I found out about The Walrus while watching an interview with Noah Richler on Book Television (back when I had Canadian satellite). During the interview, they mentioned that the first issue of this cool new magazine, The Walrus, had just come out. I was very intrigued; amazingly, the local Barnes & Noble had a copy! I was delighted. And since then The Walrus has become one of my favorite magazines.
In fact, in comparison to similar magazines (Harper’s, maybe The New Yorker) it is the only magazine that I read cover to cover. I’m not sure why I insist on this (it’s probably got to do with it being an import from Canada, but really it’s just so well written that I enjoy everything), but I never regret reading every piece.
The magazine has recently had a face lift, a new cover design and, what seems to me to be a little more white space…it feels like each issue is a little less text-heavy. Which is obviously a little disappointing, and yet when you have a lack of free time, as I do, it makes it a bit easier.
They also seem to have consistently good fiction now. I honestly don’t remember if all the past issues had fiction in them, but they do now, and the work is very good.
So what does the magazine offer? Well, obviously (I guess) it focuses a lot on Canadian issues. But, it also offers a world perspective that I find refreshing.
We open with the ubiquitous Letters page. And The Walrus is not afraid to print criticisms (and, if possible, replies from the original author). The Editor’s Note then offers a summary of what’s in the issue, as well as some background on the stories that isn’t evident from the piece…(it shows the actual work of an editor!)
The early sections offer short articles from all over the world (it’s now called Miscellany). I miss some of the features of the older version of this section: they used to include a calendar of events that would occur in this month or an upcoming month in the land where the short article was set. They also had bits and pieces in the margins regarding those issues. In the new version, the story settings are still global (which is nice). And in a similar vein to the old format, they now have a pull-out box with an update on the story, or an old story that ties to the full story.
A few examples of the short articles: “Before texting made child’s play of surreptitious classroom chatter, students passed notes;” “Filipino women enlist in Canada’s live-in caregiver program so their children will have better lives, but it doesn’t always work out that way” (this includes a boxed sample from thenannyreview.com) and “A Tiger-Cat childhood” (for those not from Ontario, that’s the Hamilton football team.
And then we get the main articles. In the past two issues there has been an article about reimagining Canadian history, and in this month’s a devastating article about the inevitable destruction of the Great Barrier Reef.
The next section usually has slightly smaller articles. In the last two issues, one focuses on Religion, (socially progressive Sikh youths) and another is a history of a fight for Unions. There’s another article (3 or 4 pages) that concerns Media (Al Jazeera English in North America) or about the Arts (a cool look at Alice Munro’s hometown…which I’m going to post about shortly).
There then follows was it usually a personal story or memoir (a funny story by boomer about getting a hip replacement–with a shocking description of the proceedings!).
Then there’s the fiction. Generally, they are Canadian authors, and they are frequently authors I’ve never heard of. I’ve reviewed a number of the stories here, and even if I don’t like the pieces, it’s fun to read new authors. They also feature poetry in each issue.
Towards the back of the issue you get reviews. But these aren’t reviews of books or TV shows per se. They are general reviews of Television (discussing Canadian-made TV shows) or Architecture (I’m only mildly interested in architecture, and this was architecture in Vancouver, and yet the article was utterly compelling). Sometimes there’s Books (How to read a Masterpiece) or even Radio (a look at the makeover of CBC Radio2, (evidently rapper Buck 65 is the new voice of CBC Radio2) which I’d love to check out…must go online I guess).
The issues now end with a comic strip. This is new as of a few issues ago. It’s a full page comic strip, which sadly, seems to rely on you knowing more about Canadian figures than I do. The September one makes an interesting joke about Halloween costumes, but I can’t decide if the person in the last panel is someone I should know, which would make the joke even funnier. Although the October issue features a joke about Prince Charles, so that’s easy for all.
I’ve learned an awful lot about Canadian politics with this magazine (they seem to talk about Prime Minister Harper). But I was astonished to read the fascinating article about (yes, I am really going to write this) the Bank of Canada’s Governor, Mark Carney. It talks about how Canada was able to weather the worldwide recession because of his smart (but boring) fiscal policies. (Makes me want to put my money in TD Bank).
Even if you’re not fixated on Canadiana, The Walrus is an all around great publication.
[UPDATE: October 10, 2009]
I just finished reading the October issue, and it is really fantastic. And, while it certain works from a Canadian perspective, the issues it discusses impact everyone. There’s a hugely important article about Al Jazeera in English which made me check out Al Jazeera’s website, and I was really impressed. If we had it in the States, I might even watch more news myself. The article about unions, even though it is set in Windsor, Ontario. details the struggle for auto unions in light of the recent car manufacturing collapse. And it obviously has an impact on American auto workers as well. The phenomenal article about the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef is simultaneously depressing and yet leaves a lot of room for hope…if not for the Reef itself, then certainly for the planet’s future. And finally, a very touching memoir about a woman trying to raise her grandson who was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which could affect anyone, regardless of their location. It was very powerful. Even the shorter articles were stellar. This short piece about a Vatican astronomer was fascinating and enlightening. And of course, I loved this piece about social networks for libraries. I was also blown away by this piece about Marie-Claire Blais an author whom I have never heard of, yet who sounds amazing and amazingly difficult.
So, find this issue. You will be convinced about the awesomeness of this magazine.
Original mention in Periodicals Page:
The Walrus. This is a great magazine from Canada. It covers all kinds of issues, both Canadian and international. It has great fiction, and really interesting perspectives on things that affect us down here in the U.S. I highly recommend this magazine, and can’t say enough good things about it.
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