| Kensington Market by Gradey Alexander |
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| Written by John McKnight | |
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The Kensington Market in the title is an area of Toronto made famous by Al Waxman in the television show "King of Kensington" and, to a lesser extent, by this book. It was originally a predominantly Jewsish community until many of the areas residents moved to more prosperous parts of the city following the end of WWII. The novel follows Joseph Krantz through his early twenties as he struggles to find his identity in the increase cultural diversity of the neighbourhoods where he grew up. Throughout the novel we see a string of friends moving on, growing while Joseph remains the same, or as Alexander puts it, "a sleek statue, aware of the pigeons using him as a staging point for their travels, depositing their refuse on his slumped shoulders before moving on to higher, more advantageous perches. A simple shrug would set him free but he is unwilling to do it, not wanting to ruffle any feathers for fear of unleashing a fresh torrent onto his already speckled frame." It isn't until late in the novel, when an affair with a local merchant's wife results in an unexpected pregnancy that we see any measure of growth in Joseph. Years of avoiding responsibility have finally caught up with him but the novel ends with a sense that this growth is limited and will probably be fleeting. The ideas of community and loss of identity have been explored much more succesfully by other writers, especially Mordecai Richler, to whom Alexander is often compared. This will not be a book that people will read for generations to come and will deservedly fade into the obscurity of 9th grade english classes. Trackback(0)
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(6)
Uh, you're surprised that you can't find a book at the U of T library? That place is balls! Try and find a copy of Bellow's "Herzog"...I wrote a paper on it last year...guess what??? No copies! I suppose Saul Bellow is a figment of North America's collective imagination, too?
i can't believe you idiots aer fallig for this again. grady alexander did this before in the 80s, he published this newspaper story under the name virginia something about how he didn't exist (virginia was his first wife's name). this supposed person postnig everywhere about how its a hoax is actually him. cool, the past is present again...nice try Gradey, but I aint buyin!!!!!!!!!!!
You know, this little hoax was amusing at first... if only mildly. But has it really come to this? Denying the existence of one who caught your hoax (and so quickly!). Bad form, don't you think?
When creating a hoax its best not to include claims so easily proven wrong. Surprising that you've not learned this by now.
Here's an idea: how about publishing the specifics of "this newspaper story" published in "the 80s". You know, little things like the date and name of the paper in question. The title and page reference would be great too! As it is "I ain't buyin!"
When creating a hoax, its best not to include information that can be easily proven false. For example, the claim that the University of Toronto holds not single copy of Bellow's Herzog - when they have six - is shown to be false by a simple visit to the university's website. You live and you learn.
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See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Gradey_Alexander