In April, Canada's House of Commons passed a proforma (even perfunctory) resolution lauding the Canada Council, the country's arts funding agency. Among those watching the event was author Yann Martel, author of The Life of Pi. He was so distressed at the Parliament's lack of attention, and at the Prime Minister's distraction in particular, that he has vowed to send PM Stephen Harper a book every two weeks, in the hopes of drawing more attention to Canada's arts. All well and good, but what really interests us here south of the border is that Martel is sending a very interesting and detailed cover letter with each of his offerings. They're fascinating mini-reviews, and you can read them on Martel's website www.whatisstephenharperreading.ca.
So far, he's sent Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilych and Orwell's Animal Farm. I'll post more of Martel's recommendations over the next months.
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