Tall Tale

Life writing is a compelling and curious literary form. Under the veneer of honesty, autobiographers often depart from the rigours of candid self-revelation to adjust their lives to their own desired framework, introducing unverified reports or leaving out questionable material.

Canada has a long history of political autobiographies. Judy LaMarsh’s Memoirs of a Bird in a Gilded Cage, from 1969, and Brian Mulroney’s Memoirs, from 2007, are among those that reveal the politico’s penchant for narrative disclosure and selective expurgation. By comparison, our country has seen few literary autobiographies. Northrop Frye and Marshall McLuhan certainly did not relish the mode. Deeply suspicious of it, Frye demurred when approached by his eventual biographer, John Ayre, for “he was uncertain about his suitability for a full-length book.” As Ayre recalled, Frye had “already warned off biographers by claiming that he had led an uneventful life.” McLuhan too...