Canada Made Me
Norman Levine's Canada Made Me, a bitter, critical reassessment of the moral and cultural values of 'the polite nation,' proved so shocking it took 21 years—despite initial acclaim when released in 1958—to see a Canadian edition. A record of his three-month journey from coast to coast, Levine's vision of Canada's seedy and unpleasant underworld is now a laconic classic.
Norman Levine (1923-2005) was the author of eight short story collections, two novels, and a memoir, among other works. He was raised in Ottawa's Lower Town, served overseas in the RCAF during WWII, and attended McGill University. In 1949 he returned to England, where he remained until 1980. In 1956 he undertook a three-month cross-country journey through Canada, which furnished him with material for his controversial memoir and commentary upon Canadian life, Canada Made Me (1958). Levine's fiction titles include The Angled Road (1952), One Way Ticket (1961), I Don't Want to Know Anyone Too Well (1971), Thin Ice (1979) and Something Happened Here (1991).
