Synopses & Reviews
Greg Locke had been away from Newfoundland for years, working as a photojournalist in Canada, the United States, and in many of the worlds most troubled regions, when he decided to go home – and stay. The photographs in
Newfoundland were taken over a period of more than a decade. They chronicle the passage of Canadas easternmost province from a time when cod were still plentiful and the fishery shaped the lives of most of the islands inhabitants, to the present, when a vibrant economy, propelled by oil and mineral development, is recasting the islands identity in a new mould.
What Lockes photographs reveal is at once forward-looking and nostalgic, beautiful and harsh. Above all, his Newfoundland ispopulated by survivors: a people who are resourceful, funny, resilient, and strong.
Poet and novelist Michael Crummey draws upon deep-seated memories of his own and of his fathers experience to evoke passing traditions and a disappearing way of life. But, just as Lockes photographs reveal the emergence of a new, more urban and cosmopolitan Newfoundland, so does Crummeys writing emphasize the continuing sense of belonging and the determination to persevere that are characteristic of his compatriots. He writes admiringly of a “culture deep enough to accommodate a world of influences without surrendering what makes it unmistakably of this place. Something alive and leaning towards the future.” This book embodies both a vision and a voice of rare power.
About the Author
Greg Locke (left) is a professional photojournalist and managing editor of the St. Johns weekly
Sunday Independent. He is a founding member and director of PictureDesk International and currently sits on the board of the Canadian Association of Journalists.
Michael Crummey lives in St. Johns, Newfoundland. He is the author of three books of poetry, a book of short stories, and a novel, River Thieves, a national bestseller and a finalist for the Giller Prize.