David Adams Richards of the Miramichi: A Biographical Introduction to His Work

by Tony Tremblay

Widely considered to be one of Canada's most important authors, David Adams Richards has been honoured with a Giller Prize and two Governor General's Literary Awards. Despite this, there has been a dearth of critical appraisal of his life and works. In David Adams Richards of the Miramichi , Tony Tremblay sheds light not only on Richards' art and achievements, but also on Canadian literary criticism in general. Tremblay maps out the early influences on Richards' thinking and writing by drawing on interviews, archival records, and cultural studies of New Brunswick. He argues that the author is a more sophisticated craftsman than his critical reception has assumed and makes the case for a more nuanced analysis of his works. Equal parts literary biography, literary criticism, and cultural study of New Brunswick, David Adams Richards of the Miramichi provides a rare glimpse into the struggles and triumphs of a New Brunswick artist in a national and provincial milieu.

384 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2010

Reviews

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely necessary read for those who want a better understanding of the work of one of Canada’s most celebrated and controversial writers. An award winning author who discovered his vocation early in life, Richards struggled for many years as a writer, all the while living on the edge of poverty to present his vision of a Canadian working class life that many have been reluctant to look at or read about. As a unique voice in Canadian literature, he writes with an unsettling and disturbing realism and readers react emotionally to it, some turning away never to return. Despite his many significant prizes and awards, there continues to be discussion and disagreement about his work among both his critics and his readers. This volume explains how Richards came to discover his passion not just for writing, but for writing about the people of the Miramichi, who he has known and loved most of his days. It covers his life up to the time he received the Governor General’s Award for his novel “Nights Below Station Street”, after which Tremblay notes, “his writing is more measured and detached, more confident”.
The Miramichi is one of three great rivers in New Brunswick and those who have read Richards’ work recognize that a knowledge of the area and its people is critical to understanding his fiction. The river has played an important role in Richards’ life and is an important element of his own personal psyche. He is fiercely loyal to both the Miramichi and its people, who rooted in wood and water resonate in all his work. Tremblay provides an exploration of this critical context, detailing the social, economic, cultural and political background of the area. He describes how a geography rich in natural resources was ripe for quick development, how it was influenced by the thousands of immigrants who landed on its shores and how the two cities of Chatham and Newcastle on separate sides of the river each developed its own character, intent on looking after its own.
Tremblay traces Richards’ background through his family’s distant and recent past, covering his rebellious youth, his discovery of his vocation and his determination to support himself through his craft. He details Richards’ struggles to become a writer, his failed academic aspirations and his continuing battle with the literary elite who stamped his work as regional, grim, violent and depressing, all the while condemning it as unworthy of a wider audience. Although not easy to read, Richards’ novels present an entirely sympathetic view of human life. As he has said, he is not trying to show “bad times in the Maritimes”, but instead wants to show us that the characters he portrays are worthy of our attention. His uneasy realism is his way of commenting on a social context that those with more delicate sensibilities might not want to explore. He has vehemently insisted on maintaining the crude language and the clumsy grammatical syntax in his narratives, intent on not just telling a story, but having his readers experience it, all the while applauding the resilience and perseverance of his characters who confront life without the buffer of middle class comforts.
We gain a better understanding of Richards’ stubborn rebellion against what he refers to as “the high minded, morally superior academic elite”, intent on heralding only the authors who show their view of the country. We better appreciate his resolve to ignore and disdain his many critics and his constant quarrels with those who opposed him. At times, his work has received more sociological than literary attention and some from the Miramichi have felt that his unflattering portrayals had cast them in a negative light. This disturbed and hurt him, sending him into periods of crippling doubt and remorse.
As Richards’ life story unfolds, readers will recognize elements of the many characters they have encountered in his fiction. He writes about a world he has known well because he has lived it, and he fervently believes that the lives of these hard working men and women, born without much of a chance in life, are all part of a Canadian context we should recognize and celebrate. Although they have been left out of much of Canada’s literature and described as losers living dead end lives, Richards believes they should be recognized for who and what they are: often troubled, hard-working, hard drinking people who fight every day to make a living and secure a future despite the odds against them. And he also believes that many of their experiences, aspirations, frailties and contradictions are universal, a part of every man who attempts to live his life despite its crises and contradictions.
The text does not shy away from the dark moments that threatened Richards' talent: his struggles with criticism, scorn and despair and his descent into alcohol and drug abuse which limited what he could and could not do. But these times also help us understand why those addictions were all part of his persona, a way he fueled his writing, fought his many demons and calmed his restless soul.

The text is replete with extensive references to Richards’ work, including a critical analysis of his characters, themes and writing style. It took ten years for the author to put together this volume and it is impeccably researched and annotated.
An excellent companion piece to those who enjoy Richards’ poetry and fiction as well as a “must read” for those who struggle to appreciate his work. This is not a volume to pick up BEFORE you read Richards’ work. Readers must be familiar with some of his poetry and much of his fiction to appreciate what is put before them in this volume.

[Eden Monroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Loved the entire premise. Not a flat-out biography although there was that too, but an enticing closer look at the work of David Adams Richards. It was a captivating read.

[Craig Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have read all of David Adams Richards works, which I would recommend if you want to tackle this, then you can skip about 75% of the book as it is very long and painful review of said works albeit very well written. The remaining 25% is an interesting biography of Richards and the reason I was interested in reading it.

[Kevin Gallan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If your a fan of David Adams Richards you have to read this ...fantastic