|
Though
he is best known for his plays and prose works, J.J. Steinfeld is also
an accomplished poet and in Misshapenness as in his fiction luminous
poems reveal the struggle and, with distinctive good will and humour,
the dislocation of the self within the world. The narrative records how
so many elements collectively press and guide the heart as it strives
for understanding and unity, even in those moments when the mystery is
unresolvable and unbearable. Steinfeld’s overriding theme is the
absurdity of modernity and the attempt by individuals to make sense of
that absurdity. Misshapenness is a poignant book of transcendence
and joy in the midst of despair, and aware of the world’s beauty
and its pain, one can, as in the finest of Woody Allen’s films,
persevere through grace and stoic acceptance. It offers senseful glimpses
into a world, past and present, that is wondrous and damaged and, ultimately,
baffling.
J.J. Steinfeld is
a poet, fiction writer and playwright who lives on Prince Edward Island.
He has published two novels, the first of which is Our Hero in the
Cradle of Confederation (Pottersfield Press, 1987), and nine short
story collections, the last three by Gaspereau Press — Should
the Word Hell Be Capitalized?, Anton Chekhov Was Never in Charlottetown,
and Would You Hide Me? His short stories and poems have appeared
in numerous anthologies and periodicals internationally, and over forty
of his one-act and full-length plays have been performed in Canada and
the United States. His most recent work, Word Burials, is a novel. |
|