Bøger af Raymond Fraser

Poetry is a universal language, and Raymond Fraser used it to speak to his readers about what life is-and what it can be. Over his impressive fifty-year career, Raymond wrote eight poetry collections, using deft insight and a masterful command of language to examine the complexities of life. No topic was too minute or too grandiose to be dissected, spread out, and examined. The included poems were chosen by the poet before he passed away.

THE GRUMPY MAN is Raymond Fraser's fourth collection of short fiction, and features 23 stories and the definitive version of his classic novella, "The Quebec Prison" "One of Canada's top writers at the top of his game. A great read!" GAIL MACMILLAN, Author, Ceilidh's Quest "Raymond Fraser is a natural story teller whose talent with narrative is second to none in this country...THE GRUMPY MAN stories are an incredible exposé of the human condition." MICHAEL O. NOWLAN, The Daily Gleaner "A pleasure to read from beginning to end. I doubt many writers could comment on their time as skilfully as Fraser has in this collection, or comment with so much wit and with such great characters." JUDY BOWMAN, The Miramichi Leader "Reading Fraser's writing is like listening to the voice of an epoch. He explores the things that made the sixties and seventies so legendary." MICAH O'DONNELL, The Aquinian "A compelling collection of quirky characters by one of the country's finest literary craftsmen." STEPHEN CLARE, The Book Club radio show, Halifax "Raymond Fraser happens to be one of the liveliest and most entertaining writers in the country." ALDEN NOWLAN, Telegraph-Journal "A great and hilarious collection. My introduction to the author. Highly, highly recommended." ERASERHEAD, Goodreads

In THE MADNESS OF YOUTH author Raymond Fraser digs into the disreputable past of a respected poetry-writing librarian. Set in the Maritimes and Montreal, the novel paints a striking picture of wayward youth in the early sixties "Reading Fraser's writing is like listening to the voice of an epoch. He explores the things that made the sixties and seventies so legendary." MICAH O'DONNELL, The Aquinian "A great storyteller and one of the country's truly under-appreciated natural resources." LAWRENCE CREAGHAN, The Write Stuff "The best literary voice to come belling out of the Maritimes in decades." FARLEY MOWAT "Fraser has always "owned" the restless, wandering Maritimer as a fictional character, but this complex, exasperating 'split personality character Quann' and the believable worlds created for him is a real coup. There are great gobs of sadness, original comic touches and just the right blend of plot and narrative comments to make this a huge pleasure to read and a learning experience to boot. In my view the best writing Fraser has ever done." PHILIP DESJARDINS, Philip Desjardins Productions

"IN ANOTHER LIFE is heart-warming and heart-wrenching all at once. It's the real deal, a genuine masterpiece of storytelling, sadly beautiful, and perhaps Fraser's finest work to date." STEPHEN PATRICK CLARE, The Book Club, Halifax "A masterfully crafted novel set against the plush Miramichi River region of the 1950's and 1960's. Fredericton scribe Raymond Fraser proves again why he is one of Atlantic Canada's finest writers with the beautiful and haunting tragic-comedy of one boy's rise to prominence in his community and his slow descent into the throes of alcoholism. IN ANOTHER LIFE is a powerful and poignant story that will capture the minds and hearts of readers. Think 'Catcher in the Rye' meets Hemingway and Bukowski." LEAP MAGAZINE "IN ANOTHER LIFE is a work of great love. It's a beautifully wrought story, tragic, poignant and full of rich detail." ROBERT LECKER, author & critic "Fraser is a master wordsmith, a subtle humourist and a clever writer whose talent has never been as widely recognized as it should be." MICHAEL O. NOWLAN, The Gleaner "I can't find words to describe just how extraordinary I think this novel is... It's been a long time since I've read a book that really gets inside a man's head. It's a triumph in making characters come alive (I fell deeply in love with Corinne!). A great Canadian novel." - PHILIP DESJARDINS, Philip Desjardins Productions "IN ANOTHER LIFE is funny, sad and always humane. One thing that sets it apart from almost all other novels is the flow of the writing. I read through 80 pages without realizing it, it was so hard to put down. The author says things with precise and delicate care, and a great sense of humour." ERIC MYERS

