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This paper engages selected moments in Austin Clarke's literary journey to argue that in spite of his involvement in the development of Canadian literature (CanLit) during the 1960s and 1970s, the Canadian literary establishment continues to pay little critical attention to his contributions. This lack of recognition is specifically evident in recent writings about Canadian literature and the literary figures who spearheaded its development after Canada's Multiculturalism policy of 1971. Canada's becoming officially multicultural required a new narrative of Canada and new literary depictions of Canadians in their national literature, as ethnically diversified but of a single citizenship. I argue that Clarke's legacy as a Black writer should be given more prominence in Canadian institutions because today this legacy is under threat of erasure as the number of Canadian Black voices telling mainstream stories about Black people's experiences is evidently in decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines the phenomenon of crossover fiction, that is, fiction that crosses from child to adult or adult to child audiences. Crossover literature may be addressed to a mixed-age audience by the author and / or publisher, or it may initially be written and / or published for a particular audience and subsequently appropriated by another in a process of 'cross-reading.' Various types of crossover fiction are examined : adult-to-child crossover fiction, rewritings for a different audience and child-to-adult crossover fiction. In addition, this article looks at the significant role that publishers and marketing strategies play in what is largely a marketing phenomenon. Crossover fiction has been seen by some as an essentially European phenomenon, but it is in fact an important, widespread and expanding global trend, as demonstrated in the author's book Crossover fiction: global and historical perspectives (2009). This essay uses examples from a Canadian corpus to explore the global phenomenon of crossover fiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines one aspect of Canada's early cultural diplomacy. During the late 1940s, the Department of External Affairs frequently received requests for Canadian books from foreign libraries. At the same time, many officials were eager to promote Canadian culture abroad. The Annual Book Presentation Programme was inaugurated with the intention of creating “repositories of Canadiana” which might stimulate interest in Canada among foreign readers. Although the budget for the program was always modest, over the years the department's book gifts did fulfill their aim, creating a basis for the later growth of Canadian studies in universities abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the role of several literary award giving bodies on the cultural policy of Canada relative to its involvement in international free trade agreement. It attempts to trace the implications of free trade on the cultural policy of the country, particularly in terms of funding for cultural agencies and activities. Moreover, it cites the emergence of literary award giving bodies financed by corporations, such as the Giller Prize, Griffin Award, and the Charles Taylor Award, that resulted to the privatization of Canadian Literature.

Characterizes Canadian literature. Comparison of Canadian literature with British literature; Sense of place that may be found in major or representative Canadian writers; Works of fiction that feature the city of Quebec; Famous Canadian writers.