Interview: A.B. McKillop, On the Line with Joseph Planta (thecommentary.ca)

A.B. McKillop - Monday, 20 October 2008

The historian and author A.B. McKillop talks about his new book, Pierre Berton: A Biography (McClelland & Stewart, 2008), with Joseph Planta.

Pierre Berton: A Biography by A.B. McKillop. (McClelland & Stewart, 2008)

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Pierre Berton

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

Pierre Berton was the most famous Canadian media figure of his time. He appeared in newspapers and magazines, on radio and television, and his books not only occupy the shelves of many Canadians, but also are a legendary part of the book industry in this country for the past fifty or more years. John Haslett Cuff once wrote of Berton, that he is "so aggressively ubiquitous, the tendency is to yawn when his name comes up." He is the subject of a new book, the first biography, simply titled: Pierre Berton: A Biography. Its author, the historian A.B. McKillop joins me now. With tremendous research and readable storytelling, he charts the life and times of Berton. In doing so, he also gives us a view of the country in those years that Berton was active, and more importantly provides a sense of what Berton meant to the country he so prodigiously wrote about. A.B. McKillop is the Chancellor's Professor and Chair of the Department of History at Carleton University. His previous book The Spinster and the Prophet was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award and the Charles Taylor Prize, and won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Non Fiction, among other awards. He lives in Ottawa, but joins me here in Vancouver. The book is published by McClelland & Stewart and retails for $37.99. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Brian McKillop; Good morning, Professor McKillop.

Weblinks:

Brian McKillop webpage: http://http-server.carleton.ca/~mckillop/index.html