Life of Alden Nowlan

Alden Nowlan, a Canadian writer who passed away in 1985, is considered to be among the top writers in Canada. His poetry remains beloved by Maritimers and has gained popularity across Canada and even in the US. His life story is chronicled in the book If I Could Turn and Meet Myself, from his birth to a 14-year-old mother in 1933, through his difficult childhood, troubled adolescence, career in the newspaper industry, battle with cancer, and tenure as writer-in-residence at the University of New Brunswick.

Nowlan's success and peace of mind were founded on his belief that he was a combination of many different selves. Throughout his 12 books of poetry, two novels, a book of stories, and 15 years of weekly columns for the Saint John Telegraph Journal, he fictionalized his own life. Despite this, he kept some of the most important details about his background hidden from everyone, even those closest to him. His overall personal honesty led people to accept his "authorized version" of his life as the complete and only story.

In If I Could Turn and Meet Myself, Patrick Toner presents a more complex and deeply humane portrayal of Nowlan compared to any previous commentator, including Nowlan himself.

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