The Republic of Nothing

by Lesley Choyce, Neil Peart (Afterword)

Overview

Winner, Dartmouth Book Award
Shortlisted, Atlantic Booksellers Choice Award

A small Canadian island declares its independence to the world and benign anarchy reigns. A god-like ocean deposits many a thing, yet it also takes away. The 1960s blaze off shore and draw the island's inhabitants into politics, the Vietnam War, and the peace movement.

Sound impossible? Not on Whalebone Island, AKA the Republic of Nothing. Where else can a dead circus elephant, a long-dead Viking, the discovery of uranium, a raven-haired castaway who may be psychic, an anarchist turned politician, and refugees fleeing from the United States all be part of everyday life? Where else is eccentricity embraced with such open arms?

In this new readers' guide edition, complete with an afterword by Neil Peart, Lesley Choyce's novel about resilience, independence, and anarchy comes alive, leading readers to discover once again that everything is nothing and nothing is everything.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780864925978
Publisher:	Goose Lane Editions
Publication date:	11/08/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	382
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

No one has a clearer view of Atlantic Canada's literary endeavours over the past twenty years than Lesley Choyce. He is the founder of the literary journal Pottersfield Portfolio, and the publisher of Pottersfield Press. He has edited several fiction anthologies and has been the in-house editor of many books from Pottersfield Press including Making Waves, a collection of stories by emerging authors from Atlantic Canada. He is the author of more than fifty books in genres ranging from poetry and essays to autobiography, history and fiction for adults, young adults, and children. Among his recent books are the novels The Republic of Nothing, World Enough, and Cold Clear Morning, and the story collection Dance the Rocks Ashore. Choyce is the writer, host, and co-producer of the popular literary show television program, Off the Page with Lesley Choyce, which is broadcast across the country on Vision TV. He also teaches in the English department of Dalhousie University in Halifax and is leader of the rock band The Surf Poets.
Neil Peart is the drummer for the Canadian band Rush.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Like all great fiction, The Republic of Nothing speaks for all time. And like all great dramatists, Lesley Choyce can build a stage on Whalebone Island and bring the whole world to it." — Neil Peart

Editorial Reviews

"A triple-decker of a yarn shot through with mythic possibilities, it's part fairy tale, part adventure story and part coming-of-age testimonial; it manages to be earnest and absurd, poetic and humorous all at once ... a pleasure to read."

Globe and Mail

"Reminiscent, both in wit and sensibility, of Stephen Leacock."

Quill & Quire

"A little gem of a story that should be granted its appropriate label as a Canadian version of [Salman Rushdie's] Midnight's Children."

Montreal Gazette

"Radiant with energy."

Winnipeg Free Press

"The Republic of Nothing is an unpredictable universe ... It's this unpredictability that makes the novel a success."

Calgary Herald

"The Republic of Nothing weaves an intricate, sometimes hilarious, sometimes tragic narrative."

Daily Gleaner

"The fact that the book has lasted for 10 years is a testimony to its popularity in these days when few books retain any life or fame after a year."

Chronicle Herald

"A contemporary classic in Canadian literature."

Telegraph Journal

"Quirky yet compelling drama."

Midwest Book Review

"A national treasure."

Ottawa Citizen

"The written word is a powerful tool in Lesley Choyce's hands."

Vancouver Sun

"Choyce has mastered the skill of an old-fashioned story-teller."

Cormorant

"This is Choyce's best book yet ... a reminder that we all need to keep a little creative anarchy in our lives."

Mail-Star

"Don't miss The Republic of Nothing."

Guardian

"If you need a little Zen in your life, The Republic of Nothing is a good way to learn to extricate yourself from the beaten path and find the wonder of nothingness."

Brunswickan

"Choyce takes this deceptively simple story and ... fills it with characters who are wry, warm, funny, and magical. This is by far the author's best novel."

Canadian Book Review Annual

"The Republic of Nothing definitely has something to it."

FFWD

"The Republic of Nothing is the product of a sprawling and original literary imagination, bustling with colourful and sympathetic characters, bursting with fanciful incident, and propelled by a relentless narrative drive. It is, quite simply, a good read."

Pottersfield Portfolio

"The Republic of Nothing ... stamps the eccentricity of the rugged Eastern Shore in a reader's mind forever."

Atlantic Books Today

"Don't miss The Republic of Nothing."

The Guardian

"This is Choyce's best book yet . . . a reminder that we all need to keep a little creative anarchy in our lives."

The Mail-Star

"Choyce has mastered the skill of an old-fashioned story-teller."

The Cormorant

"A triple-decker of a yarn shot through with mythic possibilities, it's part fairy tale, part adventure story and part coming-of-age testimonial; it manages to be earnest and absurd, poetic and humorous all at once . . . a pleasure to read." — The Globe and Mail

"Reminiscent, both in wit and sensibility, of Stephen Leacock." — Quill & Quire

"A little gem of a story that should be granted its appropriate label as a Canadian version of [Salman Rushdie's] Midnight's Children." — The Montreal Gazette

"Radiant with energy." — The Winnipeg Free Press

"The Republic of Nothing is an unpredictable universe . . . It's this unpredictability that makes the novel a success." — The Calgary Herald

"Choyce has mastered the skill of an old-fashioned story-teller." — The Cormorant

"Choyce takes this deceptively simple story and . . . fills it with characters who are wry, warm, funny, and magical. This is by far the author's best novel." — Canadian Book Review Annual

"The Republic of Nothing definitely has something to it." — FFWD

"The Republic of Nothing is the product of a sprawling and original literary imagination, bustling with colourful and sympathetic characters, bursting with fanciful incident, and propelled by a relentless narrative drive. It is, quite simply, a good read." — Pottersfield Portfolio

"This is Choyce's best book yet . . . a reminder that we all need to keep a little creative anarchy in our lives." — The Mail-Star

"If you need a little Zen in your life, The Republic of Nothing is a good way to learn to extricate yourself from the beaten path and find the wonder of nothingness." — The Brunswickan

"Don't miss The Republic of Nothing." — The Guardian

"The Republic of Nothing weaves an intricate, sometimes hilarious, sometimes tragic narrative." — The Daily Gleaner

"The fact that the book has lasted for 10 years is a testimony to its popularity in these days when few books retain any life or fame after a year." — The Chronicle Herald

"A contemporary classic in Canadian literature." — The Telegraph Journal

"Quirky yet compelling drama." — Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher