And a dog called Fig : solitude, connection, the writing life

Title:

Author:

Humphreys, Helen, 1961- author.

Personal Author:

Humphreys, Helen, 1961- author.

ISBN:

9780374603885

Edition:

First American edition.

Physical Description:

253 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm

Contents:

Beginnings -- Character -- Structure -- Process -- Setting -- Pacing -- Endings.

Abstract:

"Poet and novelist Helen Humphreys's And a Dog Called Fig, a meditation on the benefits of dogs to the creative life, including the dogs of well-known writers from history, portraits of all the dogs from the author's life, and the arrival and raising of her new puppy"-- Provided by publisher.

An artist's solitude needs to be guarded from the chaos of the world, but within its quiet also lies loneliness and self-doubt. Humphreys provides a meditation on the benefits of dogs to the creative life. She discusses the dogs of well-known writers from history, portraits of all the dogs from the author's life, and the arrival and raising of her new puppy. -- adapted from jacket

Personal Subject:

Humphreys, Helen, 1961-

Subject Term:

Authors, Canadian -- 20th century -- Biography.

Women authors, Canadian -- 20th century -- Biography.

Dog owners -- Biography.

Women dog owners -- Biography.

Dogs.

Human-animal relationships.

Authorship -- Psychological aspects.

Genre:

Autobiographies.

Biographies.

Summary:

Holds:

Available:*

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Summary

And a Dog Called Fig is the story of one writer's life with dogs (including a frisky new puppy), how they are uniquely ideal companions for building a creative life, and some delightful tales about dogs and their famous writers

Into my writer's isolation will come a dog, to sit beside my chair or to lie on the couch while I work, to force me outside for a walk, and suddenly, although still lonely, this writer will have a companion.

An artist's solitude is a sacred space, one to be guarded from the chaos of the world, where the sparks of inspiration can be kindled into fires of creation. But within this quiet also lie loneliness, self-doubt, the danger of collapsing too far inward.

An artist needs a familiar, a companion with emotional intelligence, innate curiosity, an enthusiasm for the world beyond, but also the capacity to rest contentedly for many hours. What an artist needs, Helen Humphreys would say, is a dog.

And a Dog Called Fig is a memoir of the writing life told through the dogs Humphreys has lived with and loved over a lifetime, including Fig, her new Vizsla puppy. Interspersed are stories of other writers and their own irreplaceable companions: Virginia Woolf and Grizzle, Gertrude Stein and Basket, Thomas Hardy and Wessex--who walked the dining table at dinner parties, taking whatever he liked--and many more.

A love song to the dogs who come into our lives and all that they bring--sorrow, mayhem, reflection, joy--this is a book about steadfast friendship and loss, creativity and craft, and the restorative powers of nature. Every work of art is different; so too is every dog, with distinctive needs and lessons. And if we let them guide us, they will show us many worlds we would otherwise miss.

Includes Black-and-White Photographs

Reviews (1)

Kirkus Review

A dog-loving novelist, poet, and memoirist adopts an exuberant puppy. One winter, British-born Canadian writer Humphreys kept a journal recounting her life with Fig, her third vizsla in the last 22 years. Traditionally the hunting and companion dogs of Hungarian aristocrats, the smooth-haired vizslas, writes the author, "are the only dogs without an odour. They are athletic and extremely bonded to their humans. Vizslas are intelligent and adapt well to new situations and places. Also, they are exceedingly good-looking and have been called the super models of the dog world." Her first was Hazel, and her most beloved was Charlotte, a calm, intuitive, companionable dog, who had just died from cancer. Besides chronicling the "wild, unknowable demon" that was Fig, Humphreys offers a tender elegy to Charlotte, with whom she had "the most intimate relationship with a dog" that she ever had. The author also shares fond memories of the dogs with whom she grew up. "My dogs have all had strong characters," she writes, "and I have learned from them that to have traits that are admirable is as good as having traits that are likeable." Many other writers, Humphreys discovered, have found dogs perfect companions: Virginia Woolf, whose "mongrel terrier" Grizzle accompanied her on daily walks over the South Downs; Thomas Hardy, whose aggressive fox terrier, Wessex, often ripped the trouser legs of guests; James Thurber, who included some of his 14 dogs in his drawings and stories; Gertrude Stein, who doted on her poodle, Basket; and Alexander Pope, who had a Great Dane named Bounce. Dogs, who "live very firmly in their bodies," have liberated Humphreys by allowing her to cross from the life of the mind to the physicality of the body, a process that, "while jarring at first, actually opened up the writing process for me." The book includes photos of writers and their canine companions. A warm, writerly homage to the consolation of dogs. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.