101 Letters to a Prime Minister: the Complete Letters to Stephen Harper
2012 • Letters
In 2007, Stephen Harper is Prime Minister of Canada, yet another conservative with simple solutions to complicated problems, yet another middle-aged white male with more resentment than vision. Yann Martel decides to send him a book every two weeks to show him what art can do.
The books vary widely, from classics like Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilych or Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, to modern classics like Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, to a Harlequin novel, an Agatha Christie murder mystery, some graphic novels, poetry, plays, an Indian religious text, all genres, different countries, a variety of original languages.
Each book, in its own way, says Open your eyes, soften your heart because when you read a story, you are, for a while, someone else somewhere else, and in that, the experiencing of another’s life, lies the germ of empathy and wisdom.
The project goes on for four years, each book accompanied by a letter, which are compiled here.
“Martel's incisive, insightful musings make powerful arguments for the importance of books.”
– Prairie Books NOW
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