Sofia's Side of the Story

Right now the press is gearing up for the release of “My Life,” which should be printed and bound in the next week or so. We’ve set a date for the launch, and we’re working on the invitations, the guest list, and doing all the grunt work it takes to pull off an event for over a hundred people. Never having published anything of this magnitude before, I think we’re all feeling the pressure a little bit, but so far everything has been going well (knock on wood!)

We were fortunate enough to be featured in an article in the Ottawa Citizen Sunday, announcing the publication of My Life and giving a bit of an introduction to Sofia.

It was nice to see the volume treated as such an accessible text, because that has been one of my challenges in publicizing it. At 1200 pages, it’s a little daunting, and it’s certainly important to stress the academic significance of this treasure trove of information on Tolstoy, but it’s also important to note that it is very easy and interesting to read!

Read the article

Sneak peek @ Sofia Tolstoy's memoirs!

Yesterday, our managing editor Marie Clausén went to oversee the printing of our upcoming book My Life, otherwise known as the long lost memoirs of Sofia Andreevna Tolstoya.

If the name doesn’t ring a bell immediately, here’s a little background.

Sofia was the wife of the celebrated writer and philosopher Leo Tolstoy, who wrote such classics as War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and The Kreutzer Sonata. In her memoirs, she gives readers an intimate look into the life of her family and a unique portrait of late-19th-century and early-20th-century Russia. To find out more about the book, visit the website.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the printing of the book:

Tolstaya press check @ Solisco Tri-Graphic - the cheerful chap in charge of printing the full-colour image inserts

Checking the colour levels...

Colour insert sample page

Boxed signatures

Isn't that neat? Thanks to Marie for sharing the pictures!

Old Saying, New Outlook

The Journal of Ecclesiastical History published a short review of our recent title Tous les chemins mènent à Rome, in their July 2010 issue.

The review, written in English by Christopher F. Black of Glasgow University, can be accessed in PDF format at the following link: The Journal of Ecclesiastical History

Rénovations aux PUO

Notre édifice

Réception

Escaliers

Bureau de Marketing

La place pour notre nouvelle petite cuisinette

Bureau de Marie, Secrétaire générale d'édition

Voici quelques photos des rénovations aux PUO! Nous espérons que les entrepreneurs seront finies par la fin de la semaine prochaine. C’est bien beau, n’est ce pas?

The Wrong ... Review?

Canadian Literature: A Quarterly of Criticism and Review, has published a review of the UOP’s newest title from the Canadian Literature Collection. The Wrong World, edited by Gregory Betts, is a collection of previously unpublished works of Betram Brooker, a Canadian pioneer in the realms of literature, visual arts, film, and theatre.

I’m always happy when writers from Canadian Literature review our books, because we at the UOP love our Can Lit. (Don't believe me? Take a look at our backlist – we’ve got everything from Susanna Moodie, to Stephen Leacock, to Northrop Frye and Margaret Atwood.)

I have to admit I got a little over-excited when I read the first line: “Every so often a text comes along that changes how things are done...” and then realized that the comment wasn’t directed towards our volume, but was referring to the other book featured in the review (Reasoning Otherwise: Leftists and the People's Enlightenment in Canada, 1890-1920 written by Ian McKay and published by Between the Lines.)

When it comes to reviews, that’s just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

All in all, Bart Vautour has some pretty nice things to say:

Betts has done a great service to the study of modernism in Canada by recovering and arranging these texts. This collection has great pedagogical potential and can contribute much to a rethinking of how modernism is taught in Canada. Part of the text’s usefulness for teaching is its accompanying website (www.press.uottawa.ca) which contains supplementary material such as biographical information, essays and short stories that are not included in the collection, and study questions for the texts that are included. The strength of this collection lies in the fact that it is geared to help both literary scholars do the work of reconnaissance that Ian McKay advocates and that is so important for the study of modernism in Canada while it also facilitates the ability of a new generation of students to do that same work.

To read the review in its entirety, visit the Canadian Literature website, and then scroll down the page for a bit before you start to read. ;)

Monique Frize: Catalyst, Activist, Advocate

Tabaret Magazine has published a shiny new cover story featuring Monique Frize, author of The Bold and the Brave. The article, titled Debunking Myths and Legends: Women in Science and Engineering, was written by Susan Lightstone. It discusses some of the hurdles that Frize has come across in her chosen career, and the iniquity that persists for women who follow in her footsteps.

Part of the problem is that people think that gender is no longer a barrier in today’s modern world. Frize disagrees.

“Women’s full and equal participation in society is in no way guaranteed”, says Frize, who looks to the past to prove this point. In her book, she provides numerous examples of women throughout history who, despite societal constraints and prohibitions, developed their passion for and expertise in science. Yet they remain largely unknown—their work either trivialized or adopted by men as their own.

The modern-day myth that gender stereotypes have disappeared is, in fact, untrue says Frize. If society is truly committed to “women’s full and equal participation,” we must, like her, keep “debunking myths and legends.”

On the bright side, Frize presents some of the ways that she and others are working to make the fields of science and engineering a friendlier place for women.

To find out more, read the complete article: http://www.tabaret.uottawa.ca/article_e_439.html

To learn about The Bold and the Brave, visit the University of Ottawa Press’ website. http://www.press.uottawa.ca/book/683