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I’m looking for titles about the history of public discourse in Canada. Specifically any historical examination of discourse or discussion on the literary arts. I’m interested in examining the tone of it and whether it has significantly shifted or changed. If you have any suggestions or if you have memories/remarks/thoughts on how it was historically vs is currently, please post them in the comments or drop me an email at [email protected]

I have a title on my shelf that I was examining this morning called Canada — The Middle Power or some such. It is a bunch of papers that were given in Banff in 1965 one of which refers to remarks Churchill made about Canada calling the country the “interpreter” of the US. I will look the precise quote up when I am reunited with the book and post it entirely. (obviously this didn’t go down so heartily with the people he said it to)

Another paper includes the words “peculiar culture” in relation to Ireland.

There is no essay or paper in relation to Canada’s artistic role in the world in the book. Every other role seems included.

Fintan O’Toole published a fine column this week decrying the current debacle in Limerick over it’s City of Culture celebrations. Click this quote to read:

“It bears out a rule of thumb: in Ireland, every public project that is not rigorously thought through will revert to the default habits of machine politics. The City of Culture project has collapsed because no one thought about it properly and no one showed the slightest respect for art and artists.”