Words At Large

(Photo: Jerry Bauer) We’ve come to the final instalments of Wayne Johnston’s sweeping bestseller about one of this country’s most controversial characters. The Colony of Unrequited Dreams (Vintage) is a fictional account of Joey Smallwood’s rise from poverty to become Newfoundland’s first premier.

Taking the historical facts that made up Smallwood’s public life, Johnston imagines a rich private life for this man of many passions.

Born in 1900, Joseph Smallwood started out as one of 13 children, son of a bootmaker. All too aware of the plight of the working poor on the island, he soon became involved in trying to unionize fishermen and railroad workers. Later, as a journalist, radio personality and politician, he traveled across Newfoundland in an effort to convince the citizens to vote for Confederation.

All this is fact — but Johnston goes beyond the public record to create his vision of a man wracked by betrayal and unable to express love. For this Johnston invents the totally fictional character of Sheilagh Fielding, an old school friend of Smallwood’s, the woman he has always loved and never told. She is his foil throughout the novel, challenging his exploits at every turn, exposing both strength and weakness.

Each episode of Between the Covers is 15 to 17 minutes.

Episode 13: Fielding pokes holes in Joey's dreams of confederation.

Episode 14: Neither his father nor Fielding are impressed by Joey's success.

Episode 15: Joey finally learns Fielding's secret.

You can also listen to previous episodes of The Colony of Unrequited Dreams.

If you’re interested in readings of other Canadian books, check out the Hear A Reading page on the Between the Covers site. At the moment, you can listen to Family Matters (Emblem Editions) by Rohinton Mistry and Clara Callan (HarperFlamingo) by Richard B.Wright.

Next week on the podcast, acclaimed actor R. H. Thompson will begin a reading of Last Seen (Vintage), Matt Cohen’s darkly comic novel about two brothers.