The Office Tower Tales

by Alice Major

Overview

In this ambitious long poem, Alice Major exemplifies the redemptive force of story. Through the light-hearted interplay of such literary touchstones as Chaucer, The Thousand and One Nights, and Greek myth, readers meet receptionist Aphrodite, Sheherazad in PR, and Pandora, expectant grandmother from accounting, who gather to share tales during coffee breaks from their male-dominated engineering firm. Literary pilgrims, lovers of narrative and long forms, or fans of Major’s past explorations are certain to find redemption here.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780888646378
Publisher:	The University of Alberta Press
Publication date:	09/01/2012
Series:	cuRRents
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	264
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Alice Major emigrated from Scotland at the age of eight, and grew up in Toronto before coming west to work as a weekly newspaper reporter. She served as the City of Edmonton’s first poet laureate from 2005–2007. A widely-published author, she has won many distinctions. Her most recent book, Intersecting Sets: A Poet Looks at Science, received the Wilfrid Eggleston Award for non-fiction as well as a National Magazine Award gold medal. Her website is www.alicemajor.com.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements     vii
Prologue     1
The Police Candidate's Story     6
Epilogue to the Police Candidate's Story     11
Prologue to the Waitress's Tale     14
The Waitress's Tale     24
Prologue to Bertha's Story     38
Bertha's Story     46
Prologue to the Office Romeo's Tale     55
The Office Romeo's Tale     61
Prologue to the Mother's Story     69
The Mother's Story     77
Prologue to the Father's Story     83
The Father's Story     88
Prologue to the Tale of the Ceo's Daughter     91
The Tale of the Ceo's Daughter     99
Prologue to Augustine's Story     115
Augustine's Story     125
Epilogue to Augustine's Story     132
Prologue to the Tale of Gingerbread Girl     137
The Tale of Gingerbread Girl     143
Prologue to "This Great and Complicated Sin"     145
This Great and Complicated Sin     153
Prologue to Diane's Story     160
Diane's Story     165
Prologue to the Divorcee's Tale     172
The Divorcee's Tale     178
Prologue to theSecretary's Tale     180
The Secretary's Tale     187
Epilogue to the Secretary's Tale     202
Prologue to the Tale of Mrs. Leakey's Ghost     205
The Tale of Mrs. Leakey's Ghost     208
Prologue to the Explorer's Story     211
The Explorer's Story     216
Epilogue to the Explorer's Story     223
Prologue to the Cab Driver's Story     226
The Cab Driver's Story     232
Prologue to Sheherazad's Story     235
Sheherazad's Story     243
Epilogue     247
Afterword     251