Journeyman: Travels of a Writer

Despite his fear of flying and his distaste for speed, Timothy Findley was a traveler--embarking on trips to write, to read, to speak and to enjoy. Many of his journeys involved a unique vehicle, Tiff's own imagination--a magic carpet that transports his readers into his unforgettable stories.

Journeyman is a collection of the voyages that informed and shaped what, and how, Timothy Findley wrote. Lovingly compiled and annotated by Bill Whitehead, Findley's life partner, Journeyman is a combination of journal entries, speeches, letters, poems, anecdotes, and excerpts from plays. The first of four sections, "Going Places," chronicles excursions made by land, water and air: a comical tribute to Tiff and Bill's first car, a sagegreen Valiant; a surreal trip to Australia, where novelist Ken Kesey continued his pub reading despite a fist fight next door; and a Thanksgiving prayer written after September 11, 2001. "From Past Imperfect to Future Tense" is a time-travel flight through memory and imagination. Readers will meet a few of Tiff's ancestors, including Uncle Frank Bull, who transformed himself into Maestro Francois von Buell to escape the stifling bonds of Methodist Upper Canadian society. "Pen Power" is all about writers and writing, and "Theatre Tours and Final Curtain" takes us on an insider's tour of Tiff's favorite world. The book ends with Tiff's last written words, three poignant final lines of a one-act play.

Journeyman is a lasting gift from Timothy Findley to all of his many fans.