A Tale of Monstrous Extravagance - Paperback

by Tomson Highway (Author)

"Speaking one language, I submit, is like living in a house with one window only..."

From his legendary birth in a snow bank in northwestern Manitoba, through his metamorphosis to citizen-artist of the world, playwright, pianist, polyglot, storyteller, and irreverent disciple of the Trickster, Tomson Highway rides roughshod through the languages and communities that have shaped him. Cree, Dene, Latin, French, English, Spanish, and the universal language of music have opened windows and widened horizons in Highway's life. Readers who can hang on tight--Highway fans, culture mavens, cunning linguists, and fellow tricksters--will experience the profundity of Highway's humour, for as he says, "In Cree, you will laugh until you weep." Introduction by Christine Sokaymoh Frederick.
"Fasten your chastity belts, ladies and gentlemen, it's gonna be a bumpy ride."

From his legendary birth in a snowbank in northwestern Manitoba, through his metamorphosis to citizen-artist of the world, polyglot, playwright, pianist, storyteller, and irreverent disciple of the Trickster, Tomson Highway rides roughshod through the languages and communities that have shaped him. Cree, Dene, Latin, French, English, Spanish, and the universal language of music have opened windows and widened horizons in Highway's life. Readers who can hang on tight--Highway fans, culture mavens, cunning linguists, and fellow tricksters--will experience the profundity of Highway's humour, for as he says, "In Cree, you will laugh until you weep."

Author Biography

Tomson Highway enjoys an international career as a playwright, novelist, and pianist/songwriter. He is considered one of Canada's foremost Indigenous voices. He is best known for his award-winning plays, The Rez Sisters (1986), Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing (1989), Rose (2000), and Ernestine Shuswap Gets Her Trout (2005), as well as his critically acclaimed novel, Kiss of the Fur Queen (1998). Winner of the 2021 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction for his memoir Permanent Astonishment, he lives in Gatineau, Quebec.