The near-death of literary criticism is a concerning trend that affects both artists and their audiences. It's a sad reality that book reviews, once a vibrant part of Canadian publications, have dwindled, leaving a void in the literary landscape.
Imagine publishing a book and then waiting, with bated breath, for reviews to surface. But the wait can be agonizingly long, and the lack of reviews can leave authors feeling isolated and their work unnoticed.
Canada used to boast a robust network of publications dedicated to literary criticism, covering not just books but all forms of art. However, with publications cutting back on their arts coverage, this network has all but disappeared.
Two weeks ago, an article in The Signal, produced by journalism students at the University of King's College, highlighted this issue. Jake Piper's piece, titled "CanLit criticism moves online, but audiences are tough to find," delves into the impact of the collapse of book reviewing on authors, particularly those from small presses and independent publishers.
As Steven W. Beattie, formerly of Quill & Quire, a Canadian book industry trade bible, puts it, "I long for the time you could go to the Globe and Mail on a Saturday and spend two hours with that book section." This sentiment is echoed by Martin Levin, a former editor of the Globe and Mail's book section, who describes the transition from a robust book section to "basically nothing" as "very painful."
While there are now online review sites and individual book blogs, none of these platforms can match the reach and impact of a dedicated books section in a local or national newspaper. Writers are acutely aware of this phenomenon and its implications for their work.
Reviews play a crucial role in helping books find their audience. They influence bookstores and libraries in their purchasing decisions and provide valuable insights for writers about their own work. As the editor of Write, a magazine for writers, I often receive pitches about the review problem and its impact on the industry.
Nicola Malan, of Novel Idea, an independent bookstore in Kingston, Ontario, emphasizes the importance of reviews: "We get dozens of people in every few weeks with newspaper clippings of reviews, or saying that they heard the author on the radio... Most of our orders for new releases happen months before the books are available, and we get emails every week from book reps at different publishers sending us reviews."
Reviews offer a unique opportunity for new writers to break into the industry and gain valuable experience. However, with the decline of traditional book reviewing, this path has become increasingly challenging.
Writing is often a marginal enterprise, and writing in English in Canada, where the market is dominated by American books, presents even more obstacles. Reviews are a vital bridge between books and readers, and their loss is significant.
Despite the challenges, there is hope. Beattie notices a new generation of bright, young reviewers emerging. "If you look for them, they're out there," he says, expressing optimism for the future of Canadian reviewing and CanLit visibility.
Let's hope that this trend towards the revival of literary criticism continues, ensuring that artists and their audiences can once again thrive and connect through the power of thoughtful reviews.
