLowly, connections are revealed, and you can't wait to see what will happen next. After reading the last line i said out lou to my self "What the ****" it was great...i'm sick of reading books that are so straight forward that you don't even have to think when you read it. Highly recomended!!!!
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