2012 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction Finalist
Candace Savage
A Geography of Blood: Unearthing Memory from a Prairie Landscape
Greystone Books
Jury Citation
One day in late September of 2000, Candace Savage travels from her home in Saskatoon to Eastend, a village of 600 people on the eastern edge of the Cypress Hills. A two week vacation evolves into a decade-long fascination with the region and the writing of A Geography of Blood, a part-memoir, part history, part geological survey, part lament, part condemnation of the accepted myth of the settlement of the Western Plains, and above all, a haunting meditation on time and place.
About the Book
When Candace Savage and her partner buy a house in a romantic little town in the Cypress Hills of southwestern Saskatchewan, she at first enjoys exploring the area and meeting local wildlife. But soon, a darker reality is uncovered. A Geography of Blood details the story of an important era in prairie settlement history that Canadian textbooks simply gloss over. Catapulted by a visit to the boyhood home of the late American writer Wallace Stegner, strong motifs of trauma, repression, and recollection shape this intimate first-person account of the town of Eastend, Saskatchewan.
About the Author
Candace Savage splits her time between Saskatoon and Eastend. She is a celebrated writer of dozens of books and essays, many of which have been translated into multiple languages. In 2010, Savage was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in recognition of her scholarly and artistic achievements.
Hi-Resolution Images
Author | Book