Author: Adam Daniel Mezei
ISBN: 0595380697 As a loyal Canadian, I am delighted to see that within the last several years there have been quite a few Canadian authors who are making their mark in the international literary scene. Just looking over the undergraduate calendar of my old alma mater, I noticed that there are now 7 courses devoted to Canadian Literature, whereas when I attended University over 50 years ago there may have been one or two. As a side note, when Canadas famous poet, Irving Layton, who recently passed away, was teaching in a Hebrew parochial school, he had been dismissed, as he had the audacity to sell his risqu poetry books to his students! This was back in the 1950s. How things have changed! Today, Canada can boast many literary figures who have gained international reputations as: Margaret Atwood, Hugh MacLennan, Mordechai Richler, Irving Layton, Michael Ondaatje, and several others. Yes, Canada is alive and kicking and still continues to produce some fine young authors, whom I am sure will be shortly taking their place among their Canadian peers, as well as within the ranks of many well-known international authors. This brings me to a fine young author, screenwriter, and novelist, thirty-two year old Adam Daniel Mezei, who is of Czech extraction, and now makes his home in Vancouver, B.C. Drawing on his background as an incessant traveler that has exposed him to many delectable" cultures, Mezei has compiled a collection of thirty short stories crafted within a period of thirty days all contained in We Are The New Auroras. Mezei mentions in his Forward, he wished to immortalize the many things I had read about, heard, and seen with my very own eyes over this eventful three decade-long period in my life." Mezei is a born story teller in every sense of the word. In succinct and unencumbered prose he narrates tales about individuals, wherein some are tragically flawed or are perhaps flawed due to political, social or economic circumstances beyond their control. However, most of them endear themselves to the reader, as Mezei captures their unique and sometimes mesmerizing personalities, as well as the conflicts they endure. Among Mezei's gripping depictions is Bhimrao Yadav, a Dalit from Bangalore, India, who on his way to work one day comes to the aid of an elderly man run over by an errant rickshaw. As a result of being the Good Samaritan, Bhimrao was more than sixty minutes late for work- something he never previously experienced. When his superior questioned him as to why he was late, Bhimrao proceeded to explain, and to his shock and dismay the boss was unmoved," resulting in his being reprimanded for his tardiness. Apparently, Dalits are looked down upon in Indian society and if they should succeed in gaining employment, they should be grateful, according to the companies that hire them. Eventually, Bhimrao is fired because he will not sign a form that will dock an hour from his pay cheque. We learn about Valeriy Branko, the drunk, whose only saving grace had been from his books, and who strives to quit drinking Karel Handzak, the youngest mayor of Prague, who was untouched by scandal and brings breath of fresh air the gross and overweight Internet addict who falls in love with Sheila, whom he is too frightened to meet for fear he will be rejected. These are but a few glimpses of the many poignant powerful stories portraying touching inner voices that produce a lasting lingering effect long after you put the book down. Certainly worth a read! |