In this tale of neo-gothic horror Haliberton "Bertie" Beaumont, heir to the Beaumont shipping fortune, schemes to seduce the pretty young daughter of Matthias Gogg, a fundamentalist religious fanatic who secretly believes in human sacrifice... ...... "A terrific piece of writing... Best thing I've read in years." BERNELL MACDONALD, Author, The Monster of Moneymore "Keeps readers on the one hand laughing, while on the other appalled. Raymond Fraser can mix the absurdities of humanity into fine, plausible fiction." MICHAEL O. NOWLAN, The Gleaner "I've never read anything like it. It's brilliant!" NEIL TONER, Librarian "There's no other writer quite like Raymond Fraser. His style is absolutely fascinating!" CORA LILLIAN HUDSON, Facebook "A New Brunswick literary icon, and one of Canada's best story tellers." MELISSA WALKER, Park Towers Magazine "Raymond Fraser's booming Maritime vigour and directness seem like a roaring tide battering the literary shore." KEITH GAREBIAN, The Montreal Story Tellers "A legendary writer of fiction and New Brunswick's very own treasure." LINDA HERSEY, Moncton Times&Transcript

"IN A CLOUD OF DUST AND SMOKE is a beautiful novel, written from the heart - it has a wonderful truth to it. The author handles the story of a young boy in love better than anyone else I've ever read." FRED COGSWELL, poet & critic ........ "A fine, fine book-well-written, provocative, engaging." MICHAEL HOLMES, ECW Press ........ "A touching and often very funny story." MARGARET DAVIS, Spotlight-Verlag ........ "Endearing and engaging... provides a nuanced insight into a time that will never return." ANNE INGRAM, The Gleaner ........ "This is a personal, moving, and emotionally taut novel. Drawing from his own experiences, Fraser imbues his story with a raw honest humanity." ATLANTIC CANADA'S 100 GREATEST BOOKS

Set in the years 1964-65, Seasons of Discontent is a spirited and captivating sequel to two of the author's best-known novels, The Bannonbridge Musicians and In Another Life. "I didn't think there would be a better book than In Another Life, but Seasons of Discontent is as good if not better." EUGENE PETERS, Essayist & Critic "Raymond Fraser is a Canadian literary legend. If every writer wrote with the clarity and gusto Fraser does, more people would still be readers." ALAN TEPPER "The best literary voice to come belling out of the Maritimes in decades." FARLEY MOWAT "A natural story teller whose talent with narrative is second to none in this country." MICHAEL O. NOWLAN, The Daily Gleaner "Reading Fraser's writing is like listening to the voice of an epoch. He explores the things that made the sixties and seventies so legendary." MICAH O'DONNELL, The Aquinian "A highly original voice that is occasionally sad, sometimes very comic, and nearly always ironic in a gentle rather than a savage way. A real pleasure to read." ALAN DAWE, Vancouver Sun "A New Brunswick literary icon, and one of Canada's best story tellers." MELISSA WALKER, Park Towers Magazine

A new edition revised and edited by the author. Nominated for the Governor General's Award for Fiction in 1978, Raymond Fraser's relentlessly funny third novel tells the story of a group of young Maritimers forever dreaming of "goin' down the road" and making it big in Toronto. Their drinking bouts, their womanizing and their adventuring in small-town New Brunswick somehow get in the way of their ambitions. Outrageous and unforgivingly accurate. "It's well-written, it's touching, it's full of life, and it's funny." ANDRE VIGNEAULT, CBC Radio "It's a book of soul and spirit. Its characters are real, vibrant, enjoyable and maddening." STEPHEN PATRICK CLARE & TREVOR J. ADAMS, Atlantic Canada's 100 Greatest Books "A rollicking story, well told." WILLIAM FRENCH, Globe & Mail "Above all the book is ALIVE. This in the final analysis is the best test of any work of art. It moves and vibrates with all the dynamic energy of the mighty Miramichi River, that great river that flows through the colorful country of the lives of the novel's characters." DAVE BUTLER, Miramichi Press "Fraser is a Canadian literary legend. If every writer wrote with the clarity and gusto Fraser does, more people would still be readers." ALAN TEPPER

