Heart of a Stranger

Debbie Feisst is the reference/Internet resources librarian in the
Information Services Division of the Edmonton Public Library.

Originally published by McClelland & Stewart in 1976, Heart of a
Stranger is a collection of Margaret Laurence essays (penned between
1964 and 1975) that chronicle her travels to Somalia, Nigeria, Greece,
Egypt, England, and Scotland. A new introduction by Nora Foster Stovel,
a professor of English at the University of Alberta, explores how
Laurence’s experiences in faraway lands influenced her uniquely
Canadian fiction. In the foreword, Laurence states, “One thing I
learned … was that my experience of other countries probably taught me
more about myself and my own land that it did about anything else.”

The essays are arranged in a geographic rather than chronological
order, so that they end as a journey does—in a sort of homecoming.
Each essay is prefaced with Laurence’s personal comments, which are a
delight to read and help to shed light on many of her best-loved novels.
In writing the essays, she notes, she was unknowingly working out many
themes that would eventually surface in her fiction.

Heart of a Stranger is much more than a collection of travelogues.
Supplemented by a useful index and extensive annotations, the book is a
must-have for students of Margaret Laurence’s work in particular and
Canadian literature in general.