Description
A Tale of Monstrous Extravagance: Imagining Multilingualism is a slim volume from the University of Alberta Press and Canadian Literature Centre's Henry Kreisel Lecture series in March of 2014 by the talented playwright, novelist, and pianist/songwriter, Tomson Highway. Essentially a biographical tour of Tomson Highway's lifelong learning in cultural knowledge, languages (Cree, Dene, Latin, French, English, and Spanish), classical music, and world travel, the lecture touches on his early childhood, residential school, and adult years all told with delicious Trickster-like humour. The significance of learning multiple languages including Indigenous languages provide the essential tools for a more, well-rounded individual journey through life. Highway's key message is “Speaking one language, I submit, is like living in a house with one window only...” Recommended for the mature learner. A Tale of Monstrous Extravagance: Imagining Multilingualism has been selected in the Young Adult/Adult Category Longlist for First Nation Communities READ 2017.