Product Description
by Joan Ferry (Author)
The World's Fair is Biography/Fiction. 1937-39 is the time frame. The place is Ottawa ON and Gatineau Que. It is the story of Michael Maguire in search of his legitimate father. His story is peopled with colorful characters of Irish, French and Algonquin lineage. The plot emerges effortlessly through the characters, finally leading us to the shocking truth of Michael's paternity. In the face of emotional disaster, the book ends on an optimistic note. Picaresque comes from Picaresca then shortened to Picaro meaning rascal or rogue. This style of novel originated in 16th century Spain and flourished throughout Europe in the 17th and 18th century. It continues to influence modern literature today. It adopts a style of realism with shades of comedy and satire. The plot emerges as a result of the thoughts and actions of the characters. The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow is a prime modern day example of Picaresque writing. "If I understand it," Bellow said, "you can understand it too."
Author Biography
Joan Ferry attended London University. While in the UK she co-edited the theatre magazine ENCORE. It became the voice piece for the era of the Angry Young Men, Osborne, Wesker, Pinter, Colin Wilson et al. The magazine is presently housed in the British Library. She has conducted Theatre workshops and directed plays in English and French in British Columbia and Ontario. In addition, CBC radio aired a chapter of her novel, The World's Fair entitled, You're a Long Time Dead. Joan is the recipient of the Ohio Award for her performance in a CBC production entitled, Marie Claire Blais. She also wrote and produced a play, Apples on the Silver Moon at the University of Victoria where she taught. Presently she is preparing her first piece of non-fiction, Encore and After. The condensation of a chapter was published in Theatre History in Canada. Vol., 8., No.1. She was a co-founder of Toronto Workshop Productions. The Theatre Company's mandate was to nurture Canadian talent. Joan lives in Duncan, B.C., Canada
