Statues of Easter Island
Stories and narratives by Robert Markland Smith
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The point of this lush, wide-ranging and unusual collection of stories is that the view from the writing of Robert Markland Smith is like that of viewing the statues of Easter Island — years from now we will still be discussing and seaarching for the meaning. This collection includes such gems as “The Language Police”, “The Angel Factory”, “What Nietzche’s Mother Never Taught Him” and others which are yours to find. Robert Markland Smith is a writer of extraordinary sentiments, who bewitches the reader like a Leonard Cohen on an audacious whirlwind. His writing carries intimate moments and emanates from a poetic soul. A remarkable collection of narratives and stories.
Robert Markland Smith started writing as a French literature student in the sixties and began publishing in magazines in Montreal. He was influenced by the Civil Rights movement in the United States and the Quiet Revolution in Quebec. He was also influenced by his travels across Canada, to New York City, Paris, Barcelona and Berkeley, California.
In 1995, Robert won a citywide poetry contest in Montreal, out of 1,240 poets. Since then he has received several writing grants from the Quebec government for English writing. In 1982, one of his French poems was read at a distinguished event at Parliament in Ottawa. He has appeared on radio and television in Canada and been interviewed online in Europe and Australia. Robert’s writing has been published in over 150 magazines and websites.
A professional translator, he writes as easily in French as in English. His work has been translated into Chinese, Arabic and other languages. He has a B.A. in French literature and an MA in Translation. “Statues of Easter Island” is his fourteenth book.
Since 1990, he has been living with his partner Bonnie and together they have raised two high-achieving daughters. “Sometimes, in writing” says Robert, “it is important to throw away the cup so that one can drink directly from the waters of experience.”.
A list of other books by Robert Markland Smith
- I’ve been so happy since I got my lobotomy (1982)*
- Intimate Raps with the Morning Star (1986)
- True Confessions of a Bunny Rabbit from Hell (1990)
- Lands of Exile (1994)
- Poems and Tales from the River Styx (1998)
- Rumpleforeskin meets the Abomination of Desolation (2004)
Street Business Inc. (2007) - The Madona of Port Lligat or a Survival Manual for the War of the Worlds (2009)
- Deadly Mischief (2010)
- Markland’s Colouring Book (2011)
- The Personality Adjustment Machine (2011)
- The Weight of Illusions (2014)
- The Kryptonite Stories (2015)
* Also available from Commoners
Quality Paperback, 5½×8½” 56 pg, Publication date: March 2016, ISBN 978-0-88970-181-6: $12.95
Ebook: You can get “Statues of Easter Island” in 3 e-book formats (ISBN 978-0-88970-182-3 each $9.99):
- Kindle (Mobi) -click to go to Amazon order page: mobi
- Epub (for Apple Ipad, Android, Kobo, Nook, Sony readers, Adobe Digital editions…
- PDF (various devices including PC and Mac). Click below to order from Commoners