Close your eyes and imagine it: Craggy coastlines with the rumble of crashing surf, sand dunes shaped by the wind off the Atlantic, maybe a lonely lighthouse, and lots of green. The air is bracing, carrying the scent of pine and the sea.
Atlantic Canada comprises four provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador, plus the three Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, also known as PEI.
Lumped together for convenience, each province has its own quirks and charm. You might visit the colorful fishing villages in Nova Scotia or go kayaking in the Bay of Fundy. If Anne Shirley tops your list of best literary heroines, you’ll definitely want to make a pilgrimage to PEI. And for Viking lore and teeth-rattling wind — plus puffins, iceberg sightings, and the northern lights — Newfoundland is the place to be.
Wherever you land, you’re enveloped in the fathomless blue of the sky and sea. It’s a dramatic landscape with hardy people and a long history of compelling stories.
In this episode, we talk about the lure of buried treasure, pick up a bit of Newfoundland slang, plan a getaway to a posh island hotel, and discuss practically sentient weather. Then we recommend five great books that took us to Atlantic Canada on the page, including two gripping family sagas, a memoir about the world’s most uncooperative boat, a noirish mystery story, and a funny novel about death.
Read the full transcript of Atlantic Canada: For There Blow Some Cold Nor’westers on the Banks of Newfoundland.
The people in Newfoundland epitomized all of the really extraordinary qualities that make the human species — viable or worthwhile — endurable! make the human species endurable. They were people of adversity who understood that you only survive in this world if you do so by making an accommodation with the natural world around you. And that was the only way they could survive. — Farley Mowat
News you can use: The Most Stunning Views in Atlantic Canada.
And here are 8 reasons to visit Atlantic Canada.
The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Nova Scotia is located in a former ocean liner terminal. It’s the spot where about 1 million immigrants started their new life in Canada. Here’s the official website and a handful of excellent videos on YouTube.
The Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick has the highest tide in the world. Here are some videos that explain what’s going on there.
Here’s everything you need to know about Anne of Green Gables attractions on Prince Edward Island, including Anne of Green Gables Heritage Place, the Anne Store, The Anne of Green Gables Museum, the author’s birthplace, and more.
Statement 1: When the tide is right, a person could row from Canada to France in about 4 hours. Here are 5 really cool things about Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, the French island off Newfoundland — and a profile from the BBC.
Statement 2: There’s a mysterious pit in Nova Scotia that people have excavated for over 200 years. No one knows what’s at the bottom of it. Here’s the Wikipedia page about the Oak Island Mystery and the official website. Here’s a list of 25 treasures found so far. The reality show Curse of Oak Island is heading into its tenth season.
Before we got into books, we told you about the awesome podcast CERCA. It’s an immersive combo of city guide and podcast that gives you a strong sense of each destination, including London, Barcelona, Costa Rica, Iceland, Rome, and more. You can subscribe to Cerca podcasts on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. More here.
Annie Proulx is the author of The Shipping News. She was a guest on Bookclub, a really excellent radio show/podcast from BBC, to discuss her novel. And here’s a wide-ranging interview with The Guardian.
Michael Crummey is the author of Galore. In this video from the Canadian Literature Centre, he reads from Galore and his other novels.
My Darling Detective by Howard Norman features lots of real-life photographers and there works. You an learn more about Robert Capa and his combat photography here and here. Take a look at Auguste Salzmann’s bio and his photos of Jerusalem and Eugenio Courret’s bio and his snaps of Tahiti. Real-life locations mentioned in the book inclue the Wired Monk Bistro, John W Doull Bookseller, and the Halifax Free Library.
Farley Mowat is the author of The Boat Who Wouldn’t Float. The beloved Canadian has an entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia, and here’s his obit (with a fab photo) in The Guardian. This is a list of his many books in order. You could do worse than a Farley Mowat reading project.
Amy Spurway is the author of Crow. Here’s her website and here’s a reading from her novel:
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