Member Reviews

Montreal Standard Time has been a treat to read. The editors have selected roughly one-third of the pieces Gallant published in the Montreal Standard between 1944 and 1950. Arranged chronologically, the pieces demonstrate Gallant's developing prose style and the selections have been chosen with an eye to topics that will be familiar on some level to the reader. While terminology has changed over time and we no longer, for example, use the term DP, the challenges faced by refugees have remained consistent despite the passing decades. While some of the pieces are workmanlike and pitched to journalistic requirements, many include wonderful, often spikey, bits of prose that show Gallant's keen sense of the ridiculous and the unjust. A very welcome touch in this collection is the inclusion of images of the columns which give a sense of the print culture of the period and the context of Gallant's writing. The annotations will also be helpful to readers unfamiliar with the mid-20th century context.

Was this review helpful?