Tempers, I need your help.

[Maktub]

Our English Lit. professor has asked us to find out whose is this passage:

It started off so well, everybody seems delighted. Even his sister was there looking at him and smiling. However [...]

He says we'll be rewarded if we find out. I've been browsing through anthologies for days and my head is about to explode. If any of you could PLEASE tell me, or ask someone who may know, I'd GREATLY appreciate it.

He only just gave us two hints: the author is Canadian (male or female, we don't know) and it is the very beginning of a short story. It is not Margaret Atwood (I found that by myself).

Thank you!

 

[Just Joe]

That's a difficult one, I've looked around and the only thing I could find was what I believe to be you asking on yahoo...

There are a lot of short story writers from Canada
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canad...t_story_writers

However a Canadian woman called Julie Curwin won the 2008 Commonwealth Short Story Competition with her entry called "World Backwards", so other than that recent reference I can't find anything else with regards to that story.

 

[Maktub]

Thank you VERY MUCH, JJ. That one asking over on yahoo wasn't me, by the way. The entry appeared yesterday with some sloppy English so I guess it's from one of my classmates or someone else who's trying to lend me a hand.

Anyway, I've checked that Julie Curwin story, and it isn't

it's on mp3 on the Commonwealth site. Thanks a real lot for your help. I'll keep on searching.

 

[LittleJenny]

I suggest GOOGLE!

 

[Joe88]

is this you also?
http://www.online-literature.com/forums/sh...ead.php?t=39717

lol

 

[Szyslak]

Maybe your professor is trying to find out who will go post this online, thus identifying students who are more likely to cheat on future assignments?

 

[Maktub]

Yes, that one on the online literature forum is me. And no, the teacher's not going to find out who's been "cheating" cause he told us to find out, no matter the means.

Thanks a lot to all of you! Keep it coming, please!

 

[BiscuitBee]

Yes, that one on the online literature forum is me. And no, the teacher's not going to find out who's been "cheating" cause he told us to find out, no matter the means.

Sounds devious!

 

[WildWon]

Yes, that one on the online literature forum is me. And no, the teacher's not going to find out who's been "cheating" cause he told us to find out, no matter the means.

Thanks a lot to all of you! Keep it coming, please!

Does your prof have any children/pets/loved ones that you could... i'unno... kidnap? That might get you the answer.

I'll do some checking around and see if i can come up with anything for the author... but no promises. Good luck

 

[Szyslak]

Yes, that one on the online literature forum is me. And no, the teacher's not going to find out who's been "cheating" cause he told us to find out, no matter the means.

Thanks a lot to all of you! Keep it coming, please!

I didn't say he's looking for people who are "cheating" on this extra assignment. I suggested that he is profiling your class to find out who might cheat in the future. He's fired the first shot in psychological warfare.

I'm just joking around. Wish I could help identify the passage, but it rings no bells for me.

 

[Maktub]

lol, my faculty is full with whackos. My teacher being the first, maybe. I don't think he's profiling anyone, he's probably just laughing his ass off at how we search for something that doesn't exist.

Nah, I give up. It's too hard with so few words.

 

[Raika]

Don't bother wasting your time, rewards that come from teachers are...not very rewarding.

The rewards i got before were pencils, pens, rulers, erasers, notebooks and other stuff that have to do with studying.

 

[Maktub]

Hm. He was suggesting something in the lines of a higher grade. Since I get the equivalent of A, I guess I'd get A+, which means next year I'd get a good amount of credits for free, saving around 200 euros next year.

 

[Psyfira]

It started off so well, everybody seems delighted. Even his sister was there looking at him and smiling. However [...]

"Started", then "seems"? Past then present tense, I'm not brilliant at writing, but is that even gramatically correct?

 

[Maktub]

It is, if you go on reading the story. Actually, the purpose of the fragment was just to continue a collaborative story from those lines, and I asked if that was gramatically correct, then he said it was and challenged us to find the real short story and tell him the writer.

 

[Maktub]

Hi again, tempers,

my teacher has agreed to give some hints about the author. He said it's a he, his name is 11 letters in length and his initials are R.P. Additionally, I got to know that writing is not his main occupation. I hope you Kanuk tempers can lend me a hand here 'cause I'm not really in contact with your country apart from a few friends I know!

Thanks a lot!

 

[Just Joe]

You know this is really infuriating. I've been trying to find this passage on an off for days.

At the moment the only person that I can find is an author that goes by the name of R.P. MacIntyre. He's an editor and on the editorial board of Thistledown Press, he has also written some award winning short stories for young adults.

Thing is, when your teacher said writing wasn't his main occupation, was he suggesting that he was in some way very well known outside of Canada for something else?

 

[Maktub]

I'm not really sure, JJ. He didn't mean it that way, I think. Maybe he is well known but I can't be sure. Anyhow, you made a real good find! I'll try and find some texts by that guy right away!

What about Robert Priest? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Priest looks very likely!

 

[Just Joe]

Well it could be R O B E R T P R I E S T, because your teacher specializes in English, so I'm gonna assume he can't count.

No, I noted him originally, but I didn't think he did short stories, only poetry. I'll check again.

EDIT. Ah, I see what you're saying. He's known for poetry, not as a short story author.

 

[Maktub]

From the Publisher
This collection of Robert Priest''s short prose includes bizarre sexual parables, hilarious science fiction, fables, text-tangles, dirty stories, lush love letters, re-visionary fairy tales, predictions, strange new games, dream transcripts, and a complete handbook of absurdist instructions, including one on the dangerous arts of pig-swallowing.

That's from "how to swallow a pig"... Sounds more and more likely each time. I think this is the man!