Product Description

Renown writer and artist Douglas Coupland's valentine to Canada looks at how it feels to be a Canadian now and imagines what it might feel like to be a Canadian in the future. From collective memories, Coupland locates objects like stubbie beer bottles and ookpiks, Kraft dinner and maple walnut ice cream. With the same witty sensibility, he considers significant events and relevant issues, like Canada's relationship with the United States, Medicare, and the landscape itself in this colorful, lively mix of image and text.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #156798 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Customer Reviews

a great little book
My familiarity with coupland prior to Souvenir of Canada primarily stemmed from Generation X and his City of Glass (his loveletter to Vancouver). Unlike his novel, Souvenir is utterly sentimental--even when seemingly critical. Not being Canadian, yet quite interested in Canadiana, I found Souvenir to be interesting on several levels, and I found myself not only enriching my knowledge of Canada, but also reflecting more deeply on the area in which I grew up--not so much America as a whole, which is a point inferred in the book as well. It's style makes it vastly readable: a series of photographs with relatively short passages with varying degrees of topic digression, yet all quite appropriate. I have often found myself picking Souvenir (and Souvenir 2) up again and again, thumbing through and randomly reading sections. I don't know what it is, but Coupland seems to have the knack for inviting the reader into a world and being a great host while you're there.

I might only add here that recently Coupland loosely turned his Souvenir books into a film of the same name, made somewhat in the same style. The film was great but does not include everything in both the books.

Coupland's odd humor and appreciation for his country blend well
You don't read Coupland for content, and you certainly don't read him to understand where he is coming from. Coupland is best read as a collection of highly eclectic - and in this case, almost loving - insights of a country he knows well. Like his previous book on Canada and the one on Vancouver, all of these stand as weird, human, insightful snippets of Canadian life. Its like a large relish tray - good snippets, but not all to your personal taste.

Like most souvenirs - neat but often misplaced.
I read this book in two sittings. The photograph compositions where clever and did evoke familiarity - good and bad - about Canadian images and icons. Coupland's ramblings though, are insights that I believe all Canadians feel or have felt at least once in their lives. Ironically I think this book would have the greatest resonance with non-Canadians, although judging by the few American reviews posted, this suggestion may prove to be a stretch.