The David W. Griffins: Why Am I So Glad?

I am so totally delighted by the inclusion of David W. McFadden's Why Are You So Sad? on the Canadian shortlist for the 2008 Griffin Prize.

I cite the judges citation:

“David McFadden has been a major underground poet all his writing life, and the young poets discover him every year. He has always been the darling of the avant-garde, but he is the most readable poet on the planet. Like his hero William Blake, he lives at ease among the most supernatural of events, and gazes in wonderment at everyday things. As a poet he reminds you to be yourself, to be yourself in the world, and give it a chance to amaze you. While reading his beautiful clear language, you sense that he is a trickster, but you cannot help believing every stanza he writes. If there is any such thing as an essential poet, here he is.”


I wrote about the book here saying that it should be a shoe-in for the Griffin and actually, amusingly, the Griffin blurb quotes from part of the entry, though not unattributing the source.

This kind of recognition is a long time coming for McFadden and painfully overdue. so, congratulations, David!

I should acknowlege the excellent, thoughtful editing of Stuart Ross, who helped the book become what it is. We need champions of Canadian literature like him.