Lessons from a Nude Man
by Donna Besel
Paperback (Strike Fire/Fiction)
8.5" x 5.5" · 128 pages
Release Date: May 2015
ISBN 9781926710303
Lessons from a Nude Man by Donna Besel is a startling and fascinating first collection that displays the kind of humour and disenchantment that arises when everyday assertions, held over time, can swerve a life off course. Besel allows the reader to observe each of her indelible characters closely, through writing that reveals a keen vision, and an energetic intelligence. Besel’s real talent is for telling us the truth.
“Donna Besel knows her subjects intimately, the boreal forest and the people who live on its edges. Reading Lessons from a Nude Man, I was struck by her sense of story, her instinct for those heart-stopping moments when what we long for comes up against what we are likely to get.”
“Besel’s stories are fashioned with a raw honesty. She never shies away from the uncomfortable but often tackles it with a wry humour. Despite the difficulties of their lives and circumstances, her characters strive hard to maintain their sense of self in a brave and compelling way. A memorable debut.”
Donna Besel
Donna Besel grew up in Whiteshell Provincial park, Manitoba, where she learned to love the boreal forest. She now lives on the mighty Winnipeg River and leads creative writing workshops for all ages in many interesting places. Her writing has appeared in various publications, has been short-listed for the CBC Literary awards and has won This Magazine’s “Great Canadian Literary Hunt. When asked what her writing is about, she says, “Life and death.”
