Rudy Wiebe

[First published in Quill & Quire, September 2010]

Rudy Wiebe: Collected Stories, 1955–2010
University of Alberta Press
ISBN: 978-0-88864-540-1

Rudy Wiebe’s reputation is based on his novels and non-fiction, which have focused on Aboriginal themes and his Mennonite heritage. Though he is not widely known as a short story writer, a half-­century’s worth of his efforts in this genre have now been collected in a single volume.

Divided into four sections, the 51 entries in Collected Stories showcase Wiebe’s diverse concerns. The first section, which is the most lively, includes tales of warriors, Chiefs, and the First Nations’ experiences prior to the imposition of restrictions on their land and freedom by the Crown. The other sections include stories on Mennonite history, Western Canada, and more personal character sketches. In one story, a writer discusses poetry with a potential mistress. In another, set in 1980, the voice of long-dead Alberta Premier William Aberhart castigates contemporary citizens of Rose Country for wasting their wealth. There’s even a fictional interview with Wiebe in which the Saskatchewan-born writer claims to be English.

Aesthetic critics (notably John Metcalf) have long claimed that Wiebe’s fiction betrays a wooden ear and strained earnestness, and these stories show that this claim has a certain validity. Wiebe’s parents spoke Low German, which has no word for “fiction”; the only categories for stories were “truth” and “lies.” One cannot help but notice how much of his fiction is based in fact, and wonder if the Mennonite binary view of literature hasn’t remained foundational. Elsewhere, Goethe’s German Romanticism is clearly a dominant influence, one that aligns with an interest in pre-contact Aboriginal cultures and a clearly evident sensitivity to the marginal, the weak, and the natural world.

Wiebe is one of Canada’s powerful myth makers and storytellers of the past half-­century. He has not, however, been an innovator of the short story genre. His best work is full of action and adventure and grounded in historical context. Psychological or linguistic complexity is not his forte. He is a great storyteller, but not a writer of great short stories.

*

Or below.... unedited by Q&Q. Just for interests sake.

Reviewed from uncorrected proof

I once saw Rudy Wiebe speak about growing up in a Mennonite family. His parents spoke Low German, which had no word for “fiction.” The only categories for stories were “truth” and “lies.” He also spoke about how Geothe’s engagement with German geography and history inspired him to use his own similar influences as a subject of his writing.

The Great Chiefs of the prairies, for example, drew his attention, and he won his first Governor General’s Award for The Temptations of Big Bear. A second Governor General’s Award followed for A Discovery of Strangers, which is also grounded in historical fact and explores the relationship between First Nations and those who came later.

Wiebe’s reputation is based on his novels and non-fiction titles, which have focused on Aboriginal themes and the writer’s Mennonite heritage. Though he is not widely known as a short story writer, a half-century of his efforts in this genre have now been collected. They show a continuity of interest with his other works.

Divided into four sections, the 51 entries in the Collected Stories showcase a writer with multiple selves. The first section captures tales of warriors, Chiefs, and adventures of First Nations before the limitations imposed by the Crown through the treaty process. This section is the most lively. The other sections include stories on Mennonite history, Western Canada, and more personal character sketches.

In one story, a writer discusses poetry with a potential mistress. In another, set in 1980, the voice of long dead Alberta Premier William Aberhart castigates contemporary citizens of Rose Country for wasting their wealth. There’s even a fictional interview with Wiebe in which the Saskatchewan-born writer claims to be English.

Aesthetic critics (like John Metcalf) have long claimed that Wiebe’s fiction betrays a wooden ear and a deathly earnestness. One cannot help but notice, for example, how much of Wiebe’s fiction is based on fact and wonder if the Mennonite binary truth/lie hasn’t remained foundational. There is little indication in these short stories that Wiebe has engaged the influences of literary modernism, apart from some judicious quotations from Kafka.

Goethe’s German Romanticism clearly sustained itself as Wiebe’s dominant influence, one that aligns with an interest in pre-contact Aboriginal cultures and a sensitivity to the marginal, the weak, and the natural world.

Weibe is one of Canada’s powerful myth makers and storytellers of the past half-century. He has not, however, been an innovator of the short story genre. His best work is full of action and adventure and grounded in historical context. Psychological or linguistic complexity is not his forte. He is a great storyteller, but not a writer of great short stories.