"Reading WHEN THE EARTH WAS FLAT is next best thing to a voyage of discovery, a ride on a runaway train, the thrill of a roller coaster, and a front row seat in the theatre of the absurd. This wonderfully entertaining book is the work of a gifted and accomplished author." HILARY PRINCE, The Guardian "If you're familiar with some of the Canadian literary lights of the late 60s and into the 70s, or if you've ever been amused by Alden Nowlan's work, or the Flat Earth Society, or if you've ever wondered what Leonard Cohen was like before he became an international sensation, or if you've ever had dreams of grandeur, or tried your hand at writing yourself, or if you've ever wrestled with the lure of alcohol.... If you fall into any of these categories, you won't be sorry you picked up Raymond Fraser's book When The Earth Was Flat. It's a terrific read, highly amusing and very informative, and a valuable record of a time and place." GLENN MURRAY, author of Walter the Farting Dog. "Farley Mowat has called this insightful, powerful and comedic writer "the best literary voice to come belling out of the Maritimes in decades." TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL

THE STRUGGLE OUTSIDE "ln the mad few days covered by the novel the conspirators' power struggle rages in an atmosphere of surreal humor. But this is more than a funny book. Today's news about guerrilla forces like this make the story disturbingly plausible." READING FOR PLEASURE (U.S.) "Exuberant, comic, with a satiric edge frequently bordering on absurdist fantasy." LINDA SANDLER, Saturday Night "An almost surrealistic account.... it represents the best in contemporary satire. Outrageously funny." AARON MICHELSON, Best Sellers, New York "Absolutely hilariously funny... Farce is not easy to sustain, but Raymond Fraser can mix the absurdities of humanity into fine, plausible fiction." MICHAEL O. NOWLAN, The Gleaner "A great read from a talented writer." LYMAN WARD, Actor ("Ferris Buehler's Day Off", etc) "Spellbinding." NORMA WEST LINDER, Poet

Raymond Fraser's books have been called powerful, insightful, moving, irreverent, disturbing and outrageously funny. Filled with an unforgettable cast of characters, COSTA BLANCA features a novella and stories set in Spain, Boston, Toronto and the east coast of Canada What the critics have said of Raymond Fraser's stories: "A highly original voice that is occasionally sad, sometimes very comic. A real pleasure to read." ALAN DAWE, Vancouver Sun "Comic and horrifying." HEATHER SANDERSON, Canadian Literature "Perceptive, magnetic and laced with humour." ANNE INGRAM, The Gleaner "A Canadian literary legend. If every writer wrote with the clarity and gusto Fraser does, more people would still be readers." ALAN TEPPER

THE BLACK HORSE TAVERN is Raymond Fraser's landmark first book of fiction. Revised and edited by the author, this long-awaited definitive edition features a novella and nine stories, along with a new Introduction "All ten stories in THE BLACK HORSE TAVERN bear the Fraser touch: gutsy realism, originality, and humour. The effect is hilarious, moving, and sad. It's quite a book." BETTY SHAPIRO, Montreal Gazette "Raymond Fraser is one of the most gifted writers I know, and among his gifts are two that are all too rare: a zest for life and a sense of humour. He belongs to the timeless tradition of story tellers." ALDEN NOWLAN "Rattling good yarns without managed thrills and contrived tension, THE BLACK HORSE TAVERN is the reflection of a man who has lived a life far from quiet desperation. Like Fraser's poetry, it is relentless, subtle, disturbing, bearing the stamp of immediately recognizable talent and nifty writing." JOHN RICHMOND, Montreal Star "The best literary voice to come belling out of the Maritimes in decades." FARLEY MOWAT "A highly original voice that is occasionally sad, sometimes very comic. A real pleasure to read." ALAN DAWE, Vancouver Sun "One of Canada's truly great writers." GAIL MACMILLAN, Author, Ceilidh's Quest