The Writing Life: Douglas Glover

A little film from long ago

Click the image to watch the video, or click the link at the bottom of the text.

I am running behind because of looming deadlines. To fill in until I finish the work in hand (not long I hope), here’s a link to a little documentary about me. It was filmed after my novel Elle was published, perhaps my most successful moment as a public writer. So it’s a sunny view of things, not to be confused with the bloody-minded, misanthropic author I am most of the time. My sons and I were staying at the family farm outside Waterford, Ontario. We brought along a friend of theirs, a sweet, chubby little boy, who used to bake cookies for my painter girlfriend’s art openings. This confused the Globe and Mail in Toronto when the film aired on TV; the reporter assigned me a third son, an increase of 50% over the usual two.

The film was part of a series of Writing Life author bios. My favourite bit is the opening sequence that ran at the beginning of each episode. But then I also like the images of the farm and the boys. Not to be missed. I cringe, watching myself. So the less said about that the better. But on the whole, it’s a deft little film.

I can’t find the production company online anymore. Not sure what happened there. But someone uploaded the film to Vimeo, where it has been available for years. I expect one day it will disappear, like everything else.

The Writing Life: Douglas Glover