This Side Jordan

This Side Jordan

A novel of Africans and British, community and exile, set against the backdrop of the Ghanaian fight for independence: “A talented writer.”—The New York Times It is a time of change in West Africa, as the land known as the British Gold Coast is transformed into a new, independent nation known as Ghana. This lyrical, vivid novel follows multiple characters—a schoolteacher torn between his loyalty to his tribe and his hopes for his country’s future; a British business executive who distrusts Africans; a passionate nationalist—as they experience all the tensions of the time, the excitement, anticipation, and dread. A novel that confronts issues of race, gender, and the effects of colonialism, This Side Jordan is by Margaret Laurence, the author of The Stone Angel and a winner of two Governor General’s Awards, one of Canada’s most prestigious literary prizes. “Artistically and expertly written and constructed…unusual and noteworthy.”—Kirkus Reviews “A first novel of rare excellence.”—Mary Renault, Saturday Review “Highly recommended.”—Library Journal

The Englishman's Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance of the Old Testament

Heart of a Stranger

Travel was closely connected to Margaret Laurence’s creativity. Laurence realized that her travels, especially to Africa, provided her with new perspectives on Canada. Heart of a Stranger, originally published in 1976, is a fascinating travelogue chronicling Laurence's geographical journeys to many lands and historic places. She notes "I saw, somewhat to my surprise, that they are all, in one way or another, travel articles. And by travel, I mean both those voyages which are outer and those voyages which are inner." Laurence writes about her travels to Egypt in "Good Morning to the Grandson of Ramesses the Second," to Scotland in "Road from the Isles," and to Greece in "Sayonara, Agamemnon." In "The Very Best Intentions" Laurence sees herself as a "stranger in a strange land" in Ghana. She reflects on the many places she lived in "Put Out One or Two More Flags," "Down East," "The Shack" and "Where the World Began." Professor Nora Foster Stovel’s new introduction "Heart of a Traveller" explores how Laurence’s experiences in other lands influenced and shaped her writing. She contends that "Heart of a Stranger constitutes a concealed autobiography, for, in chronicling her literal life journey, Laurence also reveals her spiritual odyssey."